PEACHFRONT SPEAKS

keep calling big raises with AQ offsuit at no limit, dude, and i'll never be able to afford to go home

2010-02-09 - 1:10 p.m.

Heading back after a final belated birthday at Shanghai Lily for IMOM. Oh, and I had my best day at No Limit to date, which sent me hopping from table to table as I quickly got too deep on the first two.

Got the upgrade LAS-MSP. Breakfast was a truly sad and sorry unsweetened cereal. I had to request another sugar packet to make it vaguely edible. At least the Bailey's and coffee muffled some of the "yick" factor.

I'll try to describe a rather complicated 2/5 NL hand from yesterday. In early position was a young lady who bought in short and then tried to open raise every hand for $25. Next to her was an Asian man who would immediately make big raises, apparently in a desire to isolate her in position. Before she arrived at the table, he also open raised virtually every hand for $30. True, I was at the table only a short time, so perhaps they were truly getting raising hand after raising hand, but based on what I'd seen, I was fairly skeptical.

They're both short. She has about $50 left. After repeated re-buys, he has $130 left.

I'm next with A ♦ K ♦. I have somewhat less than my initial buy-in of $500.

The man next to act after me has been fairly quiet but he's a middle-aged white dude who doesn't seem to be anything special. He has me covered, just barely.

So she's in early position, and she opens for $25, as she's been doing every time. Asian guy raises all-in to $130, as he's been doing (and losing) almost every time. I don't put him on much except trying to push the lady around and hoping against hope that nobody else gets involved. I'm not threatened by either of their tiny stacks. I call. Then the guy who acts after me calls, which is more scary than any of the other actions so far, although maybe if I'd been there longer, I wouldn't have been worried, because I would know he's the kind of idiot who calls big raises with A ♥ Q ♠.

Now the young lady folds and stomps off, instead of putting her last $25 bucks in the pot. I kinda counted on her for overlay but oh well...

There's over $400 in the main pot. Nothing yet in the side pot.

Flop is 8 ♣ 3 ♠ 8 ♦

A bluffing pot? But there's nothing in the side pot, and I can't bluff off an all-in player. I would also like to see another card. I check. My opponent checks.

Turn: Q ♦

Now I've picked up the nut flush diamond draw, and I have some evidence that my remaining "live" opponent doesn't like his hand. I shove all-in.

He calls.

River: 3 ♦

He flips up his cards and tries to drag the pot. Even the dealer is baffled by his bullshit. Yep, he called an all-in shove with nothing more than TP TK. "He has two pair?" I say, incredulous. "Everybody has two pair. I have the flush. I'm the winner." Dealer gets back the money I'm owed for the side pot, which is substantial, needless to say.

Asian dude flashes me his pocket kings as he too folds, awarding me the main pot.

Go me.

Of course I never would have called one penny in the first place if I'd given the Asian man any credit for having a hand, but that's the risk you take when you try to establish an image as the table maniac. People are gonna run you down...

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