Posted Tue Jan 21, 2003 5:50 am GMT by Adam Marshall
Haha! Now I can write for the site without fear of it getting vetoed! 
I remember a $4-$8 hold ‘em game I played at the Flamingo in Las Vegas at the end of 2002. The gentleman to my right was a talker. He was a tough, trucker-looking guy, a family man who liked to go to Vegas to get away from his family, and he confessed that he “didn’t know nuthin’ about odds“. He believed a lot in his ability to feel what the other players had, and even made a few half-hearted attempts at calling an opponent’s hand before the showdown. Another big bonus: he didn’t conceal his cards very well when he peeked at them six or seven times a hand.
There was a young guy across the table who loved to say, “I’m gonna stay in just to see what you got” or “I gotta keep ya honest”. He played pretty aggressively because he kept getting dealt good cards. His rack sat on the table with the chips still in them.
I played maybe one out of every eight hands. Maybe two if nobody raised me on the big blind. I talked to my neighbors, but more listening than talking. I confided that I wrote for some website, but didn’t mention that the site had anything to do with hold ‘em.
I was in the dealer’s position with Q 10 diamonds. No raises pre-flop. The flop was three diamonds, one of which was the King. Checks abound until our burly friend to my right tossed some chips in with a poop-eating grin on his face. I called. Fold, fold, the young guy called, fold, and fold. It was just the three of us.
The dealer flipped an unimportant spade on the turn. The young guy bet this time. The trucker’s grin disappeared and he called while keeping a keen eye on the better. I could feel that the big guy could feel a loss in his immediate future. The young guy returned the stare with an impassive, blank face that he very well may have practiced in a mirror at one point.
I am inconsequential.
So I wait and watch for a moment, and eventually muster up the courage to call the bet while those two stare each other down.
The dealer feels the gravity at the table and does some little trick to flip over the last card. Another low spade. No straight potential. No pairs on the board. The best hand is a flush.
I decided it’d be a good idea to say, “Humph”. They both looked at me as if they just remembered I was still in the game. I looked down and pretended to count my chips.
The young guy tilted his head to one side and declared his bet. Mr. Already Beaten grudgingly tossed some chips in the middle and prepared for the showdown. But it didn’t come just then.
“I’ll raise.”
“I just want to see what you have.”
“I can’t fold now, I’m too far in.”
“King-high flush wins.”
“Good hand.”
The guy to my left was a fun guy to play with too. He chatted a lot in broken English and cheered and booed based on his good or bad luck. He liked blackjack and video poker. The benefit of playing with him: he insisted on giving me Marlboro reds whenever I reached for my own smokes and curtly nodded at me when I accepted, like these particular cigarettes were gonna blow my mind. I think he also mentioned something about being down $250 at the table. I saw $150 of it go.
During one memorable hand, a had A9 in the pocket with two 9’s and two spades on the board after the turn card. My Asian buddy and I bet at each other in a way that was superficially friendly.
Right before the river he screamed, “C’mon, give me spade!”
The dealer gave him his spade.
Immediately, I mucked my three-of-a-kind face up.
“Why’d you do that? Maybe he wouldn’t have bet”, someone asked.
“I still would’ve lost.”, I replied.
“You didn’t know that for sure though”, somebody else tossed in.
“Yeah I did. This is poker, right?”
“About time I get flush!”, he squealed in elation as he showed off his spades.
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Posted Fri Feb 07, 2003 7:45 pm GMT by ratbastahd
Could also read predictability. I played in a lot of house games with a certain group of people. We had one guy who talked all of the time, except when he had a smallish hand. Playing seven card, not texas but seven card, one night and I was sitting on trip 9s with one card remaining, two in the hole and one showing. It was down head to head and this guy all of a sudden stops talking. The motor mouth turned off. I threw out a small opening and he started breathing heavy, and called really quiet like. He had nothing showing no connectors so I figured him for two pair, maybe trips. Last down card comes and no help for Dave, so I check and this guy is silent. No noise, not even looking anywhere but at the table. Throws out a little more than min bid without a word, stairs at the table. SWeating alittle myself, about a buck and change in the pot, figure what the hell, keep him honest just because he was so quiet. The guy throws his arms in the air and throws down trip 7s thinking I was bluffing and just trying to "keep him honest. My nines and his jaw hit the table at about the same time. He left before the next hand was dealt. He was never the same but everyone knew his tell.
Posted Sat Feb 22, 2003 11:50 am GMT by Ship It 2 Me
That's right, at a charity night, we use to play hi-low hold'em (I know this is tales of Texas Hold'em, but this story is great).
It is still 8 to qualify, so this is a very interesting game (5-10 if I remember). I was a dealer at this charity night, and it was kind of slow. The house gave me $200 in chips to keep the game full. I would be allowed to keep any chips over $200 if I won.
I get dealt a 6-7 of diamonds. Pre-flop cap, this just cost "me" $20
Flop out, 3-4-8 (4-8 diamonds)
hmmm, flop capped this just cost me $80, but I am not going anywhere. Now it is just me and 2 others
Turn card, off suit 10, turn card cap again, I am calling, the guy running the place looks at me, whispers in my ear "what are you doing"? I said, the both have A-2, look at all the outs I have. I'm thinking 7,6,A or 2 would be great, but the ultimate card would be the 2 of diamonds.
As Jerry the dealer starts to flip over the last card, I call out "2 of diamonds Jerry".
My jaw drops as I see the 2 of diamonds hit the river. Jerry looks at me and asks "what did you just say"?
I quickly reply "Nothing Jerry". Hmm, seems like the other 2 players now want to check. I quickly throw out $10 and get 2 calls.
Let's review the board 3d-4d-8c-10s-2d
Gives me a 7 low with an 8 high flush, I think most would call this a bad beat, but I call it "Very Sweet", especially since they were squeezing me.
8)
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