Suckout Like A Champion Today

You know, it feels really good to put another player on tilt. Don't get me wrong, I'm not mean about it...

Despite feeling a little ill and feverish, I played tonight at a new game, some of Forty Ounce Dave's friends in Lake Forest. Six-handed tournaments, and Albert was there too.

I was playing tight, sloooowly chipping up while I tried to peg the folks I hadn't played with before. I uttered some good-natured complaint when I mucked 42o and 64o before seeing woulda-been full houses.

Then the fun starts... Albert called from his small blind, I checked my 75o to see an interesting flop: Qs-8s-5h. Albert underbet into me, $300 into a $600 pot. I think the fever told me to call. Maybe he's on a flush draw. Maybe he's trying to see if I have any part of this flop. Maybe this is another hand where my offsuit one-gap trash turns into gold.

The turn was another 5. My bottom pair is now a set. Albert bet again, and I raised. He pushed, and I called with a quiet "I am the suckout king." He was NOT happy to see that his top two pair were now behind to my fives.

Ok, I've got chips, it's four-handed, and I'm loopy. And I've got Kyle, the resident ten year-old, in my corner. I bumped a nice raise on the button with 64-clubs. One-gap trash rules. Albert thought and called from his big blind. Scary flop: Ad-Kc-Qd. Albert checked, I bet. More talking, more thinking. Albert folded his A3. I showed Kyle, then told everybody. Albert was in disbelief, actually asking Kyle if I was lying. I loved it.

The tilt ain't over...

On the button again, with red queens. I raised it up, Albert called from his big blind. Jack-high flop with two baby hearts. Albert checked, I bet. More talking, more thinking. Exasperated, he folded, and I showed only Kyle and offered him a platitude. "It's good to keep your opponents off balance."

It ended with Albert raising me from his small blind, while three-handed. I wanted to see a flop with my A3-hearts. Ac-8d-6d flopped. Albert bet into me, I thought about it. I pushed. He thought. He called. Q8 no good this time, either. Forty Ounce Dave loved it, moving him into the money with a short-stack. I finished him off with a caught-bluff-turned-good when my 74-hearts caught a 7 and held on against Dave's K8.

After the tourney, Albert asked about the hand where I had queens. I didn't tell him. C'mon, where's the fun in that?

The second tourney wasn't nearly as interesting, or suckout-filled. Albert was pleased that he didn't draw the seat to my direct right again. I wasn't pleased that his AQ hit against my pocket nines to bust me in 4th place. He felt it was fitting that he was the one to send me to the sidelines. Kyle proceeded to kick my butt at some sort of Star Wars xbox game.

$60 in, $110 out. Good times.