Winning Hand

My week of poker was pretty rough. I was grinding it out on the $2-$4 tables for most of the week (this is where you can only bet and raise in increments of $2 or $4, known as Limit Hold-Em). Playing at such low betting limits can really test your patience, not only is most of your competition either new or poor players, but they never fold and will try to catch cards on you. If you're not as lucky as someone you are playing against you can lose money fast and might as well be at the slot machine.

I entered a tournament on Wed. night and had a rough time of it there as well.

Thurs. night we (the band and I) were hanging out at the hotel bar and met a young poker pro from Philly. He had a pregnant wife at home and would drive down to AC two or three days a week to play cards. He said on a good week he cleared a grand or so and on a bad week he broke even. Not too shabby. He explained that the No-Limit Hold 'Em game was a much better one to play in than the $2-$4 game.

So Friday night I gave it a shot and wound up being involved in the biggest single pot I've ever been involved in.

Proceed carefully lest you think me a degenerate gambler! Some poker knowledge needed as well:

I buy in to the No-Limit game for $100. I play extremely tight (only putting my money in with great starting cards) and after 30 min. or so I'm down $40. I get dealt two 6s in late position. There were about 3 callers in front of me, all of who limped in (meaning they called for the minimum $2 with nobody raising the pot). I called with my 66 even though its a fairly strong hand. On the flop comes 9 3 6. I had flopped three sixes, three of a kind is a very powerful hand. The action checks around to me and I bet $10. Two people call me. I'm wondering what they have, I figure somebody has the 9 but if he did, why wouldn't he bet? Maybe his 9 is very weak and he doesn't have a kicker. The other person I figure is trying to draw to a straight as there is no flush possibilities on the board. The turn card comes and is a King. The first to act bets out a big $40, the other person folds and the action is to me. Had he just made his King? The only hands I would worry about would be two 9's or two Kings, both would make a higher three of a kind than I had. But he had either hand he would've raised pre-flop to protect these very strong cards. I figure I was good and I moved all-in with the rest of my money. All of it.

I turn over my 6s and the other guy rolls his eyes. He turns over K3 for two pair. The only card he could draw on the river to beat me would be another King. A Jack comes and I take the pot. I count my chips and I've just won around $200. One one hand of poker.

I play for a little while longer and take down another small pot but I had to get up early the next morning so I took my winnings and left. I came home just about even from where I started.

Free poker, not bad.