Rick's Cafe Americain

I’ve finally got my DSL sorted out so I can blog again.  With only my memory to guide me, I have three games to write up over the next few days, last Friday at Chez Helmut, Tuesday at Ferrari’s and Wednesday at the Churchwarden’s. 

Today’s featured game is Helmut’s.

I raised pre-flop with Aces, not AQ, very early in the evening.  I was pretty certain Heidi had me beat after the second King fell on the turn since I had read her as having Kings after the flop (not the Kings and Nines she had).  However, considering that most people read Heidi as a fish, I wanted to see what she had called my pre-flop raise with and what she had raised me with on the flop.  Also, I’ll admit that I stubbornly did not want to fold my AA. 

On Heidi in general...I think that Ugarte has blown her out of proportion.  She acts the dumb blonde who doesn’t know what she is doing, while she slowplays the boat she had from 6th street.  On that particular hand, she let her cards speak, no boasting or anything, by simply flipping them over.  Was it it a little cruel to not say anything, when Ugarte greedily started scooping the chips before she even had a chance to flip her cards?  Perhaps, but Ugarte deserved it (and his blog underestimates the degree to which he got played on that hand).

Is she a little rude and and little arrogant at the table.  Yes.  But I also think that Ugarte seriously underestimates the degree to which he makes people uncomfortable (even pisses some off, based on reports from my game) with his strict (and usually arrogant) insistence on poker “etiquette” during casual home games.  The criticism being not the message, but the manner of delivery.

Is Heidi a good player?  My read is no.  But she is not a bad player either and is better than some regulars at Helmut’s and my home games.  Does she deserve to be called a bitch on the internet?  Absolutely not, based on what I have observed.  She has an open invitation to play in my game (and not just because I think I’ll take her money in the long run). 

I think we all agree that Heidi is a better player than she would have us believe, but she has also gotten some amazingly lucky hands.  However, Heidi is not one to throw away even marginal hands, so if you stayed in for information, you paid quite a bit for info you could have gotten cheaper (or on someone else’s dime).

As for her attitude, I fully agree with Ugarte, and I say that as someone who has consistently won money from Heidi.  She’s a pissy loser and an insufferable winner.  She calls people on her cell phone during hands she’s playing in, and talks about the hand.  She shrieks a lot, and smokes in a room full of nonsmokers without asking anyone if they mind.  And I don’t think any of this is posturing designed to put us on tilt—I think she honestly doesn’t give a shit about the rest of us.  It was truly obnoxious when she wanted a picture “of all the people she beat” at The Tournament, and it was bad form to win a couple of monster hands early and then walk out the door.  She is unpleasant to play with, and I would prefer not to play with her.

As your primary criterium is not pleasantness but fishiness, I can understand why you would extend her an open invitation, but I don’t understand why you would have a problem with Ugarte’s desire to enforce poker ettiquette.  Putting aside the fact that even “casual home games” go smoother and are more pleasant when everyone follows some basic rules(don’t bet out of turn, don’t talk about a hand you’re not in, don’t give advice to players in a hand, don’t look at mucked cards), it also gives the observant, experienced player another edge over the fish.  Certain tells are only meaningful if they are departures from the accepted norm (i.e., acting out of turn), and its hard to read players who are allowed to do whatever they want whenever they want.  But then, I don’t find Ugarte’s “insistence” either “strict” or “arrogant”, so . . ..

I agree that poker etiquette is important and that people who don’t know any better should be informed of this.  I also think that most home games (or at least mine, others can run them how they will) should be fun and that means a certain degree of looseness.  I have had more than one person comment to me regarding Ugarte’s seriousness and style of “reprimanding.” Also, having now played in Vegas, the tables there (in terms of talking during the hand, general attitude, etc.) are much looser than Ugarte would appear to want to enforce generally.

Regarding Heidi, everyone is entitled to their opinion.  I just think yours and Ugarte’s is more than a bit harsh and I think she generally makes the GAME more interesting.  There is no question that it was a snoozer that night after she left.

I paid $8 for the info (with the chance she was on one of those “marginal” hands). 

I also disagree with your description of my criterium.  The stakes at my game are not high enough for me to be that concerned with taking people’s money (though it adds to the fun).  I’d host a game with five Swishes, poker etiquette be damned, even if we were playing for dimes (the 10 cent kind).

Finally though, I definitely want to give props to Helmut.  His lavish home cooked meals are quite generous (as is his poker play generally).  When’s the next tourney?

I should add (before Ugarte starts referring to me as Brutus), that, leaving aside the above disagreement, Ugarte is a fun guy to play with—when he’s not losing badly.  It just usually does not take much for either of us to find something to disagree with or criticize the other about.

Rick, however, is just a pain in the ass.  And his drinks are too expensive.

As is typically the case when Ferrari decides to express an opinion about me, all I can do is roll my eyes and shrug.

Are the same people calling me “arrogant” the “leaders” telling Kerry that they want him to win the election? Anyone who doesn’t tell me their opinion can expect me not to care about the hearsay.

Do I have to separate the two of you?