Ugarte's Poker Grovel #4The stakes were the same, but the action was hot Hot HOT!!! Two people lost in the neighborhood of $100, and that is a rough neighborhood to live in. It may not be rough if you sit at the Bellagio’s 300/600 table, but it is a really rough neighborhood if you buy-in for $60 and don’t allow any bets bigger than $5.
Once again Ferrari drew flies into the web via Craigslist. (These particular flies played with Ferrari in the past, but they were new to me.) Current count of craigslist players to win at a Ferrari-hosted game? Ask the Babylonians. I doubt this will last, but have no regrets so far.
Coworker Coach brought his friend Swish to join the staff of Rick’s (absent Sam). Simon and NotForProfit of craigslist filled out the table.
You would think that enough shocks would make even the bravest rat wary of the lever delivering the food pellets. You would be wrong. Of course rats are not the only creatures vulnerable to the lure of rewards produced at irregular intervals. Swish and NotForProfit kept riding the river over the falls to their peril. Wise’s first pre-flop fold came after more than an hour at the table, and he apologized for betting out of turn. “No problem,” said I, “Fold whenever you want. It’s like witnessing a comet.”
Swish’s day grew longer still when he couldn’t find his hat. He must have felt that life was mocking him, as Simon was sporting the same hat (albeit in a different color) on his head. Swish was left to go out into the cold New York night with nothing to warm his head but the warm dreams of next time.
The table spent the day tilted toward Ferrari, but Coach and I were able to catch some of the runoff. Rick will once again have to take solace in tax advice. Simon spent most of the night close to the felt, but caught a big hand to close the night and finish roughly even. This left Swish and NotForProfit to fund the pot.
I think I detected a tell in my own game. I hope nobody else noticed. I will probably sit down again twice in the next week or so and report back.
Final tally:
Ferrari: +~170 (!!! This is the most I’ve ever seen won. Well, except for TT.)
Coach: +~60
Ugarte:+~30
Simon: -/+0 (-2, to be exact; gotta separate the winners from the losers.)
Rick: -~30
Swish: -~100
NotForProfit: -~130 (This seems like too much. I am forcing this to make the math work, since I didn’t ask him about his final total. I think that there was probably more rebuying or betting with cash than some of the other negatives recall.)
