Man...Lyn and I are beginning to feel like Rounders. Haha.
Arsenio was really cool and called us for a Friday night game at his friend's house.
Scoping Out the Scene:
When we arrived, we found a house with the garage open and some dude souping up his Lexus IS. We asked for Mike and he pointed us inside. Once we were inside, we heard, "Up here!" So we proceeded up the stairs to the game room. And was it a game room or what! Couch, full size poker table, TV hung on the wall. shelves of CDs and DVDs, and a foosball table. On the side wall, there was another table set up with poker chips, decks of KEM cards, and a white board with chip counts and blinds predefined for the tournament. To be honest, I was a bit intimidated. What did I just walk into?
And let me expand on this poker table: He made this huge oval felt cloth table himself from parts he bought from a casino supply store. He even broke out a piece of the forearm bumper for everyone to try out so he can decide on whether or not to install it. Then I think he plans to add the cup holders and all that other jazz. He's serious folks!
Meeting the Gang:
The host was Mike and we met a group of his usual card buddies. These guys were younger, a UT crowd. Either working or grad schooling there. The folks that Arsenio brought along were married. But as usual, I was the only woman. And I hate it, but I get asked everytime, "You play too?" What...do I look like the type of chick to go to a stranger's poker game with my husband and hang on his arm and watch him play? Please!
Warm-Up:
The warm-up of the night was Omaha. I've seen it on TV, but I didn't want to play. I was there to play Hold'em and didn't want to gamble on a game that I was unfamiliar and get off tilt for the rest of the night. The host was cool and called it a low-limit game so everyone can cash out or buy-in. Lyndon played and only lost a bit for a first timer. I watched and dealt and I think I'll play next time.
The Tournament:
Hold'em of course. No LIMIT! These players were good. A couple very good. It was a game Lyn and I had to take seriously, esp me cause I know the men just wanna take my money and kick me off the table. Just joking. We only had one crazy guy...what Lyn and I called a maniac. But those are the guys that win some and loose more. We just watch out for him to go out early on a bad call and then we can play our game. We both played pretty darn good all night. A few missed calls, but what I don't put in I don't loose and sometimes folding the winning hand just makes the rest of the night stronger. Lessons learned. So with 8 people, Lyn and I and Mike's neighbor, another Mike, were top 3. So we all were in the money. Arsenio was 4th. I lost my pot to Lyn on a misplayed preflop raise of pocket K's, but that's aight. I was top 3 and made a good showing. The heads up game between Lyn and Mike took a while, but at the end Lyn end up the champ.
In Conclusion:
This is probably the best overall tournament we've played with others. We both played well. And playing well means you gotta play with good players too. It certainly helps the level of the game. It was fun to play with people we never played before and see if we can play with strangers in a tournment.
As for the people, there will always be one person that is questionable, but the rest was way cool. Funny thing is, we felt right at home in a stranger's house. It was like being back in Alief playing a home game with the boys. The host took the game seriously and everyone must follow the rules. We really liked playing with a professional feel. But it was also fun. We talked about poker, games, football, and food. Geez...just our type of folks.
I have to say that Lyn is really becoming a great player. But good players only play well with a table of other good players. As much as the Brat (for those of you that don't know...Phil Helmut) annoys me, he's right on some points. If you play with a bunch of amateurs that wins on luck...what the heck!
In the Future:
So Mike started to organize an All-In Group and will be setting up games regularly. That makes 2 regular games for us a week. Oh well...I'll get it in before I have the baby.
We had an absolutely great time!
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