Last Thursday began like so many others. Even when you’re in Vegas, there can be a certain sense of normalcy achieved if you’re there to play poker. The previous night’s success at the MGM gave my confidence an early boost. I guess catching two straight flushes will do that to your game. But on Thursday, the mega-crew covering the WSOP had an off day and I was more than happy to hang with them playing some social poker.
The consensus took us to Caesars Palace where I joined a mixed game with several familiar faces. Tuscaloosa Johnny, Linda Geenen, Jay Greenspan, Jen Leo, CJ, Otis, Wil, and Ryan took over a table playing $3/$6 mixed games – Stud8, O8, and Crazy Pineapple. I had a fun, relaxing time, even though I dropped 20BB’s. I felt it was money well spent considering the company. I rode dirty martinis the whole way.
Many of us signed up for the $220 7pm tourney. The 40-minute levels were nice, but the blind level increases made things difficult for me by level 5. I managed to win the five-way last longer bet, but busted well out of the money.
Meanwhile, G-Rob had situated himself at a $2/$5NL table, as did Otis. I made my way to the friendly confines of $1/$2NL and hoped I could recover my mixed game loss and tournament entry fee. After a few hours of playing, those prospects looked grim.
I sat in the 7 seat and had a decent view of the table. That all changed when a grimy Australian kid took the 6 seat. He promptly turned his seat backwards and sat Todd Brunson-style, easily obscuring my view of the 4 and 5 seats. He also took his shoes off exposing his dirty-as-shit feet. I thought to myself, “This ain’t the fucking outback, mate.”
Yes, he titled me. He posted early and woke up with Aces. He had pocket Jacks the next hand. The third hand, I paid off his nut flush. I was in for $300 at this table and had been whittled down to about $63. So much for yesterday’s win.
Thankfully the tourist in the 3 seat doubled me up. And even more thankfully, the tourist in the 3 seat put Aussie, Aussie, Aussie on tilt, tilt, tilt. He caught runner-runner two pair with K4o and then hit a two-outer set on the river to remove much of the profit Aussie-boy had built up. Finally, he put his shoes back on and left, mumbling to himself about not being able to play with that guy. “Good,” I thought, “because I can’t play with you.”
The table was on the brink of breaking up as we neared the 12AM mark. Then it happened.
****
The noise preceded their entrance by about 30 seconds. Very drunk and very loud, five new players joined the game. Huge wads of cash and yellow $1000 chips fell from their pockets onto the table. All five players bought in for the max - $500. They were all from Norway, fresh from a monster run at the craps table and ready to play some cards. Or so I thought.
They occupied seats 1 through 5, and on the first hand when the 10 seat made a standard pre-flop raise, seat 2 came over the top.
For $500.
“Oh boy,” I thought to myself, “this is going to get crazy.”
The tourist who tilted the Australian douche bag went into the tank. “What the hell is he thinking about?” I thought. Did he have TT, JJ, or AK. Nah, nothing like that. Tourist called the pre-flop all-in from the drunk Norwegian in the 2 seat with KTo. What did Norway have? AJo. The Ace held up, the tourist was busted, and we were on our way.
****
They say that you don’t have any friends at the poker table. To a degree, that’s true; but I’m certainly not always capable of being that cut throat. I could have just sat there and kept the forthcoming insane action all to myself. But I felt I owed it to my remaining friends in the room to alert them to the fact that there was a huge opportunity here in the making. In fact, over the next four or five hands, the Norwegians took turns busting each other and re-buying for $500 more at a time. It wasn’t long before a cumulative $4000 of their money was on the table. G-Rob and Otis deserved a chance at it. So I went and told them about what would become the craziest game of poker I’ve ever played.
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