Part Two - Poker Karma 11/29/08

Now, I'm sure all you poker players out there have heard of Poker Karma, but if you haven't, you probably know what I'm talking about. I don't know if it has happened to anyone else, but here's a scenario:

You're playing at a table, any limit, and there is one or maybe even two or three people that just have no regard for poker etiquette or playing good poker. Whether they are drunk, stupid or whatever, they are in every hand, and miraculously will hit a one outer on the river. Sound somewhat familiar?

So, on Black Friday, one of these people is at my table. There will be 5 bucks in the pot (small blind, big blind and a limper) and he will raise to like 50 bucks, to win 3. Weird. Supposedly he's a regular and a GREAT tipper, so the dealers love him, everyone else can't stand him. The one guy next to me says he's great to be at your table b/c you can make tons of money off him. Funny thing is, the first hand those two got involved, the guy next to me loses a HUGE pot to him. yea, he's really great to have at the table to make money off of huh? The people that play crazy will win once in awhile, but in the long run, will lose a ton more money then he just took off of you. I'm sure you've heard that a bazillion times....at least I have. And it annoys me to no end. yea, great, that person just took me for a boat load of money, but I can sleep better at night knowing that eventually, he's gonna go broke (and give my money to someone else). For some reason, that doesn't help me sleep at night. If I were around to see this 'karma' come back around and bite someone, well, then yes I'll sleep better, maybe.

As you know, I have a point to this. So Saturday morning, we wake up, early because the brochure in the room says check out is 11. And breakfast is from 7-10. So we wake up early....set the alarm for 9. So we get up and drag ourselves to breakfast. I have a waffle and some OJ. Then back to the room to shower and get ready, and we're checking out around 11, and then on our way to the Big B (Borgata). It was pretty nice out, nice and sunny, a little chilly, but still. So we go in, check out the poker room then head to the Amphora Lounge to find hubby's uncle, he's not there yet, so we go back to the poker room. There was like no tables opened, and there was a list for 1/2. So we all put our names on the list. Tom gets called first, then me, then hubby. I get seated at a table, and just wasn't feeling it. Then, hubby is called to a brand new table.

I love new tables. I don't know why. Probably because everyone is starting from scratch. Most they can have is $300 and nobody knows anything about anyone else. So I try to switch, floor person says no, he can't take me off a full table. So I told him to send someone from the new table to my table. Funny thing was, only 6 players were on the list for 1/2, no idea why they opened a table. So he says that he will save me a seat, and when they start to play, he'll move me. Okay fine, whatever. So he locks up my seat at the new table, seat 10. so I go back to my table, and I see all in guy from Friday walking around....oh brother. So anyways. I get moved to the new table. Had seat 10 locked up, but as I went over there, some guy was going to sit in seat 10. Floor guy apologizes and says that I locked that seat up, but seat 1 was open, and that guy can sit there. He was literally in mid-sitting pose, so I said, don't worry, I'll take seat 1 (it was closer for me anyways) so he sits in 10, I sit in 1. One seat is open. All in guy, nowhere to be found...so he's probably going to get my seat at the other table. Then I see him...oh no. He wants the open seat at my new table! NO! Floor guy Eric says no can do, he just locked up the seat, guy is at the cage getting chips. He tells him he wants to sit there, yadda yadda...can't do anything...so he is seated at my old table...phew! So a little while later, seat is open at my table and guess who sits there! NO! So I tell the guy next to me to tread carefully! Nobody else knows and people are getting involved in pots with him left and right. Geesh. All in guy ain't doing so great. I just stay out of his way, as does hubby b/c he's at my table. So, after awhile, I'm small blind, look down at jack 8 of diamonds. I call the extra buck, and guy next to me (BB) checks. I check dark (I don't like to think in early position sometimes lol). Flop comes out Jack 8 3, two hearts. SWEET! Guy next to me bets out 15. I'm like, dude, I'm gonna have to push I got top two. Girl across the table raises to 50, old guy next to her calls, all in guy calls. Hmmmmm, I have over 300 I believe, so I'm like 'told ya i gotta push, I'm all in' Dude next to me is like 'I gotta call you' I nearly peed my pants. He insta called, knowing I said I had to push and told him I have top two. Now I'm all depressed that he's got a set. So it's up to the girl, she's thinking. I immediately put her on a flush draw, and start to talk to the guy next to me. I'm like (whispering) 'do you have a set?' He's like 'No, do you?" Duh. I'm like 'Dude, I told you I had to push, I have top two!' He's like 'Oh man, really?' I'm like 'What do you have?' he's like 'Ace Jack' I'm thinking lovely, he's gonna catch an ace on the turn or river...or my luck, both. Girl finally folds, old guy next to her is like 'I can't fold, i call' Oh are you kidding me! LOL All in guy is like 'wow' he's thinking he's thinking. I put him on a flush or a gut shot, something ridiculous. I didn't put anyone on a pair preflop since there was no raise. So he starts to shuffle his cards, like in the air, and taking the top one and putting in on the bottom, etc. This is where if you're looking for it at a good angle, you can see his cards...he's got pocket 3's!!!! UGH. I know he's gonna call, so basically I'm hoping to hit a jack (which there is one left in the deck, or an eight, 2 left...3 outs) to win the pot. ugh. He's talking out loud that there are too many people in the pot and that someone has to have the higher set. I swallow hard. Hubby is standing up, ready to pee himself too LOL. All in guy thinks, looks like he's gonna fold, puts his card down, grabs some chips, still thinking. Finally, he FOLDS!!!!!!! I nearly cheered right there. The old guy is still in....no idea what he's on. I didn't put him on a flush draw to call an all in, then an insta call. I flip my cards over, so does guy next to me, old guy flips over ace two of hearts...nut flush draw...UGH! Turn is a red card....a 5...diamonds though...I breath. River, another red card. a 7...of DIAMONDS! I WIN I WIN I WIN! That was a HUGE hand! I basically hug the guy next to me...then I felt bad b/c he called...but then joked and called him an idiot for calling :)

All in guy, on MAJOR tilt. So the next hand or a few hands later, I'm still shaking and stacking my chips, I look over...I see hubby put out a bet of like 30 bucks or so, and got re-raised all in by all in guy. Flop was Ace Queen rag. All in guy is like 'c'mon call, I'm on major tilt' So hubby calls....all in guy flips over ace jack, hubby flips over pocket jacks for a set! SWEET! Turn is the ace, which gives all in guy a set, but hubby a boat, rag on the river. All in guy is like 'Sorry man' and hubby is confused. Dealer is like 'Oh you got him covered (to hubby) and takes all in guys chips and shoves them to hubby :) WHAT A SIGHT! All in guy is like 'What are you doing? I won the hand' Now, the board is still out there, but all in's guys cards were in the muck, however, hubby cards, still face up, were under all them redbirds, so he's like here's my cards. And all in guy is like 'He had a set of queens, I had a set of aces, man' And hubby is like 'look, your set of aces gave me a boat' And all in guy is like 'OH MAN' So he buys back in. A few hands later, all in guy raises to 15, I'm thinking 'easy fold' but hold the phone, pocket aces! I play his game from the night before, and make it $100. He is like 'okay I call' So the flop is jack high, I think it was like jack 7 8. He checks, I go all in, he insta calls with 4 5! WTF! He has a gut shot. hubby looks at me, and I just KNOW he's gonna hit his 6 for the gut shot....but he doesn't! I just took him for a TON of money!!!!!!! He gets up and is all ticked off about that hand where he laid down the set. Oh well! Stinks to be you! But that's karma baby! You play like that, you're gonna get burned. And not only did I witness it....but I was the receiver of the GOOD KARMA! I put in the initial blow, then hubby for the second, and me for the final blow. I was soooo happy! I had like $1100 in front of me, hubby had about 600 or so. I was sooooo happy! I got involved in a hand with the old guy with the nut flush draw.I had queen king, flip was queen jack rag. he checked, I bet he called, jack on turn, he goes to bet, I tell him don't bet...so he checks, I check. He checks again on the river, and is like 'You got the jack?" I'm like 'no the queen' and he mucks. I felt bad b/c he could have bet me and got me off the hand, so I gave him his money back. He didn't want it, but I kept throwing it at him. It was awesome. So basically a little while later we cashed out and went home. It was a great weekend!