Poker with the big boys

It seems that all you have to do is look. I play poker very recreationally with a few people from work and a couple of friends. I have done a little reading but it's very hard to get all of the subtle nuances of poker when you only play a dozen times a year. There's so many things to consider...starting hands, position, playing styles, table image...I think there could easily be a college course or two on playing tournament Texas Hold 'Em.

So...about the looking. It turns out that Charlottesville has a huge poker contingent. There are games on just about every night all around town. I knew I would be in over my head but I thought I would check it out.

I showed up at the Biltmore Grill last night for the Wednesday game and there were 20 people already signed up and ready to play. Fenton and I put our names on the list and were directed to a table. It quickly became evident how much of a rookie I actually am. I held my own for a while and made it to the final two tables. We started with four full tables (8 players) and after about two hours there were about twelve players left. Somewhere around then is when I busted out. Fenton was busted a little earlier after going head to head with an experienced player that bet just enough (but not too much) to make Fenton believe that he had a hand. Not only did Fenton have to believe that he had a hand, he had to believe that the guy knew what Fenton was holding and could beat that hand. The guy didn't have it but it was a little too much money for Fenton to take that chance.

I had a couple of decent hands. By playing super-tight for the first hour (folding lots of hands) then slow playing a pair of jacks I built up a very conservative table image. That basically allowed me to steal one hand all night. The rest of my night can be summed up by the following..

• My pair of 5's loses to a pair of 6's that trip on the river.
• Marginal calls in the dealer seat get raised by the small blind, I fold.
• Pair of Jacks loses
• Pair of Jacks wins (very next hand)
• Crappy cards and I get blinded out...
• 10:00 PM, Fenton and I get some ice cream