Monday, April 30, 2007

Ketchup at Frenchy

OK, so Tough Man and I head up to Frenchy on Saturday evening, getting a bit of a late start, but still during tourist time. We arrive at 8:00 PM and get seated immediately. Tough Man starts by raising 3 or 4 times in the first orbit. Table is playing fairly weak/passive, but almost always someone comes along for the ride. Even had one guy at the end of the table I was sitting say to his buddy, "Hey that guy is aggressive I have seen him before". So I am thinking, OK Tough Man is headed into Asian mode, exactly as I had recommended against. His big pot poker fetish seems to have disillusioned him in regard to variance, so my prescription was to slow down and regain that solid foundation, and get the money in as a big favorite, as opposed to pushing smaller edges. He of course disagrees that he has been "gambling" but he does not shy away from confrontation when he thinks he has the best of it. So Tough Man is quickly adding to his stack 20 here 30 there. AK fails me three times and 77 on the button does not work out well either, and pretty quickly I dig a smallish hole in the 1--150 range. Not good for a nit like me (whatever). So now comes the first player description--REAL ESTATE GUY. He is charismatic, friendly and should be running for office I think after my initial read. He sits with 500, remember the 1-3 at Frenchy allows a bigger buy in than the standard 300 max 1-2 game we are accustomed to playing. First hand real estate guy plays is a big pot, and burns up a flopped set of Kings (OK the guy only had about 24, so I have no problem with it) by turning broadway. It started out as a five way pot, oh did I tell you I was involved as well. Yes, I was on the button and called a raise with the massive 2-5 of hearts, well the raise was to 8, so I figure what the hell, let's throw a sneaky one in on these guys. Then KK pops it up to 24 from sb and real estate guy calls and another, and I feel justified in calling the 15 because of pot odds. I missed obviously.

Next hand Real Estate pops a flop bet of 100, which was a huge overbet. So I am starting to get the picture here, this guy is aggro! So I finally get involved with REal Estate by raising from the button with AK, not a bad hand right? He calls from the small blind and we take a flop of QJ baby, he checks I continuation bet he calls. I have no idea what he is playing at this point, and the turn goes check 2nd bullet by me and he cold calls again. What?????? I still have no idea where I am at and the river is a blank and REAL ESTATE bets out 100 and quickly, and all the bones in my body said call him down with AK, but I lacked the appropriate RSO's (round spherical objects) and go away. I get moved to another table, and don't like it because I know there is money to be made, and do you know what really pissed me off? Tough Man was gone pissing and he was next in line to get moved officially. Well, eventually Tough Man gets moved over and I here that REAL ESTATE is wild and spewing some chips. Finally REAL ESTATE makes it over to our game and proceeds to open raise UTG for $43, wtf? He gets called by Ray who was not a great player by any stretch of the imagination. Flop comes with an Ace, blah blah blah and REAL ESTATE gets all of his money in after checking and letting Ray bet the whole way--with what did REAL ESTATE have you ask? 66--that's right sport fans, he called off a $100 river bet from RAY with 66. OH, forgot, REAL ESTATE bangs the rail after seeing he lost with the all powerful 66--what a ass hat. Now I hate RAY's play here as well, but c'mon. Ray's buddy Ron, John, OK I really don't know, but he has a horse shoe stuck up his ass and takes more of REAL ESTATES money after he rebought for 300, oh he called off with like 3rd pair to send him away and again is upset he lost. REAL ESTATE leaves then shows back up 10 minutes later, and we beg the floor man to put him back at our table, but not happening. They throw him into the feeder game where he dumps another 200, and the large mouth bass is hooked for the night.

OK, here is something for Tough Man. Since I took such a couple shots at him on my last post, I will give him some props. We are sitting at our second table and a big hand comes down. 3 way pot, raised to 18 pre-flop. Flop comes with 2 spades. TGTT is on the button and the chap who was first to act who was the initial pre-flop raiser bets out 50. TGTT thinks then calls. turn card is a Q. Then Pre-flop raiser bets out $100, and TGTT goes into the tank, then says set of 9's and folds his Q10 spades face up, there was another play that as all in already. So instantly everyone on our end of the table (except me of course) is really impressed by Tough Man's play. He gets a lot of respect and even has RAY calling him Tommy, and saying ego pumping shit like, well if Tommy is in then I am out (except for the sic hand that I tell you about in the next paragraph). Well, it was well called and Tough Man does have a strong game. There I gave you a compliment. Happy now??

OK, big hand for TGTT. TGTT makes a set of 5's and Ray, hits a four outter on the river to make a bigger boat. Ray and John, Ron (I don't know) leave shortly thereafter. Oh did I tell you Ron won a hand with 94 off from late position????????? And, I paid off the sneaky A3 boat of Ray's for a smallish pot.

OK, for the bet. TGTT gets into a discussion with another player about the draft, then the question of where did Jason Taylor go to college comes up. TGTT says Univ. of Arizona and then the other guy says no, Alaska. TGTT is adamant he is right and they bet $5. Pinnacle gives TGTT his blackberry to look it up and after a rather time consuming learning period for TGTT we learn University of AKRON. TGTT is the worst prop better in history, according himself.

So we get short at our table around 1:00 AM and go eat. WEll here is where the fun starts. We are served by Cheryl, and she seems to be pleasant. TGTT orders Tuna Salad and I have a problem with that. OK, we are at a restaurant and I just don't like the ordering of a Tuna Salad sandwich. So TGTT and I verbally banter, then we ask about the open face sandwich, which Cheryl attempts to describe. Since we both look at her like she is an alien she is out of answers and struggling for descriptors to help us understand exactly what an "open face" sandwich is. I suggest to Cheryl that she go back in the kitchen and bring one out for us to look at! She looks at me as if I had just pulled my pants down, well she wasn't that happy, more of a shocked look. Then as TGTT states he definitely wants the Tuna, I point out it is "Albacore" Tuna, and he puts on the breaks immediately. So Cheryl at this point has no idea what she has gotten herself into, but finally realizes we are full of it and plays along. So, we finally order after finding out Cheryl is kind of fun. Our food is out so fast, I thought I was at McDonalds. I ask for some ketchup and Cheryl says she will return with some. WEll, Cheryl is the chatty type, and begins to go to her other tables chatting it up, all the time I am watching from a distance. TGTT is shoving TUNA in his mouth like it is his last meal, as I am frozen without ketchup to put on my burger or to eat with my fries. So, actually I get a little irritated, if you can believe that, and go up to the bar where a guy has a big fat bottle of ketchup and ask him if he will share because our waitress must have had a stroke and forgotten to bring mine. So, unlike normal, I am just happy to have the ketchup and let go of the mild irritative type burn that had started building. So Cheryl returns to check on us, and TGTT wants another Miller Lite and I order another coke, and I throw in, "Oh by the way, I don't need any ketchup, I got my own". She looks at me puzzled then remembers I asked for the ketchup. Cheryl then returns with our check and asks how to separate the bill. TGTT and I both have food comps so we hand them over, then she says there is the matter of the alcohol, not covered by comps. TGTT says WOOOOOOOO now wait a minute here, and checks the receipts. He finally pays for the beer when the following conversation took place (I still can't believe this happened). Background info. TGTT had like 4 beers in 30 minutes at dinner. OK, Cheryl tells TGTT that he reminds her of her SON, she figured TGTT for about 27 she said. Then goes on to ask if he is married, and I am thinking where in the fiddle ^%$GF# is this going. She states that her son was a raging drunk until he fell in love and a woman cured him of it, and then I say, oh TGTT WAS married. This seems to interest this lady even more. I then say that TGTT looks like a convicted felon though, and she looks at me kind of puzzled and says why do you say that, because he has been hit? And, I am flat busting at the seems. Wait, this gets better and worse depending on your perspective. Then this brain surgeon turned waitress tells TGTT she has a 21 year old daughter and TGTT says well give her my number, and this crazy woman writes it down, and writes CUTE beside his name and number. Are you kidding me???? I have already told this woman he is divorced, has 3 kids, pays a huge amount in child support and she knows he drinks like Otis on Andy Griffith. And, still this woman is getting this total stranger's number for her 21 year old daughter. I could not believe what was happening, and then I think--the TUNICA magic is coming a little early. I mean what a better primer for SAMSONITE! Nate and Mundus would have loved the dinner conversation, I have not doubt.

So now TOUGH MAN and myself have had a meal, taken a break, and are ready to head back to the tables when we I get to the poker room and see only two tables going, yeah it is like three AM there but I don't care. There were two full NL games going when we left to eat. The two games are3/6 and 10/20 limit. So finally we decide to pack it in and call it night. We did however consider black jack and craps, but I think we made a solid move by staying away from the more -EV table games.

One point, I do really now think that Tough Man might have been able to bang Cheryl on the stainless steel sink in the kitchen. I mean why not, she doesn't mine setting up her daughter on a blind date with Charles Manson.

A fun time was had, and now you know about the KETCHUP.

Go get your GAME ON, mine will be in full effect in 21 days. HOLLLLAAAAAA