Subject: Memories from an ATLARGE PL fish From: "Steve Carbonara" Newsgroups: rec.gambling.poker Date: Mon, Mar 25, 2002 6:24 PM Message-ID: Or, how to make +EV by avoiding the blinds. OK, so everybody knows that ATLARGE r00ls. I'll skip all the usual bullshit about the tournaments, the banquet, the white chip game, yadda-yadda-yadda. The absolute best f-ing thing about this years ATLARGE was the baby PL game. Let me share some highlights from the game. First, read Don Perry's post...... Finished? OK, here we go: SIGN #421 YOUR THE FISH IN THE PL GAME: You leave the pink game, a game that you crush, week after week, when you hear your name called for PL. Wondering why you're even called, you quickly realized that not only did your (so called) friends put your name on that list, they paid to have your name moved to the *top* of the list (see juicing the floor, from a prior post). They started this game in the old non smoking room...idiots. What were they thinking? I rack up from the pink game, cash out, and take my seat in the PL game. Everyone is promptly issued a napkin to wipe the drool from their chins. As I buy in, Eric comments to Raydon, "That's not going to be anywhere near enough." Ut-oh. As it turns out, he was right. In the second hand I am dealt KhQx, and call on the button with 5 other r00lers. Flop comes king high, and [usual PL action omitted for brevity - get to the point]... with 4 hearts on the board after the river, I have it heads up and proudly push in. SIGN #422 YOUR THE FISH IN THE PL GAME: After moving in with a K high flush to a 4 suited board, the only other player left in the hand asks the dealer to "count it down". Now, I did this for a reason - honest. Ok, fine. I'm a dumb-ass, right? That much is certain. I dumped about $80 on that hand. Pretty sad, huh? Well, at least I didn't *call* a bet. I made a move. Albeit, a pretty bad move. But, one takes ones chances. Now, here's where the +EV shit happens.... After that hand, and my subsequent rebuy - REBUY! - I never posted another blind, ever, for the rest of the night. The game gets off at about 5PM, and it breaks about 5AM, the next morning. You do the math. They were falling over themselves (the selfish phuc's) trying to post my blinds. In fact, I almost had to post my own blind, once. I said, "I'm going to the bathroom, and get a rack. If my blind isn't posted when I get back, I rack up and leave." The nice men at the table not only posted my blind, but they bought me another drink. Wasn't that special? SIGN #423 YOUR THE FISH IN THE PL GAME: After making the "rack up and leave" comment, Matt asks, "When did you EVER have to use a rack?" But, I have to guess I grossed about a 1/2 rack in blind money. Remember I told you that the game started in the old non-smoking room? It lasted there for less than 2 orbits. It seems the bitter, old, local rocks - playing 1-3 stud, and reading racing forms, were not enjoying our loud bantering, burping, farting, swearing, and other assorted -ARGE rudeness. I can't imagine why not? I certainly was. And so was everyone else at the table who had consumed copious amounts of libations. Oh, that would be.... ALL OF US. In any event, the floor informed us that our "game" was being relocated to the very back of the racing part of the poker room - way back in the corner, near the exit. It wasn't quite at the end of the earth, but you could see it from my seat. I guess they showed us, huh? NOT! Hey, I needed a rack to carry my chip (no typo) from the old table to new table- so yes! I do know how to use one! Other than for the occasional bathroom break, no one leaves the table for the next 12 hours. Funny thing, though. Every time I got up to take a break, they stopped dealing. Huh? Actually a seat did open in the game, and the poker room was flooded by 9 PL r00lers screaming in unison, at the top of their lungs: NOLAN, NOLAN, NOLAN, NOLAN!!! Alas, he never came. Instead, we got Dr. Phuc (see Don's post, if you ignored my earlier advice). I'm sure each of us who played in that game had their own special moment. I had two. OK, three - if you count the 2nd nuts push in. I am not counting that one, however. Special moment #1: Playing [I'll tell you the hand later], I look down and find a flop of 776 rainbow. Jaeger bets out about 1/2 the pot (after I, er ummm...check). Everyone else folds. I call. He then stands up and pretends he's casting a fishing pole. Turn...blank. I check. He bets about $35, again standing up and playing the Gorton's fisherman routine. I call again. River...nothing. I check. He pushes in. Do I: a) Think about it for a while, muck my cards and say nice hand? or b) Immediately ask the dealer to "count it down"? SIGN #424 YOUR THE FISH IN THE PL GAME: The guy who *never* called a bet higher than $20, for the last 2,343,945 hands calls 2 large bets, and can't get his chips in the pot fast enough, after *you* push in on the end. I had 76h. Jaeger had 79c. Thank God the 9 never came. Special moment #2: I find QQ, UTG and make it 5 to go. It's folded to Ice who makes it $25. Everyone folds, I call. . The flop comes ?,K,Q. I check . Ice checks. Turn a blank. Check, check. River a blank. Ice moves in. Baaaad Judgehment. Anyway, sorry for the rant, but I haven't played PL-anything since I lived in LA about 15 years ago and played PL-lowball-draw. Now, that's a great game. But, the ATLARGE PL game Saturday night was fantastic. I had a great time and I enjoyed playing with everyone at the table. Except Dr. Phuc...nah - he was actually a great sport, what with all the shit we gave him. I asked Scott if the Trop would consider spreading that game on weekends. He said he'd look into it. That would be waaaay cooool. SIGN #424 YOUR THE FISH IN THE PL GAME: After the game breaks, the dealer asks if you want to play heads up, and offers to post your blinds. ATLARGE, only 363 days to go. -steve