First Orford game.

Well, I finally got to play Orford poker.  It was all in the middle of a porch  sale with the left overs scattered all around, but it seemed to work.
I also got to try out my new kitchen, and it seemed to work pretty well.  I won't promise food every game, but for this first one I made chili, spaghetti, barbecue pork, and quinoa with black beans and carrots.  The food went over well, and I have a freezer full of spaghetti sauce and chili in little jars so that I have lunch if I am working a day at Orford without bothering my upstairs neighbors.

In attendance:  Gregg, Bruce, Phil, Peter, Charlie, Slink, Dewey
a nice number.
We were sorry not to see Cassidy and Ivan.  Maybe next time.

Gregg keeps telling me the hands I am to write up and just how I am to tell the story and the tone and..............................
What!!  Are you my editor now??  Am I your friggin' secretary?

Just click the reply all button run your fingers across the keys, and tell your own story.

I don remember on classic deal.  The cars went out wrong, they were moved around, it was all confused, but we played them.  Gregg folded the three cars he had dealt to himself and never noticed.

Gregg also missed a full house possibility, had the nut flush, set a trap for Peter, and then was very relieved that Peter did not go into it as he had not seen the full house possibility.  Trapping saved him a lot of money.

I do find I remember few hands now after these games.  I would have to take notes.  I envy guys who can remember certain hands for years.  But it is the same with fish for me.  Some guys remember just when and where and what bait they are using for twenty years.  I barely remember to bring my tackle box and bait.

I had wonderful cards Sunday.  I won twice with pocket kings and each time I was not ahead when the all-in bet was made.  Slink's was the hardest (for him).  I had trips and he had the Ace high heart flush. 
The case king came on the river. 
I thought for a while we might have a bit of the Delmar boys ritual throwing of cards, but he restrained himself and kept his composure.  If you haven't seen this obscure religious rite, you'll have to come to a game.
At one point Slink urged other players to throw some chips or cards.  They declined.  I guess Slink is sort of an evangelical Delmar believer wanting to make converts to this strange poker religion.  Perhaps he'll wear a suit and show up at the door for the next game with friends and ask where if we want to be in a poker afterlife.

Just say, "What a shame"  Slink and let it go.  You're Southern pal Goat should have taught you to do that.

I would have had another quad, jacks, had anyone called me.  We saw it when we ran the rabbit.  I had pocket jacks two hands in a row.  Peter beat me one and then folded one.

By mid game I needed those good cards.  I played such bad poker at the beginning, that I was down $80 within just a few minutes and everyone was playing for my money.  At the end I was up $64.  Peter won as well.  Gregg stayed the latest, just before midnight, and he tried to take on the Hill boys, but he had no luck.

Gregg says he does not want to be called "Pokermaster" anymore. 
Hmmmm.  Does it irritate you and annoy you and put you off your game?
Well, then Pokermaster, expect to hear it a lot.
Peter put it up on Facebook.
No joke, he really did.

I liked the game.  It could be slowed up with no trouble and it seemed easy enough to figure.  Then it was just the cards.  Unlike Wednesday when I was aggressively all-in with the best hand and consistently losing, I felt in the groove on Sunday.  Hope I can take some of that to Vegas with me.

Well, if you guys remember some of your hands, add them in here.  I can't.  I do remember that Phil called my all-in bet in order to go home when I was trying to bluff him off a pot.  I was lucky there and that Phil gave me some chips to play with.  Thanks Phil.  it is always a pleasure to take your money.   Phil has his own poker religious quotation:
"God hates a coward"
I think it is from the book of Hezikia.

Peter played a great game using his classic match-the-pot bet to push the rest of us off pots until he had plenty of money to play with.  We all know what he is doing, but we can't figure out how to beat him at it. 
Damn pot bully!!  It is people like you who keep Karp away from these games.

I often stake Peter to the game at Gregg's and that means I don't play too aggressively toward him, since if I beat him, I have to give him his next buy in. 
This time I didn't. 
I was down and I knew he had the garage sale money to play with. 
It changed the game for me, and Peter and I bluffed each other and had some good banter.  I don't think I am staking him at Orford in future games.  For one thing if I stake him and make food, there is no way to break even. 
But I liked the play better. 
Let Peter play until he loses. It ain't like he has a long way to go home.

I remember one great bluff I made that sent the kid groaning.  I had nothing and took a fine, big pot. 
If you have raised a teenager, and sought revenge, invite the 20-30 somethings to a game. Poker is a fine way to do that once they are gown and you know they deserve it.

Charlie gave me some whiskey porter as a house warming.  I am looking forward to that homemade brew.  He tried to get a break to smoke his fancy cigar on the deck, but the game held him inside.  Charlie would like a game with cigars, but that ain't happening until he hosts. 

Charlie also promised to invite me to breakfast.  Don't forget Charlie.  I want to hear all your stories.  Bruce won't let me talk at the poker games, so I need to have some breakfast conversation to get caught up.

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Slink added

What are the odds of flopping the nut flush and then having a player push all in ahead of you? That's poker nirvana. Unless that player is Dewey ''4th King on the river'' Hill. I think I showed great restraint limiting my reaction to a few muttered obscenities even though throwing something would have felt much better. Still won $40 for the night although a hand like that still makes one feel like he's somehow down despite how much he walks away with.
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Charlie added:

Slink got my forty. That was a good game.  A bit long , I was dragging at end, surprised it was six hrs. Lots of good hands, with all ins, pot size raises etc. i remember the three queens on the board, I was on a streak and it  checked around and around before Peter took it with little.  Someone should have bullied that hand, like me.  Peter rebuilt his stack and took off again from there.  Also late in game i goofed calling Deweys flopped nut flush with crap like high pair. ouch.  It was down hill from there, while the Hills went on upswing, great cards and dominating raises, mostly battling each other. Finally got in some hands, busted out and left for a smoke on way home. Tell you what Dew if you like home brew I'll trade you some for ham and eggs or oatmeal and OJ. I head out rt 4 sometimes to the store there.  are finishing up a cream ale,ale portion, this weekend. If not you know know what they say, "Home Brew is like a fart, only its owner appreciates it."