You've Got To Know When To Hold 'Em ... Or Have Beginners Luck!
So I played my first actual game of Texas Hold 'Em with living, breathing people the other night. My previous experience had been limited to watching the Michael Waltrip Celebrity Poker Tournament on Speed TV, which was what got me initially interested in the game, and playing maybe 3 or 4 rounds total online.
So, when our neighbors invited Donna and I over to play with them, another couple who are also neighbors, and some friends of theirs, we happily accepted the invitation, fully expecting to be the first ones out of the game. We went over with the expectation of losing but having a good time getting to know our neighbors a little better.
I have to say that I was very proud of Donna. She knew even less about the game than me. She had watched the same poker tournament on TV but I'm not sure how close attention she paid to the actual game itself. She had never played online or anything. But by golly, she managed to do halfway decent, and she wasn't the first person out of the game! OK, she was the second person out, but still, I thought that was pretty good! Especially with all the booze she was knocking back!
At the beginning of the game I was folding a lot because I was getting really crappy cards. I finally decided to start playing more agressively, and if I had anything even remotely playable to at least play till the flop. Eventually, the tide turned and I started getting better cards. I did my share of bluffing, but not too much. A couple of times some of the other players decided to call my bluff only to find out that I wasn't bluffing on that particular hand! Tee hee hee!
About the time half the table was out, my luck started to turn again, and I started losing a great deal of my considerable pile of chips. Bummer. Well, I hadn't really expected to win. But, my night was not over. My luck did yet another 180, and on one big pot one of the other players decided to go all in, and I had the cards to beat 'em. I went on to knock out the last two players and victory was mine! Woohoo!
Obviously, I'm now completely addicted to the game. Which only means that now that my beginner's luck is over, I'm probably going to start getting my brains beat in a lot. But that's OK. I'll enjoy the sweet smell of victory while it lasts.
Meanwhile, on a completely unrelated tangent, did you hear the one about the 16 year old boy who gave birth to his twin? OK, well, not exactly "gave birth", but ... wowzers that would really mess with your head wouldn't it?
So, when our neighbors invited Donna and I over to play with them, another couple who are also neighbors, and some friends of theirs, we happily accepted the invitation, fully expecting to be the first ones out of the game. We went over with the expectation of losing but having a good time getting to know our neighbors a little better.
I have to say that I was very proud of Donna. She knew even less about the game than me. She had watched the same poker tournament on TV but I'm not sure how close attention she paid to the actual game itself. She had never played online or anything. But by golly, she managed to do halfway decent, and she wasn't the first person out of the game! OK, she was the second person out, but still, I thought that was pretty good! Especially with all the booze she was knocking back!
At the beginning of the game I was folding a lot because I was getting really crappy cards. I finally decided to start playing more agressively, and if I had anything even remotely playable to at least play till the flop. Eventually, the tide turned and I started getting better cards. I did my share of bluffing, but not too much. A couple of times some of the other players decided to call my bluff only to find out that I wasn't bluffing on that particular hand! Tee hee hee!
About the time half the table was out, my luck started to turn again, and I started losing a great deal of my considerable pile of chips. Bummer. Well, I hadn't really expected to win. But, my night was not over. My luck did yet another 180, and on one big pot one of the other players decided to go all in, and I had the cards to beat 'em. I went on to knock out the last two players and victory was mine! Woohoo!
Obviously, I'm now completely addicted to the game. Which only means that now that my beginner's luck is over, I'm probably going to start getting my brains beat in a lot. But that's OK. I'll enjoy the sweet smell of victory while it lasts.
Meanwhile, on a completely unrelated tangent, did you hear the one about the 16 year old boy who gave birth to his twin? OK, well, not exactly "gave birth", but ... wowzers that would really mess with your head wouldn't it?
posted by eric at
6/29/2005 02:00:00 PM
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