Great news!

A buddy just called and I'm going with him to the last game of the World Series tonight!

Making a read.

With the catastrophic elimination of on line poker in the United States, it’s been a while since I added some poker related content to a blog that purports the inclusion of poker in some way, shape, or form from time to time. I haven’t sat at either a live or virtual table for several months, but it’s nice to know that the cobwebs quickly clear when the opportunity arises.

I had the chance to travel to New Orleans for a long weekend last week, arriving late Thursday. Since I was slated to land after nightfall, and since I gained an hour during flight, I thought I might get a little play at the downtown Harrah’s casino, but after working a full day before heading to the airport, I didn’t really know if it would work out.

I landed in Chicago to catch my connecting flight and when I looked at the departures board found another flight heading to NOLA that was in the final boarding stage. I ran to the desk for that flight, put on my best smile, and made small talk with the attendant asking if she was from Minnesota because of the northern lilt to her voice.

We both laughed about her allergies and the fact that she was from nowhere near Minnesota, then she moved me in front of the standby passengers and I was off to NOLA on a flight that arrived two hours ahead of my slated time.

That put me at the poker table an hour before I should have landed. Fate was smiling on me! I found fate to be a fickle lady indeed when I received 10-3 three hands in a row and not much else for the first thirty minutes of play.

I splashed around a few pots and was up about $15 when it happened: The Read. I was two off the button when five callers joined a straddled pot. I had the king and Jack of spades. The rainbow flop came King high and it checked to me and I bet $10 into a $25 pot. The button raised $25 and everyone folded to me and I called.

Now there’s $95 in the pot and the turn is a Jack that put two clubs on the board. I checked to the button who bet $60.

Now it’s time to think this through. I have top two pair. The button didn’t raise before the flop so he couldn’t have AK. There was no real reason to raise with a set. I had either been ahead all along or he had raised with JJ and got lucky.

All-in for another $105 or so on top of his $60.

He thinks for less than five seconds before calling. He has trips, right?

The casino in NOLA doesn’t require all-in hands to turn up their cards and the dealer dealt a blank on the river. He turned up two clubs with a FIVE that paired the board on the turn so he called with a pair of fives and a flush draw. I took down a $400+ pot with my two pair.

It’s nice to know I can still make a good read.

It’s also nice to know that there are still card players out there who will put all their money in on a slim draw because that’s how we make money. Right?

Sidebar: I ate dinner at the table next to Jessica Simpson (who is VERY pretty) and saw James Carvell twice (who is not!).

One more trip

A little something to break up the monotony. I'm heading to New Orleans today.