Bad calls

"Why would you go all in?" She turned to look at me.

"Why would you go all in?" I tried to get a read. She gave me nothing. What did she have?

Home game last night. I was dealing. Three players limped, as did I with 86d.  The flop was 34Jd.

A woman in MP bet $6. Gloria in the CO called, as did I.  The turn was an 8c. The first woman checked.

Gloria pushed in her stack. "I'm all in."

I was doing pretty good for a change. The home games haven't been too good for me lately. Not that I've been attending on a regular basis, what with work calling me away on many a Friday evening. But when I've gone, the cards haven't cooperated. I started hitting hands as soon as I sat down last night, and it therefore crossed my mind that things were changing for the better.

"What could you have that would make you go all in?

You may remember me writing about Gloria in my previous incarnation. She is Randy's wife, then new girlfriend back when Randy had a twice-monthly game. At the time I worried that our game would disappear, especially after she moved in with him. As it turns out, Gloria quite likes the game.

And the thing is, I have a pretty good handle on her game.

She flats on the flop, jams on the turn. The 8 helps nobody unless they have a set. But there's a flush on the board. I flatted the flop with the flush. Did my flat suggest I was on a one card draw? Was she protecting a set of fours or threes, or even Jacks? I've seen her limp preflop with Kings more than once.

Kick me.

The river was the 2d, giving her the steel wheel.

The hand haunted me for an hour.

Yeah, hindsight. Add to it that you weren't in the hand, which makes it easier, especially for you guys who play a better game than I. And, if I hadn't been in the hand, I would have known exactly what she had. Like I said, I know her game.

Gloria is a sweetheart. She plays because of the social component, and because of that, she's not there to ruin anyone's night. And so she telegraphs her nut hands by overbetting.

Kick me.

I had her covered but not by enough to keep playing effectively without reloading, so I dropped another fifty in the kitty. By the end of the night I was up $21.50, so I'm happy.

Randy, on the other hand, not so much.

As the night progressed, the host's son and daughter-in-law showed up, giving us 12 players, so we split up into two6-handed tables. I said goodbye to my money as Gloria was moved, but I now had randy to my right. King nit, master of getting sucked out on, pouter supreme.

The host's kids were at our table. They love watching the WSOP on TV. They both by in short. The daughter-in-law begins to amass a few chips, mostly from her hubby, but also with a tad bit of aggression.

Wayne limps from early position, as does the DIL and hubby. In the BB, Randy pops it up to match the pot. Wayne three bets and both DIL and hubby call. Just so we're clear, there's now $44.50 in the pot. Randy tanks and then bets $30. Wayne folds, DIL calls, and hubby tosses in his last $17. The flop comes with two clubs, Randy jams, DIL calls and flips over KJc. Yep, crubs. Say no more.

To Randy's credit, or perhaps because he had her covered and still has chips, he doesn't storm off, choosing instead to lecture her about making such a preflop call with bad cards.

"But those were good cards."

I smelled blood.

Hubby helped her stack her winnings, counted out a few stacks and said, "This is what we bought in for. Do not play with these chips."

I know a fake yawn when I hear one.

To her credit, she bet me off of top pair, so-so kicker. And, of course, when the time came, her Aces held up quite nicely.