Readying myself

I played at a home game Friday night. I figured I cold use a little practice seeing how I'll be splashing around at Foxwoods in a couple of weeks. So, I popped a beta blocker, grabbed a sandwich and a cup of coffee and headed over.

I've played with this group for the last five years or so and I've been writing about these games for that long. Yet, there have been extended periods when I don't play with them, particularly when the health issues arise, and during those times of hiatus, things change within the group.

The banter is the same: the jokes about marriage, the latent homosexual taunts between two of the players, another whose conversation centers around his acquisitions of material goods, and the general hospitable countenance of the host couple. There's always a player or two who play any two cards when they can limp, and a couple more who see a 5xBB opening bet as a chance to stack that bettor.

I came with the intention of playing NLHE, for in all likelihood that would be the type of table I would find myself at soon enough in a casino. And at first, that is what each person called out when it came time to deal. But soon enough, games like Hold 'em Gone Wild, Tahoe, Pineapple (Crazy and Straight) and both Omahas began to get called.  If you're not familiar with some of these games, there is not great loss and you will have to trust my desire to not waste typing time in explaining them.

Most of the odd games are called, I believe, so that all may readily limp in or, should someone be foolish enough to raise, call with a greater chance to hit the flop because of the number of cards in one's hand. (Yes, I am just as guilty as the others when it comes time to throw in a buck.) But if memory serves, it may have been yours truly who first introduced the group to Omaha.

Back then, it was a strategic choice, for I knew that none except me had played the game. Predictably, I won some nice pots from those believing second nuts were surely good enough hands, and lost a few as well when a set of Aces or some such hand failed to improve. But now, things were a bit different. Those games have taken hold in the bi-weekly game and players fairly well understand some of the subtleties. I no longer have the advantage, or at least as much of one as I had before.

This was the takeaway I had from the game. That and a bit of a profit, mostly coming from the ATC guy in Omaha, and another when a pair of Jacks in the hole couldn't fold to my boat. And both came from my carefully sized bets on all streets.

As I write the above I am reminded that in the past when writing about these games I would go into some detail, perhaps more enamored with my recently learned poker skills than the table's talent merited, mine included. I am also lead to remember when I turned the corner from hoping to continue to improve those skills with the desire of making a fair amount of cash from the endeavor to recognizing the merits of a level of competence that allowed me to take some pleasure in remaining a purely recreational player.

Even so, my desire to play daily or even weekly continues to wane. And coincidentally or not, so do my health issues (although the last few days would not be a good indicator), for poker can be stressful (the constant adrenalin surges I experience), as can sacrificing sleep for a few more orbits. I thought to play a bit more online over the course of the next two weeks but have thought better of it.

Good news for the folks at Foxwoods, I suppose. And perhaps welcome insight for Lightening 36, as I am now planning to hit Vegas for a couple days while he is there. Fine. Good times will then be had by all.