WEST SI-IDE!

Seems almost all of the Poker blogs I've been reading are based out on the East; and many have been affected by the storms pounding the coast. Best wishes to all... ride out that variance and hopefully the past month will become just another bad beat story to share at the tables.

But in the spirit of equality, Mother Nature has decided to shake things up on the West coast as well: Earthquakes , Volcanoes , and Ah-nold, oh my!

At least with hurricanes, you know they're coming. The stuff hitting us here can strike any time and knock you off your feet when you least expect it. Imagine sitting at a poker table, getting dealt AA, and just as the dealer is about to flop your quads... BAM! stacks of chips fall over, the Eyes in the Sky come falling down, and the dealer drops the deck and cards go flying everywhere. Would that be considered a misdeal? Hmmm....

Speaking of poker tables, I happened to be near the Midway on the way home yesterday and stopped in to confirm that I was on the list for this Sunday's Freeroll. I had called in to change it when my wife qualified for the Karaoke contest, and I just wanted to make sure that I definitely had a seat this week. I do. And as much as I wanted to put my name on the list for some 3/6 right then and there - I knew I had to get home for dinner, and I didn't have much of a buy-in on me.

So I stopped at the Pai-Gow Poker table for a few hands. Bought in for $25, bet $10 and put $2 on the sucker Fortune bet. Wouldn't you know it, my first hand had a full-house in it. Won $10 for the hand and $10 for the bonus. If I had just put it all out there, $20 bet and $5 bonus, I would have been up $65 and could have walked (most likely back to the 3/6 table!). Ah well. I won another 2 hands in a row (with a $4 bonus for a straight on the 2nd one); and doubled up my bet. Lost it of course.

So I went back down to $10 and $1 or $2 on the bonus. I ended up pushing 4 times in a row, getting Two Pair 3 times (if you don't already know the game, I'm not gonna bore you with the rules right now - it's simple enough to learn). So now I've blown through my Bonus money and stop playing it, and put the rest of my profit on the main bet ($20). Dealer asks me if I'm sure I don't want to play the bonus, and I tell her it's okay, I don't really want to change down my red chips, and just want to win on the main bet.

Wouldn't you know it, my next hand has Trips (3-1 bonus pay). "See..." the dealer tells me. I retort, "Exactly - when I play the bonus, I get crap hands. When I don't play, I get hands good enough for Bonus, so I just want to win the main bet!" And even with the Trips, I pushed.

Next hand, I get a straight (2-1 bonus pay). A big grin from the dealer, and I push again. Now the lady next to me asks if she can play my bonus. She slides me a nickel and I put it on there for her. I get crap, but at least I push and my main bet rides again. Next hand, exact same situation, and the lady gives up on playing my Bonus.

After 8 straight pushes, my 9th hand is pretty crappy, but the dealer's is crappier, so I FINALLY win!!! I realize I'm going to be pretty late getting home and won't be able attribute my lateness to just traffic, so I better have something to show for it. I decide not to "push" my luck any further and take my $40 profit and run.

It wasn't quite the night of poker I was expecting, but I got to look at cards and play with chips, and walked away up, so no complaints.

Thanks for reading and see you next time... unless our streets over-run with lava, or the entire West Coast breaks apart and falls into the Pacific. :)