Home Game Options

One of the advantages of meeting so many Atlanta poker bloggers is the availability of home games. Last Friday night was one of the rare occasions that I had a choice of 2 games. 23Skidoo and Kajagugu were each having a game. Kaj lives about 3 or 4 miles away versus the 45+ minute commute to the Skidoo Man Cave, so I did the local game. I had my usual good fortune in his neighborhood and was able to pad my live roll enough to cover the game I'm hosting over Memorial Day.

We had 11 players for the 1st game but didn't have to seat more than 10 at once since we had a late player show up after our first bust out. After losing a good chunk of my stack early on, I tightened up just enough to bubble.

I stuck around and we played a second game. This one got off to a wild and wooly start. This is a home game that can see a ton of limpers to the flop so in the first hand of the game I called from the cutoff with A,9 suited. The flop came out K,9,9. Wahoo! With 5 or six of us in the pot, I was just waiting for a bettor. Nope, it checks around to me so I check as well. Fortunately, the button puts in a bet. This generates 2 folds and a call before it gets to me. I put in my check raise for about half of my stack and this runs off the button but not David. Hmmmmm. No way he has K,9 or Kings. I'm thinking he has a connecting 9, so my kicker is gold. The turn is a 7 and we both get all of our money in the pot. He sees I have him out kicked but then notices that he has 9,7 for the turned boat. Brutal. As I start counting my outs for a chop (hey, I'm not greedy), I hit an Ace on the river for the win with my bigger boat. We all agreed to allow David to rebuy since he went out in the first hand with such dramatic fashion. On the very next hand we lost another player with all-in boat over boat.

With the benefit of doubling my stack early, I was able to pick my spots and be more aggressive with them. I might have been a little too aggressive in one hand, but I'm still on the fence about how I played it. Alan raised all-in (6-8X the big blind I think) from second position and was called by Kaj in the middle. I'm in the big blind with pocket Aces and decide to push over the top so I only have to worry about beating one player. My pair holds up against his pocket nines and I collect another bounty. I guess I have gotten so gun shy with pocket Aces that I really don't know how to play them very well.

I was able to ride my chip lead to the final three but then lost most of it pretty quick. I dropped to 3rd place as a shorty but kept up the aggression. I had the benefit of winning hands or my opponents folding. A double up and some steals later, I was back in the chip lead and held on to it for a no-chop win. This was a nice little cash with bounties and as usual, I had a great time with my other "home" game crowd.

I was invited to go to the Braves' game on Sunday, but I couldn't go because I had someone coming over to look at buying my motorcycle. He liked it and wrote me a check for ernest money. He is picking it up on Wednesday evening. I'm sure I will miss it, but I can always borrow or rent one when I make my infrequent rides that lasts longer than 2 hours. No fear, I won't be without a 2 wheeler for long. I know I will lose the small amount of cool points that I have when I purchase a 250 scooter in the coming weeks. I am buying it for running errands and commuting to work when Stacie and I don't carpool. It will be automatic and get about 60 MPG, so it should help cut down on the money I spend for gas. Thank God I already have a hot wife, 'cuz I don't think I will be quite the chick magnet while I'm sporting my Vespa knockoff.