Home Game

Usually my home game is held on a Saturday night but due to conflicts with local Jaycees events I was forced to hold it on a Friday night.  This might explain the lower than usual turnout.  We ended up with one table of nine players.

I decided to try a new structure for last night's game.  Since we had so few players I also increased the starting chips from 5000 to 7500.

I also allow one rebuy after going broke before the end of the 4th level (20 min levels).  I like this for a home game because it makes it unlikely that a player will bust out permanently before the end of the 4th level - although I have to admit it has happened.

The night started off well enough.  My new chips were a hit.  I have had my old chips for quite some time and really liked them but they label on them was shiny and it was hard to see the denomination if any light was shining on the table.  I ordered 3 different sample sets of chips before I settled on the Yin Yang design. 

I just found this video! What a hoot. Let's just say that I'm glad I didn't find it before I ordered the chips.  Regardless, I love my new chips.  So much easier to see and they feel awesome!

I found myself contemplating that it had been some time since I had cashed in, much less won, my home game.  I think I needed to concentrate more on my play than the social aspect of the game.  I was determined to bring my A game.

Then I got Fiked.

Fiked (v): Hitting and hand but losing when Fike outdraws you in some hideous fashion.

Related quote from the last cash game: Fike, "I'm allowed to make all the donkey calls I want." Yes, that really is his motto.  For some reason it is highly effective against me.  During the cash game he led at a pot for $2.50 and I raised to $10 with TPTK and he called with bottom pair and a flush draw only to hit his flush draw on the river. 

Fast forward to last night where Fike limped in with A8o.  I flopped a set of 7s on an A7h6h board.  He led at the pot and I raised him.  Again he called and the turn put out the 5h.  I sighed convinced that Fike had just gotten there.  He checked and I checked.  The river was a 9 putting out a 4 card straight in addition to the flush draw.  I called Fike's river bet only to be shown his craptastic A8o hand that runner runnered me.  What a retarded call.  I really need to quit paying him off.

I tilted but not nearly as badly as I did in the cash game when I threw some chips at him.  I took a small break and decided that I definitely needed to refocus.

I raised from early position with AQ and get a couple of callers.  The flop comes out Qd4d2.  I bet and Gunn raises me.  I tank for a bit and decide to call.  The turn was a blank.  I led and Gunn just called.  The river was a 2d and I pushed my few remaining chips in and Gunn instamucked.  At the time, I was oblivious to the fact that the 2 on the river made the flush draw.  I just wanted to stick the rest of my chips in and rebuy if necessary.  I'm sure Gunn put me on the flush draw but I'm convinced that he and I had the same hand and he threw away a split pot.

The last hand before the rebuy I called a small raise from Fike who needed to either double up or rebuy.  Jason came along for the ride as well.  The flop was 88c9c.  We all checked.  The turn was a 5c giving me a full house with my pocket 5s.  Fike pushed, I called, Fike mucked his cards.  He retrieved them to show that he was drawing dead with Ah5h.  That would be the first of two times that Fike would get effed by a 5 on the turn.  Tee hee hee.

I managed to make it through the rebuy period with having to rebuy!  Woooot!

After the rebuy period had ended I had a very tough decision with AJ.  There is a reason that players don't play this hand and now I know why: you really hate it when you get action with it.  I raised with it and got at least one caller.  The flop JTx.  I bet out and got raised AGAIN.  WTF is it with these guys raising me all the time?  Don't they know who I am!??!?!?!  :rollseyes:  So here I was wondering if he'd hit a set or had JT.  I hate being in this spot.  Hate it.  I decided to call the raise and evaluate again on the turn.  The turn was a blank and I checked.  Jeff shoved and again I was in a really crappy spot.  I cut out the chips and realized that I pretty much had to call.  He tabled KJ.  Now I was sitting on a nice stack.

Everytime I won a pot and especially when I won some chips from him, Fike would say, "That's ok, you hold on to those for me.  I know I'm going to end up with them."  This is all in good fun.  I do like playing with Fike; I just hate losing to him. 

For some reason Fike was feeling pressured to double up when he wasn't that badly set compared to other people at the table.  He had been telling the table he was going all in either this hand or the next hand - before the blinds would hit him again.  I looked down at AA when he was under the gun.  The little voice inside my head was screaming, "PLEASE SHIP IT! SHIT IT NOW! SHIP IT!"  At first he says he's going to limp and then he says all in.  The was some controversy over whether or not he should be able to ship after he said he was going to just limp.  I said he could do either.  He'd been talking about going all in the last two hands - what do you do?  Do you say that's binding?  Is saying "limp" a binding bet?  I decided, no, it wasn't and neither was saying he'd go all in this hand or the next.  Hard to say which is correct but in either case he pushed and I called and he didn't suck out.  Go me.

Speaking of suckouts.  TOH was on fire last night.  He consistently got his money in bad only to come out smelling like a rose.  As long as we've been having these home games TOH has won once and monied maybe one other time.  It was too funny when we ended up heads up and I asked if he wanted to chop but he wanted to play it out.  He had me outchipped but that didn't last long.  I doubled through him with AK v AJ - clearly he wasn't up to the task of playing AJ ;).  I ended up with the rest of his chips the next hand.  My first win in quite some time.  GG me.