Heads up!

I settled in to play the RiverChasers heads up tourney tonight. I had grabbed a beer and was ready to enjoy. Kind of a local brew, if you want to consider Madison local. It is Ambergeddon Ale from the Ale Asylum. Pretty tasty.

Why does this label remind me of Blood?

The tournament starts and plops me down at a table. I wait for my opponent. And wait. And wait. Aw crap! I got a bye in the first round. Some of you may be happy to have a bye but I came to play poker, not sit around and wait. TripJax and Baywolfe quickly advance while I try to find something to watch on TV. I settle on CSI (hey I was lazy and didn't feel like channel surfing) and decided maybe to buy some new shirts for work. I notice one thing right away. What is with all the pastel colors? Why can't I get a simple solid navy blue polo shirt? And what kind of color is Apple Butter? Seriously people!

I have wasted about 30 minutes looking at crappy shirts when I realize I could have been watching how others play. Oh well, time to grab another beer. I may be looking at cards soon. Or not. Chippy McStacks and NewinNov have decided to play a marathon game. At this point I have switched from CSI to Last Comic Standing. This Indian guy isn't that funny. Unless you like buggery jokes.

Finally, after waiting 53 minutes, I will be playing some poker. I just hope I don't bust out right away. I am up against DonK_TuckFard. My strategy is simple. Be aggressive. Mix it up. Raise it up without any real rhyme or reason. Stay away from bad boards. Fold when caught in the hopes that I am perceive as being way too aggressive and am just a thief.

The match is somewhat boring. Neither of us is getting too aggressive after the flop. Just when I think I can push him around, he comes punching back. I have a good edge but nothing too significant. It finally comes down to me pushing on a J 10 10 x board. I try to push my opponent off his hand. He takes his time and finally calls with a J underneath. I spike a K on the river for a very sick win. Right call does not get paid.

Next round I draw retired blogger Fishiswa. I like him. A good player and a man smart enough to understand that poker is a game, that family and the real world is much higher priority. I really respect that. I am going to really have to switch gears for this match up. It takes me a number of hands to put this principle into practice.

I am about to get a feel for the flow of this game. I have spewed some chips but can double up to get back even. I find my spot. I call his raise with Q 10. Flop is nice. Q rag rag. I bet the pot. He pushes all in. No way does he have me here. I quickly call. He shows 6 2 off. Yes! Turn is small card, river his gut shot. I am done. What the fuck just happened? Just like that, my game is over. I feel like I have been used. Oh well.