Khan's Home Game

Khan had warned me that her home game would be interesting.  Turns out the players were mostly family and a few other people that have never played before.

Before we started we played a few practice hands for the novice players.  It's surprising how people will show their tendencies after only a few hands: P was an any two card player while his wife R was definitely a move maker.

Two of the more experienced players were on my left, KhanDad and KhanBrotherInLaw and the least experienced player, P, was on my right.  I, of course, played my usual nitty game.

I called a raise from the BB with ATsoooooooooted and missed the flop entirely.  I limped in with 55 and again missed my set on a flop of overcards and had to let it go.

We're approaching the end of the rebuy period when I pick up A7o in the BB.  It's limped about 5 ways to me and I just check.  The flop comes down A75 and I check-shove to a bet and a raise.  The bettor, KhanDad calls me while the raiser, R, folds (uh, wtf?).  The raiser was one of the newbs - the move maker - so maybe she was just trying to make a move or something.  KhanDad, of the more experienced players, merely had a 5 and was drawing to 3 outs.  Thankfully he missed and I practically tripled up keeping me from having to rebuy.

P was new to Texas Hold'em but not poker.  He played darn near every hand.  He was incapable of releasing any pair.  He would call down to the river with 55, 88, or even KJ or AJ unimproved.  The bad part is that he won a ton of hands playing this way.  Some people just could not accept the fact that he could not be bluffed.  The good news was, when you picked up a big hand against him he would pay you off.

We get down to the final 5 when Khan got into a huge hand.  I limped UTG with Q9 because so few pots were raised hoping to hit something, KhanBrotherInLaw limps, Khan completes from the small blind and P (the any two card novice) checks his option.  The flop comes down Q77.  I'm thinking this is pretty nice until Khan leads out and gets called by P.  Now I'm thinking my Q9 just shrunk up.  I fold, KhanBrotherInLaw raises, and Khan shoves.  Wow, now I'm really glad I got out of this hand.  P goes away and KhanBrotherInLaw keeps saying he can't lay it down.  He eventually calls and shows... Q3 v T's A7.  He's waaaaaaaaaaaay behind.  I suppose you can see it coming but at the time I was convinced there was no way Khan was losing this hand since I folded one of the two remaining Qs.  But, no.  The turn was the case Q giving KhanBrotherInLaw a huge pot and knocking Khan out.

Now it's down to P (the newb), me, KhanDad and KhanBrotherInLaw.  P is down to a few chips and goes out putting me ITM!  Woooooooot!  Unfortunately I'm running card dead and except for a couple shoves with small PPs I haven't been picking up any chips.

KhanDad went out to KhanBrotherInLaw and I'm left HU with a huge chip deficit.  The first HU hand I have T2c in BB and whiff the flop and have to fold.  I ship it the next hand with 89o and get insta-called by 56s and end up losing when he spikes a 5.

Such is poker.

I played less than 10 hands the entire night and finish 2nd.  I shouldn't be complaining but where's all the excitement I keep hearing about?  Folding is awful boring.  Profitable but boring.