“I Have the Nuts Too” . . .
Tuesday, July 17th, 2007Sometimes when I play poker, I get to hear some priceless comments. One such comment came while I was playing at the Colorado Station in Blackhawk, CO, on July 15, 2007.
I was in Colorado to pitch an idea for a web application to a company for which I used to work (I write PHP code for a living). After the presentation, my friend wanted me to show him how to play poker. I had already given Scott some initial lessons on how to play, but he wanted to play in a live casino. Colorado has small-stakes gambling. Any wager cannot be more than $5, so this was a good opportunity for him to learn in a low-stakes environment.
We went to the parking garage at of The Isle of Capri Casino. Since they did not have a poker room, we went down the street to the next casino - The Colorado Station. We made our way up to the poker room where I inquired about the limits. The had 2-5 limit, 3-5 limit, and 5-5 limit. In the 2-5 limit game, there was only one blind of $2. Any player is permitted to bet anywhere from $2 to $5. In the 3-5 limit game, there are two blinds - $3 and $5. After the flop, you had to bet at $5. The same thing goes for the 5-5 limit game, except the two blinds are $5 and $5.
There was a small list for the $2-$5 game, and there were no 3-5 or 5-5 games in progress. There was a list of interest for the “Big Game”, as the floorperson put it (which was the 3-5 game). So, I put my name on both lists. They decided to start a 3-5 table before I was called for the 2-5 game.
I bought $300 in chips from the cashier and sat down at the table. I was by far the chip leader. It seemed like everybody bought in for $100. I sat down and got Scott situated behind me so he could watch.
The first hour went fairly well. I was getting some decent starting hands and they were holding up. Before too long, I had $400 in chips in front of me. Scott finally decided that he watched enough. He went off and played at a 2-5 game.
That is when things started to change. I continued to get decent hands, but I got drawn out on like you would not believe. People were chasing and hitting their 2 outters on the river. It was quite frustrating. I lost eight pots on the river to two or three outters. Oh well - it happens, and that is all part of the game.
During one hand, I heard a gem of a comment from a guy who was in seat #4. This particular hand occurred between him and an Asian guy seating next to me in seat #9. The Asian guy is fairly knowledgeable, and the guy in seat #4 was kind of a beginning player. The board was:
The guy in the #4 seat had been betting the whole way. When the fourth club fell on the river, he checked to the Asian guy. Seat #9 immediately throws out a $5 bet. Seat #4 pauses, and thinks and thinks.
The Asian guy says, “I have the nuts.”
Now, I know what you are thinking. How can you ever trust a poker player? As it turns out, Seat #9 had been doing this a lot. He had never lied, and always showed his cards even when the opponent folded. There was no reason to NOT believe him. At this point, I know the Asian guy has the King of Clubs.
Seat #4 looks at Seat #9 and in all seriousness and says,”I have the nuts too, but I think you might have me outkicked”.
Seat #4 calls and shows:
This comment brings up a commercial that we are all familiar with:
Gas money to get to Blackhawk, CO: $20
Losing eight pots on the river to two-outters: $800
Having somebody say, “I have the nuts too, but I think you have me outkicked”: Priceless