One (of many) Reasons to Avoid the Crazy Moose Spread Limit Game

The Crazy Moose is doing one of their free roll tournaments.  To qualify you must have a minimum of 30 hours live play and be one of the top 60 players with 30+ hours.  I am avoiding it like the plague.  I used to really like the limit game when it was 3-6 or 4-8.  The 2-20 spread limit game?  Not so much.


The main reason I find the 2-20 game so annoying is that MOST of the players play it like a 4-8 game and continue to chase anything and everything to the river, even though (at a minimum) playing to the river could cost $80 ($20 pre-flop, $20 on the flop, $20 on the turn and $20 on the river) instead of $24 in a 4-8 game.  I give you the example of a hand involving me and Hai.  I hear you groaning already.


I had QQ.  I raised to $15 pre-flop and got 4 callers.  The flop was J-8-3 rainbow.  Excellent.  I fired out $20.  Two people folded.  Hai and somebody else (I forget who) called.  The turn was a 4.  No flush draw.  No straight draw (other than 9-10).  I fired $20 again.  Hai called and the other person folded.  The river was a king.  Aarrgghh.


I checked and Hai fires out $20.  What the fuck!  I call and she turns over AK off-suit.  I calmly (as calmly as I could) asked her, "Are you frickin' serious?"  She looked at me like I was the totally crazy person and said, "I had ace king."  I said, "So what?  You had no hand.  You had no draw.  You had total air and bullshit until the river.  Why did you keep calling me?"  Again, all she said was, "I had ace king."  I just shook my head and took a break.


As good old what's-his-name said at the end of "Bridge on the River Kwai" -Madness!  Madness.

I Just Love Donna

OK, so I said I would never post again & it has been since February since I bothered to do so, but I just couldn't let this go.


I guess I never fully realized how some people just never think about their hands or what cards other people might have or how good their kicker is or basically anything at all except the 2 cards they are holding.  Last Sunday this hand came up.  I believe it was the first or second hand of the tournament when blinds were 25-25.


Kristen (a very tight player) raised to 150 under the gun.  I believe one other player called, as did Donna.  The flop was 8-3-K rainbow.  Kristen bet 400.  First player folded.  Donna called.  Turn was a 2.  Kristen bet 1,000.  Donna called.  River was a 5 or a 6.  Can't remember.  Kristen bet 2,000.  Donna called.  Kristen turns over AA.  Donna turns over K7 and says, "Well, she had to have an ace to beat me."


I just about fell out of my chair.  I started mumbling to myself, "K8, K9, K10, KJ, KQ, KK, AK, etc., etc., etc."  It was just about the funniest thing I've heard her say yet.  How can anyone who plays poker be so one dimensional?  I want her at my table all the time.

I Love "Juicy" Poker Games

Last Saturday I had to leave the live game at about 10pm and I was bummed because it's what I call a "juicy" game.


Roland and Miguel (a/k/a "The Professional") were just being ridiculous.  They made a deal verbally in front of all players that if one of them raised, the other would call no matter what 2 cards they had.  If there was a re-raise by a 3rd party, they didn't have to call unless they wanted to, but if there weren't any re-raises they were obligated to call each other.  This got very juicy for everyone else.  Roland even re-bought for $1,000 at one point.


My favorite personal moment was when I simply decided I'd had enough of the $22 pre-flop raises by Roland (who was on my right and never looked at his cards for about an hour).  He would do this about every 4th or 5th hand.  I had 2-3 off-suit and called the raise on the button, as did Miguel and one other player.  The flop was 4-4-9 rainbow.  Miguel bet $20, the other player folded, Roland called the $20 and I raised to $40.  Miguel folded almost immediately as did Roland.  I decided to be mean and evil and show my 3 high.  Roland thought it was really funny and Miguel gave me the "ooshka ooshka" look like he wanted to strangle me. 


I decided to take my $325 profit and left shortly thereafter.  Paybacks are a bitch and I didn't want to have one handed to me - LOL.


I found out the next day that Miguel ended up the winner of that battle, taking almost $2,000 off Roland.  Ouch.

Are They Afraid of Me or What?

At the Crazy Moose last Saturday, there were 6 of us left and 4 spots were being paid.  At the end of the hand, the lone holdout for a split was knocked out.  I thought 6 ways was a little crazy, but the buy-in is only $25 and 6 ways would have been $146.  Not too shabby.  Nonetheless, the guy wouldn't go for it.  I really didn't care one way or the other.  I'm basically happy when I make the final table.


Right after he got knocked out, blinds went up to 2,000-4,000.  I only had 3,000 chips and would be all-in in 2 more hands when my big blind rolled around.  I was hoping someone might make an offer to pay 5th money back.  Much to my surprise, one of the other players asked about a 5-way split and everyone agreed.  $176 each.  I was quite frankly flabbergasted.  Did they realize how short-chipped I was?  Maybe not.  I like to think they were afraid I might chip up a bunch and knock them all out - LOL.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.


What do you think?  Would you make a deal like that with a player who would probably be out in 2 hands?