i made a promise to myself that i would write something every day in 2017. i guess already failed in that effort since i don’t have a post for 1/1/2017. to be honest, i didn’t settle on how i was going to make it happen until yesterday. i could’ve used blogger, but i thought it would be neat to attach this to my domain, stephenbenton.com.

i spent about 11 hours at mgm casino playing 2-5 nl and 10-20 limit poker. i don’t want to bog down this post delving in the minutia of the difference between no limit and limit. let’s just say that i don’t have the chops to play nl cash games. it’s mostly because i don’t have the experience that these no limit players had climbing up the table stakes. when i played for a living it was mostly limit. anyway, i lost $100 for my troubles (or i consider it the cost of entertainment, ymmv). poker doesn’t have the same allure it once held. i mean, i still love to play. i love to win money. the swings mean more now than before. they’re tougher to take.

when i used to write in a journal of my poker exploits, i would write hand histories from memory and how i played them. i can do that here quickly with one hand from a gentleman i put on major tilt. it was just to watch him digress and lose all his multiple rebuys. i shouldn’t poke too much… yeah… i should.

10-20 limit holdem. i have the big blind with 5♠7♣. our gentleman is second to act and calls. there are two calls behind him, the small blind completes and i knuckle the table. the flop comes out 5♦8♥4♠. sb checks and i bet. the gentleman gripes about how “i’m always right in this situation” then calls. folds around and now we’re heads up. the turn is the 8♠. i lead gentleman calls. river is the k♠. i bet and he calls. i table my hand and he mucks.

there are so many degrees of attitude and emotion that can go on at a poker table. there are nuances and many tiered levels of gamesmanship. i unloaded on this fucking joke with every barrel. “wow! pair of 5’s are good!” “your chips look low. are you up for another rebuy?” “the bitter pill of defeat goes down better with a swig of alcohol”

i’m a dick