Saturday night Live

Here is the cash flow figures from Saturday's live game.

Bigshot +888
Spicer +382
Phillberto +230
Sham - 200
The Don -200
Lamma Jim -500
Pete - 600

The live action returned to Sham's roof and a chilled out vibe with moody lighting, an ice bucket and new table all adding to the ambience. It started off half an hour late though and just 4 handed with myself Sham, Spicer and Don. Don had to leave to take care of a visiting guest but Jim arrived to take his place, armed with snacks aplenty, with Pete and Bigshot arriving shortly after. Don's return took the numbers up to seven and proved a decent number.

There was plenty of action to be had with some big pots getting shown down with some middling hands. One hand saw a Queen arrive on the river of a JXX flop that had a possible flush and one card to a straight. Don pushed when the Queen hit and saw a reluctant call from Pete. Both showed a Jack but it was Don's Ace Kicker against Pete's King and Pete was forced to buy back in.

Don continued to prove a catalyst for action putting in some big overbets on occasion and very often getting called down. He made a move and then showed a bluff and I then managed to escape on a paired board when he made the same move again on a paired board. This time with the goods.

This session also saw some 3 betting - a bit of a novelty for this game. I kicked off with an out of position against a Bigshot button raise and got a fold and Bigshot repaid the favour with me forcing me to fold AQo out of position reluctantly. Jim wasn't to be scared off by such a play though and he called down seemingly reluctantly on a KXX flop with his pocket 8's to lose to Bigshots pocket rockets. The previous hand he had taken down with Pocket cowboys so he certainly seemed to be picking up his share of premium pairs.

I took down a few pots uncontested early on but then made a poor play with K5. I decided to see a flop from the small blind and a KQx flop saw me bet out pot and get called down by Don. After getting called down I decided to slow down and checked the turn with Don betting $12 into me. Too small a bet to fold I carried on. Another seeming blank on the river and I threw out a small blocking bet of $12 which was called down by Don whose K with ten kicker was good enough. A timely reminder of the perils of playing weak hands out of position.

Spicer and I clashed for the first time beyond the flop. I limped UTG and the flop was Kx3 with two diamonds. I bet out near pot bet of $30 and only Spicer called. A Queen of diamonds came on the turn completing the flush draw and I led out with a second bullet of 3/4 pot. Spicer again called and the river brought a second three. I fired for $110 and Spicer mucked. I'm still trying to work out what the man had. I'm guessing a King of diamonds with a medium kicker like a Jack or ten.

Bigshot was the man with the monster stack though as he didn't seem to lose a hand. His aggression was good and every time at Showdown he showed down the best hand.

Spicer for once had to play with a short stack and as a result he seemed to switch gears a little by tightening up and waiting for a hand. I arrived in the nick of time (with him $40 down) - the final hand- as is becoming traditional a gambling hand for those looking to reverse their fortunes for the night. His Cowboys were by far the best hand on a Qxx flop and they held up without anyone even showing down a Queen against them in a 3 way allin.

Sham didn't seem to catch any big hands and let a buyin leak away as he speculatively called a lot of raises hoping to strike lukcy. He remains a winner though and as ever was a gracious host.

So the 2008 tallies are as follows....

Yearly totals (HK$)
Spicer +846
Bigshot +688
Phillberto +336
Deadly +160
Sham +54
Pete -366
The Don -500
Moocher -600