MIRACLE ON 4th& 5TH ST.
(Yes S.B.P.T.…There is a Suck out Claus!!!)
The script was written early on, as Sandy coined the nickname of the year. It was to read “Cha-Cha dances to victory!!“ Unfortunately, the Dry Cleaner was all washed up in 3rd place (more on that later)…
The “December
tot Remember” (that’s what the laptop read) was just the opposite, it was very
forgettable for all but one of our players. Big Suck out…. I mean Big Slick,
couldn’t have dodged more bullets (one literal pair) than if he were in the
Matrix (I know poker-fu)!
Our
players gathered slowly to the dimly lit La Salle St. joint “Riverissa Casino” a
couple even circled the block making sure it wasn’t a sting, or at least where
they were supposed to be. After everyone trickled in, we met some new
players, then sat down for the Grand Finale of ’07!!
It was a close race for 1st through 3rd places, as 5 vied for the titles. Scooter’s annual Kleiner day got the best of her, and she wasn’t able to make her run, which opened up the door for Sandy to leapfrog into the year-end title that has evaded her. It wasn’t to be, as Meaty and Slick waged a war of the titans for all the marbles.
The action
started quickly on table 1, as all-ins were flying out of seemingly everyone’s
mouths. Table 2 took a few hands to catch up, and eventually we started getting
chips in the middle. There were a few re-buys, and in a strategic move that paid
off, the Sports book owner twice re-bought before being completely busted, to
avoid becoming part of a wager.
The break was just that, a break from everything that was on the line. The hosts provided a very tasty spread of 5’ burrito with rice and beans and other accoutrements. After everyone had their fill of eats, we started the final leg of the season. Things went pretty slow, and there were too many hands to remember, but a few of the more mentionable hands were the Saw’s inside straight hit on the river before break, to make Spider Rico dig into his pockets, and reinforce Meaty and Dry Cleaners fear of facing her. Meaty created his own fear when he showed his 4 Aces to end Spider Rico’s night.
Slick began his suckling ways by putting me out, catching a king on the river to give him 2 pair against my bullets (not surprising to me, I’m used to that). It was a precursor of things to come though. The final table featured a newbie with the most accurate name “The Ruiner”. She more than lived up to that by frustrating table 2, and mostly confusing Yellow Card (Turtle) to keep him from gaining the momentum he has used to win before.
After Ruiner went
out in 4th to “ruin” another of my bets, and “ruin” Meaty’s year end
title hopes, that left the before mentioned Cha-Cha, hung out to dry against
Meaty and Slick. Cha –Cha danced the last dance, and quickstepped off to leave
Meaty the last one between Mr. December and another crown.
The finale
proved to be just that, a last final battle that seemed to last FOREVER (Sandy
will gladly confirm!) There was much posturing and folding, with neither trying
to give an inch. Finally we had our first showdown, and it found Meaty
with A-K and Slick with A-J. When the flop came A-K-J, Meaty made a sizeable bet
, and fighting his spidey-sense, Slick moved all-in and lost , leaving him with
only 700k and change. The next hand had Slick back in the middle with A-9
suited, and Meaty called with 10-8 of the same suit, and doubled up Slick to
$1.5mil. The VERY next hand Meaty pushed all in and ran into bullets, and Slick
doubled up yet again.
There was a break in the storm, as both players settled back in for a long
battle. After a few hands went by, our two champions were at it again. Meaty was
back in with A-Q, and Slick was right there with K-10 of clubs. As Sandy started
to throw down the river card, There was a gentle sucking sound to be heard by
all, the card revealed a 4 of clubs, to absolutely disgust Meaty, making him go
straight to the bathroom even though Slick just flushed. That left things almost
even, and a few hands later, they were back in, Slick A-K, and Meaty with K-8
suited. Slick won to leave Meaty with about 250 K, and very little fight left in
him. The
Coupe-De-Gras was delivered, and The King of December continues his reign for
another year.
Slick was almost apologetic for his victory, but he didn’t need to be. He kept putting his chips in the middle, and kept coming out with more than he started. If anyone doubts the saying “it’s better to be lucky than good”, just ask Slick his take on it, and he’ll smile and show you the trophy. Sometimes, it’s just your day, and the rest of us are only in the way. Slick played his usual game, not backing away from the pressure of outlasting Meaty, and he was rewarded by the poker gods with another victory!
ALL HAIL THE KING!
Back to work in ’08, Good luck to all…
El Guapo