“Pump it or dump it” refers to a style of play that many guys I play with employ – either you raise (pump it) or fold (dump it). You never call. That phrase came around a lot tonight, especially as my fate was sealed with my first two hands.

9. Me
8. Dave
7. Ryan
6. Paul
5. Neil (filling in for Mike)
4. Rob
3. Jason
2. Charlie
1. Nishan

Quick Preface - John, who got brutalized last week by a 62 off suit, didn’t show up this week because of “work.” I think he was still reeling from the bad beat. Anyway, back to this week.

Second hand of the night I’m dealt pocket 7’s in mid position. Rob raises 5 times the big blind in first position. I call, everyone else folds. Flop comes 685 rainbow giving me mid pair and an open ended straight draw. Rob bets 650. With about 500 in the pot, my read on Rob at this point was either that he didn’t have a pair, or he had a huge pair - he didn’t play the board at all. It’s impossible to ever put Rob on a big hand so I called thinking if my 7’s weren’t good, at least I had the 2 remaining 7’s in the deck all the 4’s and all the 9’s as my outs. Jack on the turn, Rob checks and I check back praying to hit my draw. A Queen on the river and Rob fires an 1150 bet into the pot. I think for a while and muck, living to fight another day. I thought I might have been good when Rob checked the turn but with 3 over cards out there now including the more likely Q and J, I figured I was beat by overcards. Rob didn’t show but told me later he had 8,10, giving him not only top pair on the flop, but one of my straight draws. I don’t feel like I played the hand correctly and lost about a third of my stack immediately.

Soon after, in mid position again, I’m dealt AK off suit. Under the gun again, Rob limps into the pot, I raise to 600 and everyone folds around to Rob who moves all in. Again, Rob is a difficult one to read but he lives by the “Pump it or Dump it” credo so I figured he had a big pair and was trying to maximize his hand. I flipped my AK into the muck – I just wasn’t feeling it. Everyone went nuts; completely amazed I could lay down that monster. Rob laughed and flipped 23 suited. He had bluffed me. However, when we rabbit hunted the board (when you run a hand that doesn’t count to see what would have happened) Rob would have hit a miracle 3 on the river to beat me. So two big hands, two big losses and I’m short stacked. “That’s what happens when you play pots with me, you lose your chips,” Rob said. Come on? Who doesn’t want to beat him up after that?

At the last hand at the second blind level I’m short stacked and in mid position again get Sailboats – pocket 4’s. Rob limps, Jason raises it 4x to 400 and I have a decision. With about 1000 left in chips I could fold, a cowardly move with a pair though I could play another hand, I could call and hope for a set or move all in and hope for folds or at least isolate and race against over cards. I opted for the final option. It’s poker, you have to get lucky and I was praying no one else had a pair. Everyone folded around to Jason who called and flipped QJ suited. It’s a race! A race that I was winning on the flop, but the evil turn brought a Jake and I was sent packing. The first two hands were questionable but when you are about 75% to win after the flop, you tip your hat and move on.

Another impressive hand later in the night. Four players out of 6 are in for 400-pre flop (minimum raise). Flop comes 9A4. Checks around to Paul who moves all-in in last position. Rob ponders and calls saying, “I don’t think you have anything” while flipping 54 off suit – low pair. Paul smiles and flips KQ – nothing. Rob’s read was right and he sent Paul home to Washingtonville.

Revenge would be had on the Robert Williamson-look alike Rob though, when he moved all in with 57 off suit and Nishan called with KJ. Rob flopped a 5 for the early lead, but runner, runner made Nishan a straight with his Jack knocking rob out. Ouch.

Heads up was Charlie vs. Nishan and the final hand was a doozy. They had both been either pumping it or dumping it for about 30 minutes until we got the All In Call. Nishan flips A7 (with about a 4-1 chip stack) but Charlie has the DOMINATING A8. The A8 got much stronger with a flop of 583. Turn brings a 9, giving Nishan a miracle 4 out gutshot straight draw, and the River a 6. Nishan got a runner, runner, back door suckout straight for the victory. That’s lucky poker and a mouthful. Runner Runner back door suckout straight for the victory. Maybe that should have been my title instead.

In poker, “The Nuts” is defined as the best possible, unbeatable hand at that moment in time. Any hand can be “The Nuts” combined with the right cards. So when Rob, making a triumphant return, said “I only play the nuts” very early in our tournament, we would find out he was right.

9. Dave
8. John
7. Nishan
6. Jason
5. Paul
4. Charlie
3. Me
2. Rob
1. Ryan

I picked up the first two pots of the night and soon after, Rob decided he was going to play power poker and started raising everything. The few times, he got called however, he did show good cards like when his AK went up against Dave’s all in QQ. There was an exception though on the 2nd bust out.

On the button, at the 50-100 blind level Rob made it 400 to go in a huge stack of 25 chips. In the big blind, John moves all in and Rob quickly calls. John curses as he flips over 10-6, a stone bluff. Rob laughs and flips 6-2. Flabbergasted, we go to the flop – where Rob hits a 2. The turn and the river brought no help and Rob’s 62 beat John’s 10-6 to knock him out. This did not sit well with John. He discussed the hand ad nausea for the next 20 minutes before storming out. He said, basically, that when Rob bet all those small chips the way he did, John’s read was that Rob has absolutely nothing and even though John had nothing himself, he was going to put his read to the test. However, when Rob quickly called for about 1500 more John was sure he read Rob wrong. Of course, he didn’t. So, John made a move – a correct move – based on instinct. Why would Rob call the all in? Did he think he was beat? Of course. But this is one of the advantages to playing with the same people week in and week out. You know how they play. Rob plays garbage, and if you re-raise him, a lot of the time you can knock him out of a pot. On the other hand, he also loves to gamble so considering he has straight possibilities with a 62 and some live cards, he’s really only like a 3-1 underdog (I think, math in poker is my downfall). Anyway, the point is twofold – know your player, and never be surprised in poker.

On we go. Rob knocks out the first four players and develops a huge chip stack before I tangle with him. He raises to 1200 pre-flop at the 200-400 blind level. Looking at KJ suited and a strong stack, I just call. Flop comes 26K all diamonds (not my suit). Rob checks, I move all in and he quickly calls with a Q high flush draw. That’s called “Knowing your player” folks. Luckily, my pair held up and I was good for a while doubling up through the chip leader.

As we get down to the wire, we’re four handed (Myself, Rob, Charlie, Ryan) and because of the above hand, I’m the current chip leader. Remember the hand before where John lost with 10-6? Well for the third time tonight I see 10X (this time 6) in the big blind and see a free flop. The first two times I made trips that paid off nicely but this time, with only myself and the little blind Rob in the pot, the flop comes 776. I’m the chip leader, Rob had just made a comment that I was going to start making diamonds out of coal with my chips and I had John’s revenge hand. So when Rob checked the flop from his weak small blind limp, I put him all in. Quickly he calls and flips the Hiltons, QQ, an evil slow play that crippled my stack. The way I see it, there is no way to put him on Q’s there but my problem was I didn’t think about what he thought I had. By moving all in, I’m basically over betting a small pot, which looks like I don’t want a call (which I’m not sure I do). If I had a set, like I did earlier, I probably would have checked it. Fact is, I was just being cocky and paid for it while the correct bet probably would have been something like 2-3x the pot, something reasonable but also something I can get away from if I’m re-raised. C’est la vie.

4 handed Charlie plays AX like its two aces and doubles up with A2 vs. pocket 10s, then loses twice in a row with A7 and A4 finishing on the bubble spot and giving Rob the bounty. Sure an Ace 4 handed is strong, Chuck, but don’t bet your life on it 3x in a row.

Feeling short stacked and saucy, I move all in for 4000 in the small blind with K2 suited. With the blinds 400-800, I was in the mood to steal. Ryan toiled and toiled and finally called with pocket 6’s catching me badly with my pants down. I took my spanking like a man and became a firm supporter of Rob as he went heads up with Ryan with a 3-1-chip disadvantage.

Understand this, dear reader, and I’ll say it till the cows come home. Rob has yet to win a tournament and he’s been playing with us for over a year on and off. He’s a good player too; Wednesdays are just cursed for him. Then again, he did say he played the nuts so as Rob limped into a hand and Ryan checked, the flop came 426 rainbow, Ryan raised and Rob moved all, I was not at all surprised to see Rob’s hand- the pre-flop “nuts” AA, pocket rockets, American Airlines, Bullets whatever you want to call them. Ryan frowned and flipped 86 giving him top pair but way behind the Aces. So, when a 6 fell on the river giving Ryan a set of 6’s, no one was surprised. Satan himself, 666, came to tell Rob that even when you play the nuts, winning on Wednesday is not an easy task.

Our host, Paul, said the above for an uncanny ability to escape bad hands tonight. For me though, the statement is perfect cause I too felt like Houdini - trapped with no way to get out. What an awful night of poker, for me at least.

10. Jim (got lost on way to Paul’s house)
9. Myself (more on that in a bit)
8. Jason
7. John
6. Christopher
5. Nishan
4. Paul
3. Dave
2. Ryan
1. Charlie

Paul made that statement after a strong 2nd hand of the night when Nishan made it 400 to go at the 25-50 blind level, Paul called, and the flop came 4, 8, 10. Paul checked and Nishan went all in. Paul folded POCKET KINGS, a huge sign of respect towards Nishan and it paid off, Nishan had pocket 10s giving him trip 10s.

I make my only good move of the night when Jason made it 250 to go, Dave calls and I re-raise to 1000. Jason calls and Dave moves all in. I’m holding AQ off suit and as reckless a player as Dave is, with all that action in the pot; he had Kings or Aces so I folded. Jason called with A2 however and Dave’s pocket K’s held up. Nice laydown Germain- those are the best cards you will see all night.

So after that I couldn’t catch a hand or hit a flop and got extremely short stacked very quickly. I played a poor hand when in mid position I called with JQ off suit. Ryan raises, John calls and with the money in the pot and if I just want to call Ryan’s raise it will cost me about half my chips, I move all in. Ryan calls and John folds. Of course, AK dominates my JQ and I’m the first present person to be out. I got my money in the pot knowing I was behind but just hoping to triple up. Was it a dumb play? Probably, since if I folded I would have had about 3 more rounds of blinds, but sometimes you have to gamble. Thats my theory at least.

Ryan played the hand of the night soon after. Chris bet 1400 before the flop, Dave calls, Ryan calls, Charlie folds a QJ and Nishan folds a 10, 9. The flop is all unders: 823. Chris leads out with another 1400 bet, Dave folds his QJ and Ryan begins to think. He ends up moving all in over the top and Chris reluctantly calls just because of pot odds. Both flip over cards, Chris has A10 and Ryan has AJ and the AJ high holds up knocking Chris out.

Chris said with that garbage flop, he knew no one had hit it so he decided to lead out with a large bet hoping to win – a smart move. Ryan, on the other hand, to make that call with AJ is miraculous. Congrats to him, that hand set him up to make money.

A few runner runner suck outs later, finally heads up and it’s Charlie and Ryan. Both get in for the minimum before the flop and it comes KJ10. Check check and the turn is a 7. Charlie bets, Ryan smells weakness and figures his J9 (mid pair, straight draw) is the best hand and moves over the top. Charlie quickly calls and flips AA – he slow played the bullets. It held up.

We’re going to try something new this week, as the only blog I’ve had any response too was the one where I analyzed a single hand. Here’s how the game tonight turned out.
1. Dave
2. Mike
3. Jason
4. Charlie
5. Myself
6. Leara
7. John
8. Nishan
9. Paul
10. Ryan

So that happened. Dave hadn’t won a hand in weeks caught some sick cards, bullied people around and won a well deserved tournament. Here are some of the bigger hands of the night.

At 25-50 blinds I have 22 in the hole and limp with like 5 other people. Flop comes 258 with 2 spades. Ryan checks, I bet 200 everyone folds around and he raises to 400. I call. Turn is a 7. He checks, I bet 500, he raises to 1000. I call. On the river, a 9 of spades, he bets 1500. Now there are numerous straight and flush possibilities out there. What do you think I should do?

Well, I called. And won with my set. Ryan mucked 2 pair, which is what I put him on the whole time. Here’s my reasoning. First, if he had a set of 5s or 8s he would have raised before the flop with his pocket pair. Second, by check raising me, I can’t put him on a draw – he’s got a made hand – either top pair good kicker or two pair. Sure I had some gamble that he didn’t have either, but it’s hard to lay down trips and that pot crippled him and knocked him out in first. Do you think I played it right?

Next big hand at the 100-200 blind level. I have AQ spades, my favorite hand and raise to 700 in first position. Dave puts me on AK and only one person calls, Jason, who was reluctant and said “I have to pay to see it.” Flop comes K93 rainbow and without hesitation I say to Jason, “I’ll put you all in.” He thinks and shows me KQ giving him top pair, 2nd best kicker and says, “You have Aces, I fold.” I flip my bluff in his face and take the pot. Everyone said he made a great lay down, I disagree. Thoughts?

The most controversial hand of the night went down like this. John raises to 1000 before the flop and gets 2 callers at the 2-4 blind level. Flop comes Q10X. Leara checks, John bets and Mike moves all in over the top. For John to call its about another 1000 and he has KJ, an open ended straight draw. Mike flips A9 of hearts with one heart on the board. John goes crazy, especially when Mike wins with Ace high. I think both players played it fairly well, but John was upset at Mike’s re-raise on the flop. I don’t think it was a good raise but he was getting great pot odds and he bluffed – it’s poker.

So this is my new format, if you are a regular reader, what do you think?