The Turkish Game

Dr. Peter Venkman: We've been going about this all wrong, this Mr. Stay Puft's okay, he's a sailor, he's in New York, we get this guy laid we won't have any trouble.

”Ghostbusters”

I was right – out of all the PSO bonus requirements, Full Tilt’s is one of the easiest to complete. Getting the initial deposit bonus however, that can take a while.

I had an awesome session backed up y my worst session to date. Firstly, within just a few points of completing the bonus requirements, I hit a mini rush of cards and had the entire table in fear. I was able to win 2-3 hands per orbit without a showdown, and when it did make it to showdown I had the nuts. Life was good. Then when I went back an hour later, I was getting crucified. The same guy that cracked my Aces twice a few days ago with crap like T8s cracked my Kings with 62o. Flop was 622 and I had to call him down to see what the hell was going on. I think I have lost pots worth $120 to that guy over the past two days.

It was that kinda session for me though, nothing went right. My draws never came, everyone else’s did. I had just a few cents left to work off my first bonus $20 amount, and I spent about $80 getting it. It hurt a bit, but there was not much I could do in the end. For the week I was up, so that was a good thing.

Friday night I went to a new home game, run by a regular at our other home games. He’s Turkish, and so was everyone else at the game, and some didn’t even speak English. Terribly nice guys, but damn do they love to gamble.

First we played a mini tournament, $15 entry plus $5 bounty on each player with rebuys for the first three levels or when the chips run out. I had flopped a straight with QT and had two all-ins in front of me. I had to call with a rainbow flop, and saw that I was against two pair both ways. The board didn’t pair and I tripled up on the first hand I played, as well as collecting two bountys.

When a late arrival came and took the last buy-in, the players started dropping. I don’t think I played very many hands at all, but the new guy hit a great rush of cards and knocked out every other player at the tables. The payouts were for 1st and 2nd only. 2nd got their buy in back and first got everything else, which was over $100 by this stage. They also play heads up for 10 hands only, after which the big stack is awarded the win. I am looking at a 7-1 chip deficit, and when the chip leader offers me another $10 to call it off (since everyone else wanted to get into a cash game) I accepted – but was then talked out of it. The way I saw it, $10 is $10. But really, I would be risking that $10 for the chance at over $100, so why not? Anyway, I busted on the very first hand of heads up when my open ended straight draw on the flop never came, and bottom pair was enough to end it mercifully.

Then the cash game started, and I was blown away. I don’t think there was ever a hand that was heads up pre-flop without an all in. The buy in was $20, 10c/20c blinds and when you busted you could either buy from the bank or buy from another player at the table.

Remember how I said they loved to gamble? I wish we had poker tracker available for live games, because seen flop percentage would have looked something like this:

Me: 8%
Host: 65%
Everyone else: >90%

A raise of 5BB was considered standard, and even 10BB would yield no folds. One player dropped $60 in 4 hands. I thought I would just have to sit back and wait for a hand and then double up.

Man, was I waiting for a while. I was playing normally against a table of maniacs and never really adjusted to it I guess. And that’s when you start thinking about calling with 34s, after seeing flop after flop where you would have had the best hand.

None of my pocket pairs were hitting, and it was getting pretty desperate as I was down below $10 when I won my first pot – which was split, so I made about a dollar on that one.

But I was on a freeroll since I won $20 in the previous tournament, how bad could it be? It was a fun game, with plenty of insults and amazing hands (bet, raise, call on the river, third pair with better kicker wins). I finally went bust when I pushed pre-flop with Kings when UTG raised to $1. I got two callers, and there was an ace on the flop. I knew that was enough to end it for me. Both players had an ace, so when they both called I thought I was in better shape. Sadly, I was wrong and went back to my wallet.

The second time I went bust was with Big Slick, when I pushed again pre-flop when I had again chipped down to about $10. I had four callers this time, with a King high flop. Eventually one player gets the others out of it on the turn, which was a 10. We flip them over and I show TPTK, while he has QJ for an open ended straight draw. The river ace gives me my two pair, but also his straight. It was going to be that kind of night.

I went for my third buy in, and the same thing happened except when I was down to $12 I hit a flush and doubled up! It was getting late, so when one player cashed out, I looked down at $21 and also cashed out to get my last buy in back. I was down $20 on the night, but really the way I was shell shocked and un-prepared for their gambling ways it could have been a lot more. I will go back again, but I need to re-adjust a lot quicker next time. I am still unsure how I should have played.