Main Menu
Columns
G2
Down
No.1 2 3 4 5 6
No.7 8 9 10 11
No.12 13 14 15
No.16 17 18 19
No.20 21 22 23
No.24 25 26 27
No.28 29 30 31
No.32 33 34 35
No.36 37 38 39
No.40 41 42 43
No.44 45 46 47
No.48 49 50 51
No.52 53 54 55
No.56 57 58 59
No.60 61 62 63
No.64 65 66 67
No.68 69 70 71
No.72 73 74 75
No.76 77
Next
Latest
Archive of How     to play Poker
 
In Association with Amazon.co.uk
.
  | Home   | Index   | Info   | This Week   | Poker   | News   | Email
06/01/2010 No. 78
he Guardian Poker Column
 
   
 
 
Victoria Coren
Wed 6 Jan 2010
 
 
 
Christmas is over:
time to sober up


Today is Day 1 of the $10,000 PCA tournament in Nassau. After a festive break from serious events, I need to get my head back in the zone. This is the sort of hand I've been playing lately:

I'm in the £10-£25 game, short-stacked with £1,000. I've just enjoyed a boozy Christmas dinner with most of my opponents.

Finding AK under the gun, I raise to £75 and Jeff Duval has a long think. Perfect. He will reraise and I can get it all in.
 

Then it turns out that Jeff had simply forgotten he had cards. I blame the second bottle. He folds, apologetically.

I sense that he did not check, originally, with the intention of raising but – wanting to play the hand, and the bigger stack having folded – thinks he might as well go all in. Must be a draw. Then I'm distracted by Dave the Bookie singing "tonight's gonna be a good night" loudly at the next table. Taking a swig of wine, I lose my train of thought entirely.

Where was I? Ah yes. AK. What did I think he had? I've forgotten. But what the hell. I was ready to go all in before the flop, why not now? I call!

Bad Beat shows A10. Why did I call? Why didn't I move in on the flop? I knew a moment ago . . . Nope. Gone.

"More wine?" says Bad Beat, scraping in the chips.

Everyone has to sober up in January, even poker players. We'd all be skint otherwise. Bring on the PCA; think lucky thoughts.

 
 
 
Fill out your e-mail address
to receive our newsletter!
E-mail address:  
First Name:  
Last Name:  
 
.