Lessons Learned

In February 2007 my grandfather passed away after living a long (age 93), happy life. One of my favorite memories of my grandfather was being taught how to play Gin at the age of eleven. Both of my grandparents loved to play cards, Gin Rummy and Pinochle being their favorites. The first thing I had to learn was how to hold eleven cards in one hand. “You have to learn how to play a game before you can become good at it”, said my grandfather. It took lots of fumbling and dropped cards for my small hands to control. But I did it because I wanted to play the game. For the next year I would bug my grandfather to play Gin with me at Christmas, Birthdays and Summer Vacations. After a year of playing and losing I finally beat my grandfather at a game of Gin Rummy. I was so happy. I smiled for weeks.

My grandmother also played cards. She would play Pinochle every Sunday. I never learned this game but I did learn other things from her. For as long as I can remember I would have to get pots and pans from the bottom cupboard at her house. She had arthritis and couldn’t bend down. She never complained but I knew that it was painful for her. She taught about quiet strength. In a recent conversation with my mom she told me that my grandmother loved to play cards and was a constant winner. They played for small stakes back then. She said that my grandmother would be proud of me.

Last Fall I joined a poker club. We play every other Saturday at a private home. I have recently been trying to focus on one area of weakness in my game each week. This time I wanted to concentrate on betting patterns. I am pretty good at changing my betting patterns but weak in recognizing patterns in others. I chose to observe one person who I believe had bluffed me off a couple of hands earlier in the game. After watching him I noticed that he seemed to play the “board”. Frequently he would show a weaker hand than what he was betting.

I decided to re raise him after he bet on a board that showed a flush draw. I didn’t think he had the draw but that he was “representing” it. He called my raise. When a blank came on the turn he checked and I bet three fourths of the pot, he folded. A couple of hands later he was in the small blind, I was in the big blind. He called, I raised, and I wasn’t playing my cards at this point but my opponent. He called my raise. The flop showed a straight and flush draw. He bet, I raised and he called. He wasn’t known for re raising or going all-in so I felt safe trying to push him off his hand. The turn was a blank. I bet he called. I thought he may have a small pair at this time or thought that I was on the draw only. River brought another blank. He checked I bet and after thinking for a few seconds he folded.

Later the same type of hand came up but we had a player between us. I had a pair of kings on a board of A K Q 10 8. I didn’t think he had the J or any of the board because he would check raise when he had a strong hand rather than just call. He did bet. I threw my hand away because I had a good player behind me. The other player folded too and the bettor showed a pair of threes. He didn’t change his betting pattern after hours of play.

Lisa "Shion" Torres