An Unusually Good Run of Cards

     "...in order for him to make money in this game, he's going to need an unusually good run of cards."  

          - Commentator on High Stakes Poker

Having been scheduled for the 1 PM shift and with nothing to do in the morning I decided to arrive a few hours early and play a little cash game. The "Live Action" cash games at WSOP run 24-7 throughout the series. 

I bought into the $1-$3 No Limit Hold'em game for $300 with my typical stack configuration of $280 in red $5 chips and a $20 in white $1 chips. There were two seats open at the nine handed table. I chose the seven seat. Almost immediately, another player sat down in the five seat with two stacks of red chips. The second hand I saw was 7-7.  I called a raise from the new player and we saw a flop that made both of us happy:  7♠️4❤️A❤️. Bet. Raise. Re-raise. All in. Call. 

Dealer put out the Turn and River. 

"Set of sevens."

"That's good." He threw his hand away and left table. 

A few minutes later a player, an older gentleman wearing a big black cowboy hat, sat down in the that same five seat and placed 12 green and white striped $25 chips in front of him. I sold him a $100 stack of red chips to get him started. And start he did opening up the first hand he saw with a raise. 

I called that raise and flopped a set of fives. He bet the queen high board and I called.  Another queen hit on the Turn. He bet. I raised and he went, "All in."

I said, "I have to call.  I have a Full House."

He replied, "I guess it don't much matter if a make this Straight."  Then he smiled, shook his head and reloaded with another handful of green chips. 

After a dealer change and a bunch of small pot wins and losses, I limped in with 8❤️7❤️ on the button along with several others. Flop came 7-7-2 and the table checked around to me. I bet $5 and got calls from both the Small and Big Blinds. A 9♦️ fell on the Turn. Check.  Check.  I bet $10.  The Small Blind folded, but the Big Blind called. 

I was suspicious. 

After the River card came 5♣️ and my opponent checked, I cautiously checked behind and showed my trips. He mucked. 

Then the Asian player next to me, who had been in the small blind, said, "Good thing you bet $10 on Turn or I beat you with 55."

Whew!

A few hands later, I raised holding JJ and after flopping a set of Jacks and getting no action, I took down another pot. 

After an orbit and another dealer change it was getting late and closer to the time for me to report to work.  I decided to gamble a little. I straddled on-the-button. 

A Straddle is a raise made "in the dark" i.e. before the cards are dealt. At the WSOP cash tables, a player can make this bet either from the under-the-gun position just left of the Blinds or when on-the-button.  It is not generally considered a good bet, but it does create action and raises the level of the game. 

I looked at my cards one at a time.  The first one was good. A black ace. Then I looked at the other. A black ace. Then, thinking I accidentally looked at the same card twice, looked back at the first. A black ace. Then I looked at both at the same time, just to make sure. Two black aces. Is that a tell?

By the time the action got around to me, four players had called the $6. I made it $22 to go and got two callers. 

The flop came with a red ace and all I could see was ♠️and♠️on the other two cards, so when my opponents checked to me I lead out $60 and took down the pot without opposition. 

A few folded hands later it was time to go to work. I made more money in that ninety minutes than I would make in the entire day dealing. Four sets and trip sevens built my stack to over $1000. A good start to the day. 💰😎