The Limp-Call, strongest play in poker

well, perhaps it's not the strongest play in poker generally, but it was pretty effective in this past week's game.

case in point: early on many limpers to John in the BB, John has AsKd and raises it up to 600 (blinds are 50/100)...everyone calls! this is not so unusual in our game when the stacks are deep.

flop: all spades

all check to Milly on the button who fires out 2000. John, holding 2 overs and the As bangs it up to 6000. Michael quickly announces all-in and John instacalls.

Milly has flopped a King high flush with the undervalued and often underplayed Ks6s. no help for John on the turn or river and all of a sudden we have a crippled stack. John down to about 2500-3000.

not too much longer after this John was eliminated by yet another limp-call. John again in the BB raises all-in after 3 or 4 limpers jump in. Peter makes the call with A9 and has John crushed holding A8. a 9 in the door is enough to give virtually no hope to our only PhD in the crowd.

this limp-call parade we had been seeing was the theme of the night. John was doing his standard berating of all the limp-callers as only he can do. we do have to give the man credit though for staying until the very end. its always nice to have him around

later, Peter was shown the door after getting a little too aggressive with top pair so-so kicker.

Bill open raised with KK and had 2 callers. flop is K-high and Bill comes out firing as the first to act. it folds to Peter who says "im all-in Bill" I am sitting next to Bill and i dont think Bill really understood what had just been plated in front of him. of course he calls and sees Peter playing KT. absolutely no assistance arrives for Peter and he exits in 9th place

George's buddy, Stash was out next after shoving A7 into The Professor's QQ.

slowly the Greeks begin to fall!

Bill, surprisngly, was next out but only because his lucksackery couldnt save him in a pivotal hand (for him) against me:

I raise AA in MP and Bill does the 'ole limp-call with JcTc.

flop: 3c 9c 8s

i fire 5,000, Bill check-calls with his monster draw

turn: Td

Bill checks, at his point i feel like im ahead and start thinking what he is chasing. i assume he has 2 clubs but in the back of my mind im dreading a set.

anyway, i bet 10,000 and he calls. now im worried

river: blank

Bill checks and now i feel im good but because he would bet a hand better than 1 pair. i dont think he would call a river bet unless i was beat so i check too. John knew what we both had and erupted when i checked because Bill had 20 outs going to the river and crapped out.

i dont remember how Bill was eliminated, it may have been by me but i forget. he was doused in 8th.

"one by one the Greeks go down hurrah, hurrah! first its Bill then its Eman hurrah huraah!" (one of my best spur of the moment songs)

Karl got shot down by Michael but nobody cares

Eman bluffed his chips away on a 5-5-4-3 6 board vs Jane. Jane had 52o in the BB and Eman limped UTG with 9cTc. Eman tried raising Jane on the flop, bet hard on the turn and jammed the river only to lose.

my song was validated when this happened. i think ill sing it again next week.

i was a big stack for much of the middle stages of the game but gave The Professor a courtesy double up when i raised K4 and he jammed AJ. i spiked a K on the flop but he rivered the Ace and i started a downward slide.

after that i was in about 3 or 4 race situations and lost all of them. eventually i was pretty much destroyed when, 5 handed, i raised AJ UTG, Jane called on the button and Joanne jammed in the BB. i was left with a decision to call off all but 1,500 of my stack. i dont really like AJ in this spot but i did call figuring she could have a pair that left me with 2 overs. if so i was getting a shot to become really well positioned for the end game.

she had AK of course and we both paired the flop but then i lost. i should have folded, enough said.

soon afterwards i jammed from the SB blind, The Professor called off his paltry stack from the BB blind too when Milner raised JT on the button. i had 63, The Professor had some slightly better crap but Milner hit a pair and i get 5th, Darren gets 4th.

The Professor was one of the Mystery Bounties so Milly scored $50 for that TKO

The Professor, as the bubble boy, won the coveted Greg Raymer WSOP poster but generously donated it back to the club for a future lucky bubbler. very nice of him!

down to 3 handed Michael, Jane and Joanne let the chips fly. all-in with any 2 cards it seemed was entertaining to watch because we had action!

Michael eventually took out Joanne when his JJ was outflopped by whatever Joanne had but hit a J on the river. he also had a 4 flush going to the river but the offsuit J was an ugly ending for Joanne. $70 to Joanne

Joanne was the other bounty and Milner, that lucky SOB, got another $50

i cant remember what the cards were at the end but Michael did win. he generously gave Jane an extra $30 making her prize $150. he took $220 plus $100 for the bounties.

first win for Michael since DEEPStack #1 June 8, 2007