Ritchie is one of our regulars in the $8-$16 Holdem game. He’s great to have in the game from a dealer and a player standpoint. If you’re playing in the game with him, he’s consistent with his play…you know he’s got a hand or he wouldn’t be there. He’s not going to show you 5-2 OS at the River after catching runner-runner for a gut shot straight. He’s either got you beat already or you’re drawing wounded and better make a real hand. If you’re dealing to him. Ritchie will never give you heat or the look, even if you make a mistake. He takes the good with the bad and he’s George when he wins a pot. We all like him. This is a little run on a few of his table sessions:

1. This is from last year, taken from the Dear Diary: An $8-$16 Holdem game on table 30 left me shaking my head over 1 hand. Ritchie raised pre-flop with K-K and got 3 callers. The flop was 10-7-4 with 1 Spade. Three players went to war on the flop with all the raises.

A King of Spades popped off on the Turn. Ritchie checked, the 5 seat bet, the 7 seat, which was also the Button called, and Ritchie check raised. Both players called.

The River was a Spade. Ritchie bet, the 5 seat folded, the 7 seat called and Ritchie turned over a set of Kings. The 7 seat turned over 10-4 of Spades. I’m not even sure if the 7 seat knew he had a flush…he just knew he’d flopped 2 pair and thought he was now beat. Huge pot, ugly ending for Ritchie.

2. This is also from last year. Ritchie was on the list for $8-$16 Holdem and a new game of $4-$8 started. He took a seat while waiting to be called for the $8-$16. The very first hand started like a volcanic eruption with everyone picking up a hand and chips spewing out onto the green.

Ritchie picked up, you guessed it, K-K. All the raises went in pre-flop with eight players.

The flop came off all little, rainbow, with an 8 as the highest card. All the raises went in again, with somewhere around five players this time.

A small, unrelated blank card on the turn, all raises again, and an 8 on the river with a bet and one raise, with three players at showdown.

Connie held 8-8. Ritchie showed K-K. Another player stated that he also had K-K but pitched it on turn, the other player at showdown held J-J. Another player stated that he held A-A and gave it up on the River.

The deck had just been spread and players drew for the button, it was the first hand of a new game. The pot was gigantic and Ritchie was shaking his head over K-K as he got called for the $8-$16 game. Later on, he even tells me he’s not going to play K-K as long as I’m dealing. 🙂

Present date: Ritchie’s in the 3 seat, $8-$16 Holdem. This game never started out as a Waltz or a Soft Shoe. Chips exploded into the pot. Cause? The 2s was a young, know it all, egotistical, fuel injected butt head that figured he’d win if he could get in the last raise.

At one point, when the pot had been max raised pre-flop, with five to six player, and max raised on the flop and on the turn, it went to three players with the 6s betting, the 2s raised, the 5s called, the 6s raised, the 2s raised, the 5s folded, the 6s raised, and the 2s looks at me and queries, “How many raises are allowed?”

I state, “One bet and four raises.”

He asks you again, looking right at you, “How many raises allowed? Because she was in…” he gestures at the 5s.

I reply, “One bet, four raises. She folded before the fourth raise was made.”

He still repeats his question, looking at me like I was speaking Greek-n-ese or some strange language.

Again I state, “One bet and four raises.”

He still makes a motion at the 5s and still states that she was in. The other players are now impatient with him and make noises implying that he can call or fold or raise. He finally elects to call.

On the river, he can’t even call a bet. He throws his hand away with a comment that if the Ace of Spades had come off, he would’ve made a straight flush and his opponent would have been suicidal.

I laugh and he has a fit with me because he thinks I’m laughing at him. There’s no explaining it to him so I just tell him that I will laugh if I want to.

He sparks off more chips and buys more and swears as he throws chips in the pot so I have to tell him to watch his language. He’s sitting beside Ritchie and ranting about everything.

The first explosion that involves Ritchie is a pot that’s raised by Ritchie. The 2s and three other players call. The flop is A-J-7. Chips scream into the pot. The turn is a 9. A raising war breaks out between Ritchie and the 2s. A few stragglers are still calling. The river brings a Jack.

Ritchie bets and gets called in two places. He shows pocket 9’s and wins a huge pot.

A few hands later, the chip wars begin in earnest. Seven players take the max raises to see the flop. The flop is 7-6-2 with two Diamonds. All the raises go in on the flop. The turn is an Ace of Clubs. All the raises go in on the turn. The river is a black 3. Ritchie bets the river and gets paid off in two places, one of which is the 2s.

Ritchie turns over pocket 7’s and the 2s shows a black 4 and says, “Straight!” and then throws his other card face down into the muck.

Ritchie wins the pot of the century in an $8-$16. Hey, he should know by now that K-K is never any good when he has it! 🙂

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This post is done by Chanzes – during the time period that I took a break from posting in the Diary.