While most of the talk around poker rooms and online poker sites and poker blogs is about the game of poker, there are so many other games being played – all the time – that it’s sometimes difficult to catch a reality thread out of the whole picture. Hey…I’m not even drinking. But watching the action/interaction that’s going on, and the faces of players at my table and other tables in the room, one finds a new meaning to the word ‘game’.

Sure I went in to work on Friday. Sure I signed the E/O list. Sure I got out to play. I played for one hour in a $4-8 H game. Amazingly the cards I was dealt looked exactly the same as they did when I played live last at Bellagio…crappo. How does the deck know it’s me? The Card Fairy’s been there. Vickie (truck driving queen) called and said they would be in Vegas for a few hours, was I off the clock? I ran in and asked Pete. Yup! I could go. So I did. But on Monday, I’m grinding…dealing until my fingers fall off. I’ve just now started to adapt back to sleeping during the day. It doesn’t take long, but it does take a little effort and planning to go from one mode to the next.

Today, Sunday, is my day to kick myself in the brain and get back into the ‘swing’ of it…pun intended. While I lazed my way through the morning sleeping, when I did get up, I was quite industrious, doing mega ‘tidy bowl’ chores and getting the coach settled into home sweet home again. And while I was doing that, I stopped to play a tournament on PokerStars. While I rarely keep track of the play or the tournament, especially in writing here, I decided that today would be a perfect day to do that.

It was a 180 player max- $20+2 NLH. I picked up Q-Q on the 2nd hand I was dealt. Blinds were $10-20. It was raised to $60 – I raised to $100. One caller, one raise all-in. He had me covered by $40. I called, the caller went all-in also. Flop was K-K-?-J-K. I won the main pot which had over $4K in it. I was called by A-J off and Q-10 suited. A-J won the side pot of $40 and the very next hand I picked up A-A. The A-J guy was in the BB. I raised it to $300 and got one call plus the $20 more all-in from the BB. The Flop brought three diamonds and I held the Ace of Diamonds. I bet – around $300 I think – the caller folded and the BB went bust.

Then I got lucky with 9-9. A few months ago I almost resolved never to play them again. I called $90 with them with four to five other players in the hand. Flop 4-9-6, check to me, I bet $230. One player went all-in for $1,??? – everyone folded to me. Of course I called…Kee-rist! He turned over 7-4 off. The Turn brought an 8 and the River brought another 4. NH…Linda!

For the first time in a zillion years, I held the chip lead for the tourney. Nice!Even if it was only a moral victory.

Many orbits later, I picked up Q-Q again, raised the pot, got called, won with a bet on the Flop and the very next hand picked up A-A. I raised and won the blinds. So…who doesn’t think cards don’t run in cycles???? Or is that a ‘game’ that the Card Fairy is playing with me only? Twice I picked up 9-9 and flopped a set. The little, black winged bitch is tweaking my main frame right now…what does she want?

It was pretty smooth sailing, I was in the top 8-15 through the first hour and a half, and then I picked up A-K D in the BB ($200-400) and called $1,200 or so more from an all-in. He had Q-8 Clubs. Hello, Q on the River…hello Card Fairy. I see all’s back to normal.

Nothing…card dead, crap. Blinds at $300-600, I picked up A-10 S on the Button. Called all-in, to find my opponent had A-10 also, we chopped. Of course he had to make a comment about my call. I’m wounded. No cards, escalating blinds, now $400-800 Antes at $50. One off the button Q-Q, I went all-in for about 1,700, called by 7-7. I WON! Around $3,000 in chips now but still in trouble. Raised and picked up the blinds with A-J S. A slim 24 players left. I have to hit 18 to make the money.

Poop, crap, snot, and all those disgusting things…I came intwo out of the money, raised it all-in with K-Q, called by 10-10 (not that I blame him, he way more than had me covered), and I flopped a ‘K’, but of courseone of the mystery 10’s still left in the deck came on the River. I hate the fucking Card Fairy. And could I have lasted it out to win 18th place? Possibly. I was very short chips and I really didn’t want to win $20. I wanted to WIN! See…there’s more to the game than just the game.