As I mentioned in my last installment that low stakes poker can be exceedingly frustrating, – so much though – that I began to buy in to the biggest game that I could find with only one minimum buy-in. If in fact I had $200 I bought into a $20-$40 game where I only had 10 small and 5 big bets. No matter, it is just about the quality of cards coming into the pot – and players not staying for the duration of the hand – that I made this move. The first time that I played $20- $40 I actually played the hand badly and probably should not have even been in the hand. If it were not for the fact that two of the early players into the pot, just called sucking me in, I would have folded my hand – ace-9 of clubs. When they started raising and re-raising, I knew that I was in trouble. Well, I figured it was too late to fold since all my money was already committed. The flop brought 2 little clubs and the 10 of diamonds. At this point, I knew that the two slow players had to have kings and aces but since the board was not paired I was drawing to the (nut) best hand and I was running out of money as well. The turn card brought the unpaired jack with the loveliest club attached to it. The river brought a brick and I was home free with a huge pot to go along with it. I took an out button – right away – to eat my free meal (steak and potatoes) and enjoyed the ambiance of the losing players wanting their money back. Even though I got away with playing badly this is the kind of thing that happens all the time in these poker games. Some person like me sits down with a meager buy-in plays ace-9 against aces and kings and drags the pot, I said, “and drags the pot”.

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