When it matters
The limit was low but the stakes were high.
The game was Crazy Fox, a fragile blossom on a remote twig of the tree of life:
life on earth > people > games people play > poker games > hold'em > pineapple > crazy fox
Crazy Fox is a flop game. Players start with four hole cards before the flop and end up with two hole cards before the river, after pitching one card on the flop and one on the turn.
I was in the small blind with Kd-Kc-5d-2s. There was one raise before the flop. Four players plus me stayed in. The flop was Qs-5s-5h. I bet. Two players folded. A player who says things like "Raising is fun" just called. A NPA also called.
It was time to throw away a card.
I was reminded of "unblocking" plays at bridge, when, on offense, the correct play is to throw away high-ranking cards in order to "preserve communication with the dummy," or when, on defense, a similarly foresightful line of play is deployed in order to "keep yourself from being thrown-in."
Sometimes these plays are neatly planned but do not develop. And sometimes, on defense, they are executed, but didn't matter, like a freeroll that didn't get there. But when it matters, it matters with eloquence.
I pitched a king.
There were three players with three cards each. The turn was the ace of spades, putting three spades on boards. I bet. Clark called. Ed raised. I called. Clark called.
I was thinking, if I win this pot by catching a deuce on the river, it would be a really cool hand.
I pitched a king.
The river came. Deuce.
I bet. Clark folded. Ed called. I showed 5-2 offsuit, and it was good. It's not my nature to speak at times like this and I wasn't going to this time either. But I was kind of hoping Clark or somebody would say something like, "How did you end up with 5-2 offsuit?" So that I could coyly say, "I pitched pocket kings." And then I could fly home and post about it.
The next thing that happened was, all of those things. And this brings us up to the herenow. The end.
Tommy
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