family reunion and an impromptu poker tournament

Saturday I ventured up to broadheadsville in northern PA for a family reunion. Very fun time to meet some family members we rarely get to see with lots of kids and a bunch of folks in the same predictament (lots of kids). This one was especially cool because we just lost an uncle who was dear to everyone, and GG... our grandmother of 97 years, both within the last 3 months.

So we're having fun, eating, DRINKING (woot!), and watching the kids have fun in the pool, when someone asks me about the Vegas trip... As I spoke about poker, and the experience, and my company, a few decide it would be cool to have a tournament.

One uncle, who is particularly competitive, and old (70's) starts spewing about how us "kids" couldn't possibly compete against the old guys. I smile and think this oughta be fun.

When it comes to competitiveness, I am no slouch. In fact, its one of my wifes pet peeves about me (which will come out in a different post later on... has to do with therapy :) )

Anyway we get into the tourny, about 16 of us, for a very small amount of money, so much so that I personally put up the prize pool, as we needed players and some didn't know how to play much, and didn't want to put up any money. so I decided that it would be cool to put up $200 for first place (winner takes all) and just have fun.

It was kinda like Kats friday donkament in the beginning, save the rebuys...

Let me just cut to the chase here... Uncle and me get down to heads up. He was bloating the whole tournament when he put out some players (who had no idea how to play) and how he was going to just run over everyone...

Now, I personally put up the prize pool, and I guess the assumption was that the winner would at least poney some up to the host who spent a lot of time preparing, and money on food and stuff... and it was alot.

We get heads up and he is just catching like crazy. I take some pots off of him, to his dismay, and outplayed him on one hand where he actually caught top two, and folded to my jam with 4 to a straight. he was being an ass so I showed him my cards... Now believe me when I tell you I wasn't being confrontational, just being a wise ass more or less, but with a hint of sarcasm, and even humor...

I ran into a few of his made hands with bluffs, and lost a race or two to make us just about even. Thats when it happened... I get K's.. I raise to his limp, and he looks at me and says, I don't believe you... He min raises my raise, and I jam... He calls with A 10... A on the flop and the tourny is over... We all kind of laugh and congratulate, and he starts ripping me.. Like I'm a joke, and I'm wasting my time playing this game, and blah blah blah... I look at him and say, nice call with a weak Ace while your dominated... the non players are laughing and not knowing any better think he is right... any Ace has to be good... I say someting about how he had to hit a three outer to beat me, to which I got , "whats an outer?"

Then he says.. "where's my money bitch?"

Bitch?

now this guy is retired, rich, and old... and he's calling me a bitch...

So I says... Hey!, 50 cent.... Here's your money.... and I take a roll of 20's over to him and reach out with my hand... as he goes to grab it, I drop it on the grass. I then say, make sure Aunt Sue gets her piece...he looks at me and says, "I was right, you are a bitch", to which my reply was "and you're a c%nt"...

I know, I know, not the most appropriate word I could come up with but it was in the heat of the moment and I was pissed at his lack of maturity and well, lets just say we were both wrong.. But I was pissed...

Kinda like the time I called a guy in a wheel chair at the Borgata Christopher Reeves because he got about $600 of my money when he called an all in with 10 8 of clubs against my set of Queens on the flop... He CALLED 400 more on a ten high flush draw in a cash game, not to mention the $40 raise on the flop wth 10 8... Thats another story for another time, maybe tomorrow, but its a good one...

I felt bad about the situation and we shook hands and apologized to each other before we left, and had a laugh about it, but it shook me up a bit that this guy would behave that way... Good Times!