Here’s 1 story I hope readers will like.
It takes place in a poker room in Laughlin that doesn’t even exist anymore (good ol days?). It happened at the Edgewater, sister property of the Colorado Belle (poker still going over there). This was during one hot summer, when they had progressives on SFs and Royals (I’ve yet to get mine yet!)…. In a $2/$4 limit game. This summer about 5 yrs ago, the progressives were doubled for 15 min (timer on-screen) whenever someone had their AA cracked (pocket pair of Aces beat – the best STARTING hand in poker, but in low-limit games, can often get beat if too many players are against them!). This makes it worthwhile to play in rooms where AA cracked gets bonus payoffs..

I digress.

So I’m in the typical loose (5-7 callers out of 10) in a 2/4 game. SFs for the 6-high and 5-high SF are around $600++.

There are maybe 6 callers ahead of me and I’m the last to act (Dealer button in front of me). I have suited 3c-4c.

$14 in the pot. Flop is a fantastic: 2c-5c-Qh.
I flopped the perfect open-ended SF draw…

BB bets $2, and at least 4 others call along with me.

Turn card is 2d. This is where it got crazy.
BB bets $4, guy on my right Raises to $8. BB re-raises to $12 (I’m in for $8 already on my SF draw). the orig raiser ‘caps’ it (house limit of 3 raises if more than 2 players to act) to $16 total. I reluctantly call. I think I gave the dealer (Doug- semi-retired) a tell, muttering something like ‘awful expensive river card’ – he said he heard me say under my breath later…. (I was on his exact left, in seat 1.

There are now only 3 of us left playing for a $60-70 size pot– pretty big for a 2/4 game (most pots are only $15-30 at the most).

River is a BEAUTIFUL Ace of Clubs! I did it- the “Steel Wheel’ (in poker lingo)— A-2-3-4-5 all club SF! I had the nuts. BB smart to check, but loose guy bets $4 (I’ll explain below) and I raise, they both sadly call, feeling they are beat and I show the SF! Bonus, other table had apparently had AA cracked, and the timer was still going, so my SF 5 high wheel of steel paid a nifty $1350+++

Here’s what had happened.

BB had pocket 55s, and made a FH on the turn.
Loose guy had Ace-deuce offsuit (see how playing ‘loose’ may cost you!). So when board was 2-5-Q-2, the A-2 was 3rd best, but he thought by making ‘trip 2s’ he was ahead, little did he know he was already beat by FH, and I only had the 2-outer to win the whole pot, vs his 4th deuce as the only out. I had the right ‘pot-odds’ to call $16 with the bonuses in effect, and this time it paid off nicely! So 55-522 loses to my SF, and loose guy (thought) he won with his A2 – 2 x x 2 -A (2s full of aces). 3-handed you would think…but then again if it’s possible, it’s possible. The only worse case scenario would have been if someone in the hand had had QQ (for Queen Jean!). boy, think of all the raising that might have happened after the flop (set of 5s vs set of Qs vs my open-ender SF draw not leaving…).

I hope you all enjoyed that one! That’s one hand I’ll never forget!

Thanks for reading.
Martin – of San Diego.

PS – Just saw Jean/Brad – lucky as ever. He’s a keeper, Jean…. I’ll let you finish your tale(s) and/or report on the new Harrah’s SoCal (Still Rincon to me).