Bust Steve Landrum? In Your Dreams ... !

[Debbie and I had Sabyl Cohen and Steve Landrum over for dinner last night, which probably explains why he turned up in my dreams.]

11-19-2003

I'm playing in a poker tournament, a seven-card stud tournament. It's been a while since I've played a hand, and my stack is dwindling from the drain of the increasing antes and bring-ins.

I am the bring-in with the diamond deuce showing and an unsuited ace and trey as my hole cards. Across the table, Steve Landrum, with another deuce as his doorcard, completes the bet. I decide my ace makes this a worthwhile hand to play, and call.

We both get deuces on fourth street. Steve is first to act, and he bets. I call all-in. We turn our cards face up: Steve has ace-deuce-four-five, and I've got ace-deuce-three-five. [In case you're wondering what happened to the pairs of deuces, things like this happen all the time in dream poker.]

We're both all-in, there's no more action. The dealer deals the cards. I pair up on fifth street; Steve pairs his ace on sixth, but I make two pair. On seventh street, Steve catches the last ace to make trip aces. Luckily for me, I catch a four to river a straight. I have busted Steve out of the tournament, pretty much by getting lucky. Steve shakes my hand.

The tournament director hands me a wad of money: apparently there was some kind of bounty on Steve. I riffle it, and put it in my pocket. Then I think: wait a minute: he had three aces, and we both had pairs of deuces on fourth street. If Steve had three aces, then he made a full house, and my wheel was no good. But I'm still in the tournament and Steve's out. [Things like this happen all the time in dream poker.]