Sunday Morning Coming Down?

As I lay here in my bed, Boyfriend, our tabby cat, is sleeping soundly next to me and the bright sunlight coming in through the windows tells me that today will be a great day.

Saturday was just one of those days that you get used to sometimes -- one with just another financial body blow. The RAV4 that my oldest daughter drives had a flashing check engine light, and we found out the damage in the early morning. Add that to the cost for water extraction from our basement just over a week ago when our sump pump circuit blew and the battery backup failed and suddenly we are into an unexpected four-figure subtraction from the ol' income.

I have been a little under the weather this past week, fighting off a cold that has been trying to get control of my body. I basically lazed around the house yesterday and got some Chinese food for the family for dinner. My home poker game switched to Saturdays several months ago, but I had only played twice since January. I decided to give it a go last night. Mrs. lightning36 asked how long I would be gone. I told her that I only planned on playing a couple of hours since I hadn't been feeling well. She gave me that look of a wife who knows her husband only too well. "Couple of hours -- ha!"

The home game changed earlier in the year in a way that I didn't really like. The blinds were increased, which realistically should not have made much of a difference since the game always played much larger than the blinds anyway. However, the increase seemed to send the message that the game would now play like the aggro Thursday night game, which I have never played. The new reality chased a few players away and worried me that some of the friendliness would be gone since the potential losses could and have been much greater. Of course, the potential for large wins also increased.

I can't complain about the result -- a win that sounds kind of nice if described as a function of the big blind -- and derived particular pleasure from two hands against an aggro guy who really cleaned up against everyone else on the night. In the first hand I was on the button and had something like A-9. There was an Ace on the flop and I checked since my tight table image with this group would have chased away the aggro guy. We got some additional money in on the turn, which was a blank, and then saw a second Ace on the river. I was 100% convinced the aggro player did not have the case Ace and there were not straight or flush possibilities on the board. He checked the river and I overbet the pot. He thought for a bit, figured I was stealing, and called. I flipped over my cards and he mucked. Worked like a charm!

That play set him up for another play a short time later. I was dealt 7-2, which in this home game pays off $1/person if you win with it. I made a healthy bet on the flop to try to take down the pot right then and there, but aggro player called. Dang! There was an Ace on the flop. I tried to chase him out of the hand with a continuation bet, but he called. The turn was a brick and I fired again. He called. The river was another Ace. Using my tight image, I immediately fired out a big bet. Aggro guy looked at the nice pot and my bet and reluctantly said "I just paid you off the last time. I won't do it again." He mucked his cards. I turned over my 7-2 to collect my dollar from each player and listen to the hoots and hollers. Poker can be really fun sometimes!

My "two hour" session actually turned out to be more like 5+ hours. I got home, checked some online sites, and went to bed. I woke up this morning to find that my son had come home late last night and bought some Krispy Kreme donuts. As I cranked up the Keurig to brew a cup of my favorite, Newman's Special Blend, I remembered that even when you get an unexpected hit in the pocketbook and are fighting through a minor health issue, life can be pretty dang sweet sometimes.