Get Cool, Be Cool, Stay Cool!

I’m not one for poker lingo, but at The Baron’s impromptu home cash game last night, I lost £330 in two consecutive hands - first when someone who will remain nameless played the role of ultimate “calling station”, and then to a “cooler”.

I guess the combination of these results in a “Cooling Station”, which apparently is an ice cream specialist in Highwood, Illinois whose signature production is ice cream cakes. Their motto is “Get Cool, Be Cool, Stay Cool”, which I certainly did not. After a brief hissy fit on the balcony, I said my goodbyes and left.

Before these hands, things weren’t going very well. I was on a stack of about £330 having bought in for £400 - I wasn’t getting hole cards or hitting flops, and got drawn out against on a couple of occasions. However, I hadn’t really stepped out of line in 3 hours, so I was fairly shocked at the hand that followed.

I raise to £4 with 24off. Mini Baron re-raises to £12. Calling station villain calls. I make it £36 and mini Baron passes, but Villain of course calls. I decide that I am going to pot any non-ace flop, and it duely arrives K, J, 7 rainbow. I bet the pot of £100 odd which puts the Villain all in. He SNAP calls with JT for middle pair, no draw and I am crushed. Sigh.

That leaves me with about £150ish which is then lost in the cooler. I raise to £4 with 77 and Wilkinson calls on the button I think. Flop arrives a promising looking 7 5 4 with a couple of clubs. Can’t remember how the betting went, but we got all the chips in and Wilkinson has the straight with 3♣6♣ and a redraw to a flush. I hit my nut full house on the river, but along the way Wilkinson has picked up a straight flush and that is me done! I guess I am behind all the way on this hand, pre-flop aside, but I can’t really see it playing out any different.

A £397 loss for the night - considering popping in for the £10 rebuy tonight just to exorcise the demons, as at the moment I don’t feel playing poker at all. On the plus side, at least I got a full night’s sleep - 2 of the home game players ended up in The International till 7am, so I suppose £400 is worth it to not feel as ropey as they do right now ;)

PROFIT/(LOSS) USD 2008
Live Holdem Tournaments	3,065
Live Holdem Cash	475
Live Omaha	(190)
Live “Professional” Tournaments	(7,436)
Home Games	160
Online Holdem Tournaments	55,654
Online Holdem Cash	16,552
Online Omaha	1,210
Sundry	1,210

Rake (5,286) TOTAL: 64,133