Phil's Game (IV)

"Wait, did you say All In?" Shocked, James couldn't help but confirm Phil's action.

Phil smiled at James, but did not respond verbally.

James looked quizzically at the dealer.

"Seat Three is all in." The dealer responded on Phil's behalf.

James was a little confused, why didn't Phil just tell him so then?

[ In some games, your actions may be considered as an attempt to gather information about the strength of another player's hand. In fact, table talk in general is not disallowed, and some of the best professionals have developed a skill out of talking to their opponents and either getting a sense of how strong their hand is, or even emotionally manipulating their opponents into a desired outcome. ]

So that's how it was. James thought. He wasn't trying to gain an extra edge over Phil. He already had quads! There was no way he was going to do anything but call.

[ Perk Activated - Active Participation - System has played and analyzed more poker hands than you've eaten grains of rice. System strongly recommends you follow System's advice. System is basically an expert. Since you are a new player and may not know what to do, System recommends CALL! ]

James rolled his eyes. It was only about the most obvious situation in the whole world, and his system had to pick this moment to show off. Even if you had put a monkey in his place, the monkey would know what to do.

But first... James looked down at his cards again. Just to make sure he didn't misread his hand. He picked up his cards, looked at the two Kings. Then, he looked at the board. King, four, King.

He counted on his fingers, one... two... three... four..., yes, he had four kings! He slammed the cards down face up.

"Call!"

It was the first hand of his high stakes career, and with one hand, he was able to overcome all his prior adversity. He would be able to repay Phil and remove all of the obligations and uncertainty above his head.

If poker was really as easy as this with the system, he would take the money he had and multiply it many fold today! Everyone at this table would be his food!

"Turn over your cards." The dealer announced to Phil.

Phil turned over his cards. Two black Aces. James had already turned over his cards to show the two Kings. With the board, James now had a four of a kind, and Phil only had two pair.

Back in the thirteenth hand, it was James who had held the Aces, and Phil with the Kings. Then, the Aces were able to hold up and win an all-in pot. This time, the situation was reversed. James had the Kings, and Phil had the Aces. Except with the flop already dealt, it was the Kings who were in dominating position.

[ The only way you lose is if the turn and river come runner runner Ace Ace. ]

That was so improbable that James didn't even scold the system for jinxing it.

"Run it once," Phil told the dealer again, "This time, I'm going to luck box big against James."

"Running once." The dealer announced, before burning the top card of the deck once more.

The burnt card hit the table and was slid neatly into the pile of chips.

Then, the dealer slid the top card of the deck onto the table, before slowly flipping it over.

If the top card was anything but an Ace, this hand was over.

It was an Ace! A red Ace!

[ Board: Kc 4h Ks Ah, Pot $42,875. Probability of winning the hand: 97.7% ]

Phil had found the first of only two cards in the entire deck that he needed to keep his hand alive.

[ It must be a coincidence. Don't worry, it is very unlikely the fourth Ace will come on the river. ]

This time, James rebuked his system. His system must have jinxed the turn. Don't jinx the river!

James was so nervous, he was practically bouncing in his chair. He looked over at Phil. In sharp contrast, Phil was sitting calmly, with a hint of a smile on his face.

How could Phil be so confident at a time like this? James thought to himself. It must be just another hand to him.

"Do you want to chop the pot James?" Phil asked jokingly. "It's a lot of money. I'll let you take half the pot if you surrender now. I feel pretty lucky."

James rejected that offer immediately. He was almost assured of winning the pot, how could he settle for half? If half was a lot of money, then all would be twice that amount, it would be a lot a lot of money!

The dealer knocked on the table twice and burnt the final card before dealing the river.

James had a faint sense of deja vu once again - he felt like he was in a dream, reliving the last big pot he had won off Phil.

The dealer flipped over the last card. It was a diamond, the final red Ace.

"Four of a kind. Aces win the pot." The dealer announced again, before flipping the Kings face down and pushing chips to the winner. This time though, the chips weren't coming to him. The chips were making their way over to Phil.

James had just experienced his first bad beat. It no longer felt like a dream. No, this was a nightmare. He was now broke. He owed Phil twenty thousand dollars.

How cruel was the game of poker? He went from the heights of heaven into the depths of hell in seconds. How could he have lost?

Phil looked over at James, "Guess you should have taken the chop huh."

This was the sign of a true poker player. When given the opportunity, inflict maximum mental damage on a tough opponent. Maybe a professional would have been able to shrug it off as "one of those things", but James had only just started his journey.

---

Phil walked over to the bar and came back with another piece of paper.

"Tough luck James. I'll tell you what, I'll loan you another twenty-K, and I'll forget the shoes no matter what. Think about it as getting twenty for the price of five. It's a good deal, and it gives you a chance to win back the money."

In a daze, James nodded and signed the paper. What other choice did he have? He had to be more careful this time. No more big bets, he would grind his way back.

The other players looked around at each other. This was a familiar sight to all of them. James was not the first person Phil had hoodwinked.

Phil reached into his pockets and took out another four flags before tossing them over to James.

This time, James caught the chips.

"Next hand." Phil instructed the dealer.

---

The next two hours passed in a blur.

Sometime during that period, the sun had started to set, and the sunbathers around the pool had moved into the room to drink, laze on the couch, and watch the television.

Ms Chung had disappeared into the hallway and came back wearing a pair of daisy dukes and a slightly crumpled shirt that had the top two buttons left undone.

Seats Six and One each had a couple of the ladies suddenly appear and sit next to them, leaning against their shoulders and watching the game.

James noticed none of this. He was fully focused on the game and counting and recounting his money under his breath.

Unfortunately, James had not yet recovered from the terrible beating.

Despite the best efforts of the system to give good, mathematical advice on how to play his hands and maximize value, James had consistently ignored the system to play a very weak, tight style of poker.

When James had a made hand, he would check and call bets. When James had a hand that could improve and become a strong hand, James would fold against the slightest aggression.

James had let the stakes he was playing for go to his head.

James was playing scared, and scared money never wins.

Finally, it was time for the break.

James looked down at his chips. He had won a few hands, but always for small pots, and had bled off much more than he had won. Of the second twenty thousand dollars that he had borrowed from Phil, James was left with only five thousand.

---

James stood up from the table and looked for Phil. Phil was at the bar, mixing himself a drink and chatting casually with one of the ladies.

James walked over and interrupted them. "Phil, can I get another twenty?"

"Sure. I was going to ask you if you needed more ammunition. We're only playing another two hours before we stop." Phil responded.

James signed his third form and took more chips from Phil.

This would be make or break.