The Best Hand I Ever Played

8/12/2011

Although I finished this session at Motor City Casino down $70, this was easily the most fun I ever had playing poker because of the challenges and decisions I made that night. Also, I tripled back up with aces when my stack got down to $60, which helped. This particular hand more than made up for the loss..it was literally a hero call that even the pros would be proud of.

Hero: Q-10 offsuit

Villain: Q-?

Pre-flop: Three players limp in, and I have position on all of them.

The flop: Q-J-8(?)

- Action is checked down. At this point, I assume I have the best hand, but there is little point in betting. The pot is small, and every straight/flush draw would call.

The turn: 7

- At this point, I feel like building a small pot, so once it is checked to me, I bet the pot and am called by a guy two off to my left. I do not have any kind of read on him because he is fairly tight and quiet, but I can't put him on a hand that beats me because he is the type of player who would bet the flop with top pair.

The river: blank

- The river does not complete a flush, so I fairly confidently bet out $15. I am almost immediately raised to $40 and have to go into the tank for about five minutes. The following is the play-by-play dialog:

Me: Forty total?

(Dealer nods)

Me: (To Villain) You wouldn't happen to be in a showing mood, would you? Show me if I fold?

Villain: (Snickers, shakes head) No.

M: I have a queen. (To dealer) If I show my hand, it's dead right?

Dealer: Yeah, you can't do that.

M: (Announcing out loud) I think that you think I was trying to buy the pot. I have a queen, but I might have kicker problems. (Long pause) The only thing I'm really worried about is 7-8.

(At this point, I stare at him for about twenty seconds. It's a borderline call for me, and then I see him gulp while staring straight ahead.)
M: I call.

I turn over the Q-10 and one half of the table erupts in congratulations. The guy sees my hand and very reluctantly mucks, showing a queen himself. This is my proudest hand to date for a couple reasons: one, I approached the hand and acted exactly as a pro would, and two, I was stuck three buy-ins from my last three sessions, I could have just snap-called impulsively only to be shown a suckout, instead I got to make fifty bucks the hard (but rewarding) way.

Before I Forget: The Compendium of Highlights From Student Teaching

Quotable quotes from my year of student teaching in Maryland:

"That time I spent teaching was more rewarding than 40 years working at the office."

- My Aunt wistfully reflecting on her brief teaching stint during Thanksgiving

"WHYYYY must you leave us, Mr. G? WHY!??? Don't get raped by the kids at Flowers! Bye forever"

- This is literally what one of my students from my first high school wrote on a farewell card.

"Mr. G, one of my friends saw you walkin' down the hall today and was like, 'Girrrl, that boy is cute!'"

"Wait, what??"

"It's ok, it's a good thing."

(Notices my mentor teacher in the background)

"..You cute too, Mr. Fairfield."

"Mr. G, you bein' sarcastic again?"

Me: "Frida, when have I ever been sarcastic with you?"

"Right now?"

Me: "Sort of, but it's not really sarcasm."

"Yeah, sometimes it's like almost a lie AND being sarcastic."

"That's gon' be me on top of that mountain one day."

- One of my students upon seeing a video for one of the China travel tours.

"Why's it always so hot in here?"

Me: "You really wanna know why? I had them turn the heat up in here cuz I was cold."

"...You weird."

"Yo, dawg my teacher just told me how to say 'I want to go back to Hooters' in Chinese!"

- The day I reached one of the top 3 least motivated Chinese students

Me: Wow, her shoulders must be hurting from carrying your team.

Girl in a different group: Wooww, none of you were listening, he just fried yo' ass!

"Hey, why'd you throw that paper at me?"
Me: "I didn't throw it at you, I was dropping it softly."

"I'll drop you softly."

"Hey, Mr. G how do you say your last name again?"
Me: "Glotz-ho-ber."

Other student: "See, I told you it was like 'Luxembourg'!"

Me: "Luxembourg is a country."

"Hey, Mr. Ge Laoshi, did you say you were from China?"

Me: "Nope, I'm from Detroit."

"Oh, I thought you was from China." (Pauses)

"...Is it cold in Detroit?"

"Girl, that's Ge Laoshi! He's the little intern I was tellin' you about for weeks!

Ge Laoshi, you a good teacher."

- 3/14/2011. Boom.

"I wouldn't mind having two whole periods of Chinese."

- 3/21/2011

Student recording in the language lab: "Wait, so how would you end the conversation?"

Me: "Well, I guess I could just walk away."

Student: "No! On the computer!"

Me: "High five"

Student: (Thinks about it) No, you sarcastic. You're gonna move your hand."

"Ooohh! I felt a spark!"

- 3/31/2011

Student: I think I found an article, does this count?

Me: This is an article about Honduras.

Student: That in China?

Me: No, it's in Central America.

Student: Yeah, they don't look Chinese.

Student: "Wait, you ain't comin' back next year??"

Me: "Uhh, not unless the principal tells me they need another Chinese teacher."

Student: "Aw, I would take your class. I'm becoming attached to you."

"...not in a romantic way, though."

(The day after I missed class for a job interview)

Student: "Yo I need to talk to you!"

Me: (Thinking they're about to complain about the class) About what?

Student: YO, YOU CAN NOT JUST LEAVE US LIKE THAT! OH MA GAWD, HOW COME YOU DIDN'T TELL NO ONE WHERE YOU WAS GOIN'??

Me: (To another student) Well, I just got yelled at by a student.

Student 2: Yep, welcome to Flowers.

"Word on the street is: you used to have dreads."

"Nah, his hair too soft."

"Ge Laoshi, are you comin' back next year?"

"I don't know, you wanna ask Mrs. Jones (the principal) if I can come back?"

"YEAH! You have to, you're like the best!"

Other student who is almost as sarcastic as me: "Nooo, don't get him promoted!"

While working on an in-class project:

"Can you go get me a pencil?"

"Whatchu want, a regular pencil or a color pencil?"

"Reg'lar pencil."

"Well they ain't got no regular pencils, guess you gon' sit there looking crazy then."

(Looks around at the art supplies in his hand)

"Scissor fight!"

Student using my laptop: "Ooooh, you play Texas Hold 'Em?"

Me: "Yeah"

Student: "I like that game it's fun."

"...Do you like Yahtzee, too?"

(While playing Hangman, my mentor teacher draws an executioner on the board)

Student: Ooh! Draw a club with spikes!

Me (off to the side): Why would he need a club? His job is to pull a lever.

Student 2: Wait! Give him an axe!

Me: HE DOESN'T NEED AN AXE! HE HAS A GALLOWS RIGHT NEXT TO HIM!!