As the first game of the 2025 league rolled around, some found it hard to roll out of bed, roll up to the game, or were maybe still rolfing their New Year's Eve excesses down the toilet. Legit excuses were also in abundance, but the upshot that can't be down played is that we had the bare minimum for a league game – 5 players. One of the few benefits of this situation is that it's a winner-take-all game, with 10 points providing a healthy start to the new year's league.
With so few players, the game was bound to be a little quicker than usual. On this occasion, it was also notable that most of the drama happened right at the start. In the first three hands, pocket Qs were dealt twice, and in the first 7 hands, Qs were on board 3 or 4 times. The outcome was that Adrian, our newest player, hit quad Qs.
I, on the other hand, was getting nothing. I say "on the other hand" but they were all poor. So, in true tilt fashion, I played raggy Qs far too often - in expectation (at first), then in hope, and finally in desperation. Twat.
And whilst we were all chatting about those ladies, suddenly 3 of us, Tom, Ug and Steve, were all-in on the turn. Tom (pocket As) had raised on the flop (K high, rainbow board), but Ug and Steve both had a King and called. The turn was an innocuous 6 to Tom, and the betting ended with all of us shoving our stacks in. Ug and Steve both had K6, the river didn't give Tom trips or a pair on board, and those aces in the hole proved to be an ace-hole hand again.
Just as I was about to note a 2nd rebuy for Tom, he upped and left. Poker often sees players leave the table either in frustration, annoyance, anger, or disbelief, but this was special. Not in Tom's outward reaction (very calm under the circumstances) but the timing of it. We hadn't reached the break. We hadn't even had a blind raise! And there he was – gone. Our flimsy turnout had just dropped by 20%, and the rest of us were all eyeing the prize with a little more interest.
Adrian played a solid game but ended 4th, whilst Robert was bluffing and bullying his way to a very healthy chip lead. Steve and Ug wound up battling to scrape their way into the heads up, with the decisive hand giving both players a pair of Qs. All in on the turn, and Steve (Q8) was massively out kicked by Ug (QK). I knew those raggy Qs were trouble! At least they were... until my 3-outer showed up on the river.
Heads up, Robert was comfortably the chip leader, and with punishing blinds, I had to summon all the nerve I could to compete. Ultimately though, my resistance was futile. In the same way that a snail could challenge a bulldozer, or an ice cream could land on the sun.
So Robert has stormed into an early lead for 2025, and deservedly so. But I doubt it will last too long – I hear the ladies are back next week.