Straight Talk

It was a hectic weekend here at The Word From On High HQ. I finally had to crash Sunday afternoon, so that's why I didn't get anything posted yesterday. Sunday morning, I, along with fellow cartoonists Max Ink, Millard Draudt and SPACE-man supreme Bob Corby, prowled the Ohio State University campus and surrounding environs posting flyers promoting the Small Press and Alternative Comics Expo, which occurs this coming Saturday. (But you know that because you're planning on being there, right?) The night before was the monthly poker game, which lasted until about 1:30 a.m. The good news is that I finally managed to beat Eric when it got down to heads-up between the two of us starting shortly after midnight. I will freely admit, however, that my victory is perhaps due more to a big mistake on Eric's part than to my own skill at the game.

We were playing No Limit Hold'em and just a few hands before the end, I was holding Ace-5 and the flop was 4-6-8, giving me an inside, or gutshot, straight draw. A 7 would have given me the straight. I checked, and Eric looked over at my pile of chips and asked how much I had left. I told him that if he tried to put me all in, he wasn't getting called. I wouldn't have been getting suficient pot odds to gamble on the chance of a 7 popping up. Eric laughed. "In that case, I check, too." That was the big mistake, because the next card, the turn, was a 7. Now I was ready to go all in, and the fool called. His hole cards where a 6-7, if I remember correctly, with no flush possibilties, so the only way he could win was to make a full house, but the 9 on the river only made my straight better.

Of course, I realize that if I'm going to beat him next time, I'll really have to work for it. He surely won't make the same mistake again, especially after he sees me gloating about it to the whole world here.