Big Players in a Small Table

After a long poker break (not counting the Filipino Poker Tour Freeroll Satellites in PokerStars) I came back to The Metro to play. One of my “rules” limit me from playing while under the influence of alcohol but because I was under the influence, my reasoning was askew.

So I played in the 10/20 table where there were 2 big stacks who were dominating the rest of the players. This was another “rule” I was trying to implement (not to play in cash tables where a few players dominate the stacks or the action). Nonetheless, I sat and played. I guess poker is like riding a bicycle and I was soon able to vie for chip leader after a few orbits through a combination of out-playing, bluffing and donkeying.

Then came Bitoy. Bitoy has been part of the Philippine Poker Community since the early days and as I’m comparably a small table player, I rarely get the chance to sit in the same table with him. He was waiting for something and he decided to sit at my table. It’s always good to have someone who knows what they’re doing on the same table. They dictate the action and it’s easier to follow than the more aggressive plays the less experienced players tend to dictate. I consider myself to be a decent player but I’ve never dominated the flow of the action.

Rini and I were about to leave but since he sat down, we played a few more orbits than what was pre-arranged. We were talking with Bitoy about the days in 41o to which I commented that Bitoy was a benefactor of my poker tuition. Shortly after that he cracked my pocket aces with a runner-runner straight. At first Bitoy couldn’t remember me but then he remembered that I was Ronnel’s friend. He mentioned that Ronnel had moved on to the big table and I was still at the small table. Then I won with a runner-runner straight against his top pair. Then he joked that it’s probably why Ronnel moved up and I was still playing 10/20. Of course the main reason was that I didn’t have the bankroll for the higher stakes but that was beside the point.

Then Edward sat down. You can see how the action on the table changed after he did. Bitoy and Edward were in every other hand and it was pretty clear that the cards didn’t matter. They were simply out-playing the rest of the players. 2 big table players in the same small table, the newer players didn’t have a chance. The table eventually collapsed after Edward busted 3 players.

The session ended with me having a decent profit.