Unforgiven

We have a rule of thumb in our house that Jurassic Park was the first good movie ever made.  It's not really as harsh as all that, but we have found that movies predating it simply don't end up being that enjoyable for us.  It could be because they really weren't as good (the Big Chill....seriously we didn't even finish it, sorry Mom), or it could just be that we can't really relate to things that happened before 1993 or so because we weren't functioning humans yet.  We are currently halfway through "And the Band Played On" and so far really like it, and our last title was "Unforgiven" which we both really did enjoy (for the record, 1992 and 1993 respectively).   The main reason we liked Unforgiven was that it was just very simple.  It didn't ask very much of the viewer;  there wasn't any nuance, no dialogue that was purposefully annoyingly soft, no plot twists really.  It was just a story.  Some assholes rough up a hooker, a reward is offered, and some tough sons of bitches go to get themselves the money.  Many die, spectacularly, and a resolution is reached.  No cliff hangers, no opening for the sequel, no wondering what was in the box....Clint just wins, simple as that.  We liked it.

Sometimes poker sessions are like that and sometimes they aren't.  Sometimes you have a plot twist every other hand (like yesterday when I was in the Commerce 40 and they just bludgeoned me as usual), and sometimes you stay right on the script and the hero simply wins.  I have heard the debate about if poker would be more enjoyable, for a pro, if there was more or less variance.  The argument breaks down as you approach the limit either way obviously, and books have suggested that hold 'em replaced stud because it has the right ratio of variance to skill (more variance), while draw games can't really catch on because they push the envelope too far (pros can't survive, their edge is too low for the money they risk; their skill advantage isn't as large, in short).  And I think the answer is that sometimes you really just want a nice boring day, and sometimes a roller coaster is fun.  I dunno, I guess I don't have much to say on this so here is a fun hand.

Mr. 40 month win streak (could be 45 now?  he told me he beat the Hustler TWENTY FIVE FIFTY GAME for 22k in May.  Think about that one) opens in the middle the button calls the small blind calls and I call with J7cc in the big blind and declare "dealer, I am thinking of a turn card!"  He of course takes the bait and jabs back "you're going to have to get there first" and I announce my intention to "peel one off and bink it"

876r

Purrrrrfecto.  We check, he bets, we all call.  "here it comes" I declare.

876-7

Bink.  Sb checks, I check, he bets, they both call, Jack Ryan the prop declares "right about now is where we should see the raise from you" I raise, and then...crap.  He goes into the tank.  This is a protected pot obviously, and there is a flush draw, but he's not tanking with much of anything here other than god damn monsters.  I file this information away as he decides to just make smoov and the other two players call.   The pot is now hudge and I proceed to double bink


876-7-J

I mean, what am I gonna do but bet?  We are four ways!  I bet and Mr 45 months puts in the raise confirming what I already feared namely that he HAS IT.  They both fold and I tank for a second and decide he has either 66 or 88 and just call (as I'm chopping with that range...yes he could have 87s except I can see one of every suite of those cards so zero combos left, JJ makes no sense because of the tell on the turn, and no chance he doesn't three bet a straight on the turn so it really is just expert smoov call with the boat on the turn).  He shows me the 66 and I drag the money.

45 minutes later I have lost 2 racks and just can't figure out how it happened.