For those non poker readers, a set is when you hold a wired pair in your hole cards, and the same card appears on the community board giving you 3 of a kind. It's a very powerful hand and most of the time well concealed. The odds of hitting a set on the flop (first 3 community cards) are a little over 8 to 1. So when you do finally hit one it's an amazing feeling, close to an orgasm.
Now you're probably asking yourself what's an orgasm? Well an orgasm is just like flopping a set. You get it now? Good.
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So with around 45 minutes left in day 2 of the Main Event, our table was just about to break. The floor man brought chip racks for everyone and told the dealer this was the last hand.
I had around 46k to start this final hand of Table Red 121. We were playing 500/1k blinds with 100a. A middle aged novice player named Alton Jeffrey Jones (his actual name) raised to 2500 in middle position. Alton started the hand with around 40k. I found the 4c 4d on the button.
4 has been my favorite number my entire life. I absolutely love that number. To me it's always been the perfect number. When I won my first real tournament (Harrahs 1k WSOP circuit event in 12/07) my winning hand was pocket 4s. Sick, isn't it? I still can't believe it sometimes.
So there I was with my favorite small pair on the button 40 big blinds deep with position on a novice player. I had visions of winning the entire tournament right there. I pictured myself flopping a set, getting a full double up and then picturing me thinking back on how key this hand was after winning the Main Event of the WSOP.
So I called with with my sailboats. Then the small blind (a young aggressive competent player) paused and contemplated his action for a while. It was a great spot to squeeze and try to take down the pot by reraising. He asked for our chip counts. All the time I was thinking in my head, "Please don't please dont please dont!!!! I need to see this flop so I can flop my set and get my double up." It would have been too expensive to call a reraise and I would most likely have been forced to fold. And then he just called. yessssss!!!! More money in the pot and more likely hood of me doubling up when I flop my set! I know it's 8 to 1 but these are 4's damn it!
The big blind folded and we took the flop 3 ways. All that was going through my head at this point was 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4.
And there it was in all it's beauty right in the window, the 4 of spades accompanied by the 10 of spades and 9 of hearts. I used every bit of energy in my whole body to keep my poker face from becoming my O face. I sat still and stoic as the fireworks were shooting off in my head.
I didn't lose focus though because I had to stay on point to figure out the best way to get pizzzzaid!!
But wait, what's this? The middle aged novice original raiser is moving all in? He's jamming his entire stack, which is roughly four times the pot? The money is just going to fall in my lap? Yes, please. OMG OMG OMG WHEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!! Mental fist pumping. Although I figured I would have to get past his likely spade draw. No problem. Bring it on.
I waited around ten seconds before calling just in case the 3rd guy in the pot had anything he could call with I didn't want to scare him off by insta rejamming. He tossed his AJdd away face up. I then proudly displayed my set o' fo's.
The novice said to me 'very good hand.' and then sheepishly turned over the King of spades and King of clubs.
The turn card spewed out Eight hearts. Wheeeee!!!!!!
And then the King of diamonds rushed out of the deck, looked me directly in the eye and said, "It's time for you to go home Jeff. Go see your wife and daughter. They need you."
End Scene. Good Game.
P.S. I did have 6 big blinds left and got those scraps in at the next table with K10dd but couldn't find any Kings or Tens or Diamonds to outrun AQ.
