Unbelievable!

I know this is way late but Budoy didn't post about the poker game two Saturdays ago. Hmmph! So that leaves me to do this...

A pretty mixed bunch showed up at Budoy's house that night. Throwing in their 50 bucks a pot per game were: Budoy, myself, [identity-protected] and her brother TJ, Rjay and Leslie, Dino, Ching, Bob, Elena (with TC), Miko and Baguio Club member Sly. As usual, Rjay took over dealing the cards and let Leslie play. (Overheard: "Daddy, daddy! Where's Mommy! When is she coming home?" "Mommy's playing cards, Annika." Ehek.)

This was one of the longest game nights around: the group played four games with the first game going to Budoy and racheting his wins to three in the overall lead. (There were only eight of us playing as Elena and TC, Miko, Rjay and Leslie came in late.)

Swearing revenge, I took the next round (woot!), my first win ever since we started playing last year. Ironically, despite trying hard to keep a poker face in the last stretch of the game, I had a hard time playing as outed-players Sly, Ching and Leslie kept peeking at my cards. Do you know how difficult it is to strategize when someone's cheering at your good hand? Aaaagh.

Third game went to [identity-protected] despite the fact that she was constantly on chikka mode with Elena. My one and only win broke my nerve so I stayed out of it and that left nine people playing. Dino and Ching started the fun with their all-in move on the first few hands. Unfortunately, the tactic didn't work for Budoy and he got kicked out early. One of the longest games that night, [identity-protected] tied with Budoy after this with three wins in the overall lead.

The fourth game-- ah, now that was kicker of the night. A number of people had decided to go home during the middle of the game (Ching, Rjay and Leslie) so Dino (who had been outed of the game early on) took over Ching's chips while TJ took over dealing. Suddenly, it was as if there was an unseen force overseeing the game: Dino kept betting like there was no tomorrow and he KEPT WINNING! Also, to make it more exciting, he NEVER LOOKED AT HIS CARDS!

As the game progressed, you could see Budoy getting more nervous as it became a showdown between him and Dino. He used every trick in the book, including copying Dino's style, but to no avail. With panache and flair, Dino smashed the opposition and took home the award of "Best Player of the Night" while Budoy was the "Got Played of the Night" awardee.

Unbelievable!