A couple of years ago, my friend Huck Seed and I were on the road playing poker. Huck and I had been up all day golfing and all night playing Chinese poker. We both were extremely tired when we happened upon a nice $400-$800 limit hold’em game. The participants in the game were Yosh Nakano, Tab, Johnny Chan, Jerry Buss (owner of the L.A. Lakers), Huck, and I. Jerry and I have played a lot of poker together in the past. I never seem to do any good in the games with him, however. He seems to “hold over” (wins far more than his share of pots against me) me. It is not pleasant to have anyone “hold over” you. I think that we all have been there! Anyway, this hand came up that night between Jerry and me.

I raised, making it $800 to go, with 10S 8D in the two hole. Jerry reraised to $1,200 to go with KS 10 on the button. Everyone else folded, I called, and the flop came A 9S 7D. I checked, Jerry bet $400, and I check-raised, making it $800, with an open-end straight draw. Jerry called and the fourth card was the JC. Now the board was A 9S 7D JC, and I had the “nuts” (a jack-high straight). I bet $800 with the straight, and Jerry raised it to $1,600 with the double belly buster straight draw (he needed a queen or an eight). I reraised, making it $2,400 to go, and Jerry called. The river ran cruelly as the QC “rolled off” the deck. I bet out $800 with my jack-high straight, and Jerry made it $1,600 to go with the “nuts” (an ace-high straight). Without even thinking, I raised, making it $2,400 to go. Of course, Jerry raised again, making it $3,200 to go. I now thought (if you could call it that!) and decided to raise it again, making it $4,000 to go. For some reason, Jerry just called me. I guess that he thought it impossible for someone to make it $4,000 to go without having a tie. He reasoned that I didn’t play badly enough to raise it again without K-10. Wrong! Here is a case in which assuming that an opponent is reasonable cost a bet.

I had been up all night, but I still shudder to think how badly I played this hand. What was I doing raising it with 10-8 offsuit in the two hole? Jerry knew that I was on “tilt,” so I like his three-bet with K-10 before the flop. I like my check-raise on the flop, but Jerry’s call of my check-raise (although appropriate) was a little weak. On fourth street, I like betting out with the “nuts.” Jerry’s raise was iffy (I had shown strength by check-raising on the flop), but at least it was aggressive. My reraise (to $2,400) was automatic. On the river, all of Jerry’s raises were automatic. I love my raise to $2,400, but to make it $4,000 to go was really an “out of my mind” raise. It was such a bad raise that my opponent neglected to raise again with the nuts! He clearly should have reraised again. His assumption that I was a great player and, therefore, was reasonable cost him a bet.

During the course of play, I asked Jerry why he didn’t sit on “the floor” during the Lakers games. Jack Nicholson sits on the floor! Jerry told me that he gets too nervous when he sits that close to the action. I told him that I loved to sit on “the floor” during NBA games. While sitting on the floor one time, my wife and I noticed Charles Oakley (then with the N.Y. Knicks) staring longingly at the food in my lap. During that same game, Derek Harper talked trash with the fans for the entire game. When Michael Jordan came to town, watching him from the floor was incredible– and expensive! The energy that he puts out all over the court is amazing. You could really see it from the floor. The floor seats definitely are the place to be for my money! A couple of days later, Huck and I went to a Lakers game. When Jerry gave us our tickets, we realized that they were on the floor. Thanks for the tickets, Jerry; it’s too bad that they cost Huck and me more than $30,000 each!

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