Bigger Deal

Recently I took a very pleasant ten-day break in Portugal. No planning, no hotels booked, I just flew to Lisbon, hired a car and took off. Some way into the trip I called into the town of Espinho (300km north of Lisbon) and much to my surprise managed to get into a hotel right next door to the casino. After a great evening out with my wife, we decided to see what was happening in the gambling house next door.

The immediately surprising difference to other European casinos was the complete absence of a reception. People just walked in and played, a la Las Vegas. Inside the foyer area we noticed a display board advertising ‘Texas Hold’em Sit & Go’s from 9 p.m.’. We entered eagerly but to our dismay found the gaming floor to be inhabited almost entirely by slot machines - no poker to be found anywhere, very disappointing. My wife Denise played some touch-bet roulette while I looked on in a slightly grumpy mood. It was tedious, and after she lost a few Euros we decided to leave.

On the way out Denise enquired about the poker notice and was told the poker salon was on the third floor. Geat news! We dived into the lift and were whisked to the third floor. What we found on entering I can only describe as a ’salle privée’, where two poker tables were cosseted in a quiet room away from the main floor. Both tables were in full swing.

The Manager came over to offer his help. I asked what games were being played and found that they had two Hold’em no-limit cash games going. The minimum buy-in was 200 euros and the maximum 2000 euros (an unusually wide margin), with blinds of five and ten. He said there was one seat available.

Now this is a big game for my limited budget, but I nonetheless decided to sample poker Portuguese-style, buying in for 200 euros. The other players were all natives of the country and naturally English was not being spoken at the table. So as I took my seat the manager informed me of the house rules, which were odd to say the least. The button is the small blind - and if you decide to raise, you are not allowed to look at your cards for the rest of the hand?!

After two hours playing like a rock no one had spoken to me, probably because no one spoke English. The play was very unusual in that there was a lot of pre-flop action, but very little after the cards were out. It was almost as if they were playing poker lotto. When a player did bet the flop, the rest folded most of the time.

Realising that most players called with any two cards, I decided to loosen up and called the blinds with King-Eight (off-suit). I hadn’t been seeing any decent cards anyway. A loose player shoved in a 40 euro raise and I threw it away. There was three-way action on a flop of K-8-3, which was folded by a Queen and another Eight! Damn. That would have been a decent pot.

Another load of rubbish and then I find a reasonable looking Q-5 suited on the button, only to be pushed off it by the big blind’s 50 euro pump. Of course I got to see the board fill out with Q-5-J-4-Q. Arrghh! Now this hand was not played to its conclusion, but the guy in seat 10 had the irksome habit of completing the flop himself, with no objections from any of the other players.

I have to say the game was slow. The dealer did not even have a chip rack but instead a drawer under the table. He opened it after every hand to change chips for smaller ones, so he could take the rake. It slowed the game down to a crawl.

By 2 a.m. I felt my wife had had enough. My chip stack had grown slightly to 270 euros, up 70. It was either time to go or time to make a stand with the position I had on the button. I see an A-3 suited (hearts) which you must note is the first Ace I’ve seen all night. I fancy this one.

Loose player to my left pumps it up 50 euros and loose player to my right calls. I call. The flop is a black 3 and the eight and four of hearts. Now I feel I am committed. Loose guy to my left makes it 100 euros and the one to the right passes. I just call again. Then the turn is another 3, I have trips and try to look unmoved by the fourth card. He moves all-in and of course I call like a shot. He flips a pair of tens and gives me the thumbs up when he sees my 3. The pot is over 600 euros!

The river, of course, is a ten.

So here is my lesson. When you’re running poor, it doesn’t matter which country you happen to be in, you’re still going to run poor. But I still love the game and I’m still going to play it wherever I happen to be.