When Team Pokerati-er Whit Blanton rivered a royal flush at the Hard Rock at the beginning of the Series, I publicly congratulated him but inside poo-pooed his blurry handheld photography. But after flopping one of my own while playing 2/5 NLH at the Rio last night, I think I have a better understanding … as you kinda can\’t help but be shaking a bit.
![\"\"](\"http://old.pokerati.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/royal-flush1.jpg\")
Click below for the uneventful details of how the hand played out:
Not to give away the ending, but the hand held up and I took down a $45 pot.
It was only my fourth hand of the session –the first one I played — so I had no image beyond being a guy who folds my big blind to limp-limp-raise-call, folds my small blind in a similar situation, and folds my button to a raise and a re-raise …
Dealt AcKc, One limper under the gun … I raise in late position to $15 … limper calls. Flop, as you can see, is Jc-Qc-10c … I try to sit still but look like I\’m not trying to sit still … my opponent bets out $30 (looking rather timid, frankly), so I pause for a few seconds, act like I\’m thinking about raising (and actually do give a half-second of consideration to min-raising), but in the end place down a call with a slight \”whatever\” look on my face.
Turn is 8s. Check-check. River is I have no clue … little red card, I think. Opponent (who is a Brooklyn plastic surgeon specializing in breast implants, I later learn) checks, I shake and move a bit, looking semi-frumpled and hesitant, trying to increase my blink-speed by about 30 percent … and put out $45 in two stacks of $20 and a single red on top. He thinks for a few seconds and folds.
I flip over my cards. The table says wow. The dealer ships me the pot and starts to re-shuffle … I hold him up so I can take a picture … he reluctantly complies … blurry image capture ensues.
Two hands later, another player at the table points out … \”look at you, you\’re still shaking!\”
To which I respond: \”I\’ve never taken down a $45 pot before.\”
