Coming this Saturday: the first and so far only poker
tournament of 2016. We have six
confirmed participants so far, probably seven as I'm pretty sure Matt is coming
but he never responds to the Facebook invite.
We even have a new player, Amanda's boyfriend Michael. What remains to be seen is if both Kim and
Vinnie will show – not only for babysitting reasons, but for strife ones. Vinnie is due to move out by the end of the
month (if he hasn’t already), completing their divorce that everyone agrees has
been both a long time coming and inevitable.
In chatting with Corrye via text regarding the upcoming
game, I found myself not only not really looking forward to it, but not really
wanting to do another and even regretting scheduling this one. It was odd – before, all of my hesitation and
regret had stemmed from the trouble and stress caused by the mass of
children. Now, with the adults-only
tournaments in full effect, why was I still feeling that way? Some thought led me to that very strife
between Kim and Vinnie, and to a slightly lesser extent, CJ and Vinnie. Simply put, it's not fun when they are
constantly making comments to one another that are clearly not in fun, but
intended to hurt. It makes the situation
very tense for everyone, and I don't think that's fair to the rest of the
group.
The easy solution here would be to not invite one of the two
any longer, but I'm not going to do that.
No matter if they are divorced, I will still consider them both
friends. I can only pray the situation
works itself out somehow, ideally through improved relations between the
parties.
That bit of drama aside, what can be expected of the game
itself? None of us have played since
last November, though I have been watching some TV coverage of late and I
noticed Tina doing the same the other day.
I have a feeling that simple, passive act will give us both a leg up
come game time. We will have to work
around possibly being blinded off a couple times, when one of us goes to take
Jules to a birthday party she's attending, and picks her up when it's
over. There's the possibility we won’t
be started until after the former, and one (or both) of us might be eliminated
before the latter, so that will be good.
Generally, I'm expecting (as usual) some rust from most
everyone re: the mechanics of the game, a few misread hands, a few misread
community cards, and things of that ilk.
Nothing out of the ordinary. Of course
I'm also expecting quite a few laughs as we jab at each other and make comments
fully intended to garner laughs and nothing more. At least, most of the comments will fall
under that umbrella (see above).
For my own play: I have a feeling I'll once again finish in
the middle of the pack (let's say fourth; that number just jumps to mind)
thanks to not taking chances when I should.
Maybe if I keep it in the forefront of my mind all night, I can avoid
the problem altogether.
Finally, I predict no less than $20 in Add-On's For Ally,
and at least one scratch-off winner (as always, a hope more than a
prediction).
