Previewing, With Honesty

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).