Daily Dose of Sultnpapper 12/4/17> I just want to stay home today….

The title says it all as far as today goes, not just because it is Monday, that is a plenty good enough reason in and of itself. I won’t just settle for the same lame old reason 75% of the population uses on Mondays, I have a good “reason”. I have to board a plane today for southern California, and while that might sound like a fun place to go, it is pure torture for me. Mainly because of the flying, it just flat wears me out. Things wouldn’t be so bad if it was a direct flight, but no, the girl in the office who books flights has to go the “economy” route. So leave Houston , to damn early, and fly to Dallas. Sit my butt in Dallas for two and half hours and get on another flight to Ontario, Ca. , by the time I land there I will already have about nine hours in for work , then I have to go to work.
The company was nice enough to not make us fly on Sunday, so in exchange we will end up working until about nine tonight west coast time, which is 11:00PM on my body clock. It also happens to be the time I like to hit the old post button for the daily dose, and call it a day. Unfortunately that won’t happen, because the folks I work with are very social, so since we only get together every couple years at the main office it is pretty much a requirement to go out for a few cocktails and shuffleboard.
I grew up hanging around beer joints with shuffleboard tables, and despite having not played since 2015, I will have no problem defending my company champion shuffleboard status, that is unless they have hired a “ringer” that I may not be aware. Even on my worst day, I usually will wipe the table with these folks. Is it because I’m really that good? No, it is not. It is because I know how to get inside people’s heads.
I play pretty good, I talk the game great. The key to winning is keeping the opponent on edge; little comments that make them start second guessing their strategy. Indecision when you go to slide the puck never turns out good. You either end up way short or in the back gutter on the other end of the table. Throw in that I can usually slide a curve that will break in behind a blocker puck and they pretty much know they are beaten. It only takes about three breakers to break a competitor down. The games have a dollar value too; we play for a dollar a game. All those singles come in handy if you end up going with the young bucks after the shuffleboard bar; those boys are all about the pole dancers.
Something about poles and dollar bills that pretty young ladies are attracted too. In my younger days I was like those youngsters, but I have aged and I’m a family man so all those singles , should I win, will come in handy back home for the Friday night family poker game. I never told you about the Friday night game?
Yes, the Sultnpapper clan play poker on the second and fourth Friday evenings. Not the whole family, just me, Shortie, and the A.Man, I’ve taught them well too. Aman is 15 now, he’s been playing poker for seven years; he plays online and makes a real decent showing on the Cafrino Poker site. He has won about $50 bucks so far this year, which doesn’t sound like much, but the games are free to play and the winners get like a buck fifty or so a game. He keeps a journal on every poker tournament he plays; he’s filled up about 3 spiral note books with his poker records.
Shortie has been playing for two years now, she is the real deal when it comes to poker faces. I’ve played a lot of live poker games over the years and I am pretty good at reading peoples cards by their body and facial language. This girl is like playing against a brick, a brick will never change expression and this girl is Acme Brick when it comes to poker.
The time before last when we played, I was struggling with getting good cards. When I finally got pocket aces I was sure that I was fixing to increase my chip stack. When the pre-flop betting was done there was a sizeable stack in the middle of the table. The flop came A 77, I flopped a full house and I could already see that I could make more off these youngsters if I made small bets up until the river, then I was pushing all in.
Things went exactly as planned, I made a small wager and they both called it. Just like I planned, milking these cows for all their worth. The next card to flip was 3, I knew that would not help them, I doubled up on the bet, and the AMan folded, Shortie called the bet and chipped up. The next card was a Jack, while a J is a good card it didn’t matter I’m sitting on a full boat with Aces over 7’s, I pushed all in. Shortie said, ‘I call, count the chips so I know what to put in”
I counted it up and she promptly slid her stack to the middle, ‘what ya got daddy?’ she said in her poker voice. I told her to “read em weep, little darling , daddy’s got a full boat. Aces & 7’s as I flipped over my pocket Aces and started to reach for the pile. “Not so fast pops”, she chirped, ‘ the two 7’s on the board and the two 7’s in my hand make me a winner”. Yes, that little lady played me like a drum and beat me to death with her four sevens. Never once did she even flinch, grin or change her breathing as the hand progressed. She had me, she knew it, and she kept it to herself until I was full in.
Not only can she play poker, her church youth group had a contest were the kids had to tell three things about themselves, and one had to be a lie. The group had to figure out the lie. The leader informed my wife that Shortie is the best liar in the church youth group as well, she went four rounds in the liar game and never lost.
Don’t be surprised if she doesn’t end up in Vegas at the World Series of Poker when she is old enough, she has the skills to make it if she continues to play.
Now, I still have a plane to catch…
Until next time,
@sultnpapper