The Poker Game Pt. 01

© 2011 / 2012

Author's Notes:

This is a work of Fiction. Fiction [Noun] - 1) The class of literature comprising works of imaginative narration, especially in prose form. 2) Something feigned, invented, or imagined. ie: A made-up story.

Other than myself, none of the characters, events, dialog, or mannerisms which appear in this story are intended to portray actual persons or events... Any resemblance to real persons is purely unintentional.

If you do not know how to play Texas Hold-Em, you can learn for free online at any number of sites... however I will not be teaching the game here. It will help you to know at least the basics of the game when reading this story.

Special Thanks go to 'ShadoeMedic' who proofed, edited, helped with the hospital 'stuff', and generally put up with all my BullSh!t. (That alone is worthy of a golden statue)

Finally, This story deals with topics such as; Bondage, Dominance, Submission & Group Sex... so if these are not things you wish to read about, then perhaps this story is not for you.

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I.] Introduction. - The Players

I'm Sharky, we are playing Texas Hold-Em at Matt's house. I am dealing, and Matt, siting to my immediate left is in the Small-Blind, Jake is sitting next to Matt in the Big Blind followed around the table by Chuck, Dave, Eddie and back around to You (the reader) sitting to my right. You are a newcomer to the group, having been invited by Chuck.

I have known Matt, Jake & Eddie, since we were teenagers. Chuck and Dave work with Matt at the Chevy Dealership owned by Matt's father. It is your first time playing our little game, and incidentally, makes the table just a little more crowded than we are used to.

Jake and I started playing poker together in college when we both wound up living in the same dorm at State our freshman year. Although we weren't roommates that year, it was nice having a friend from home in a University of about 35,000 students. During our summer & winter breaks, Matt's dad let us work as interns in the dealership, which basically meant we did inventory and the other jobs nobody wanted to do. We would get together after work to drink beer and play cards (we were originally only 4, with Eddie filling out the group). While we were away in school, Chuck and Dave played with Matt and Eddie, who was working at the dealership back as well, but has since moved on.

After graduation, we fell into the routine of a rotating poker game every Monday Night during the NFL season. It wasn't by design, it just kinda worked out that way... even with our various lives, wives, girlfriends, and responsibilities, we could always get away for a few hours to "watch the game with the guys". The game rotated from house to house, or more like apartment to apartment back then, so that nobody had to listen to their girl bitch about the guys coming over more than a few times each year. Whoever was hosting each week was expected to provide food and beer, and whoever showed up for the game threw in some extra to the host to cover expenses.

Because I had majored in Finance, and worked as a Commercial Loan Officer... but mostly because I had a nice set of casino chips, I always played the 'Banker' no matter who was hosting the game. When there was a full game (all 6 of the regulars), the 5 'guests' would buy in for $110. That was $100 in chips + $10 to the 'host' (aka "house'). That meant that our host for the evening bought in for only $50, yet received a full stack of chips. At the end of the night I would 'buy back' all the chips that were still out there, and whatever cash I had left amounted to my 'winnings' for the night.

Historically, I have done ok at the games, usually coming out at least even, if not ahead, sometimes even winning big... but tonight has definitely not been my night. It's not like I haven't gotten decent cards either. I was constantly getting dealt pairs, paint, or suited Aces, keeping me in more hands than I would usually play. It just seemed like almost every flop brought either 2-pair, a Straight or Flush draw (even a few Straight-Flush draws), and I even flopped 3 of a Kind a couple of times. Obviously I couldn't fold when I was looking at 4 cards to an open-ended Straight-Flush, or 3 Ladies with an Ace kicker... Right?

Wrong! The open-ended straight-flush, hit a straight 7-Jack, and lost to a better straight, Queen high. Ace-Queen actually hit a Full-House Queens over Aces, then promptly lost to Aces full of Queens. And so it went, all night long, along with all my chips. 3 Tens lost to 3 Jacks, 2 pair Queens & Nines lost to Kings & Nines, no matter what I held someone had better.

By the time the Two-Minute Warning rolled around, the Patriots were beating the Jets 35-14, and I was down to my last $15.00 in chips. By tradition, the Two-Minute Warning signals the last hand of the game, and so here we are, it's my deal.

Matt in the Small-Blind ($1.00), Jake in the Big-Blind ($2.00), Chuck folds from under the gun, Dave calls, as does Eddie, you fold and then it's back to me. I look down at my pocket Aces, and figure I'm either finally gunna win one, or go down in flames. So I raise it to $5.00. Matt folds. Jake & Dave both call, and Eddie folds. The pot is almost $20 before the flop, which brings the Ace & Queen of Clubs, and 10 of Diamonds. I have a Set of Aces (3 of a kind - with a hidden pocket pair), and even better I am in the best position to take advantage of the situation.

Jake opens for $5.00, Dave calls, leaving me to wonder... there a possible Straight on the board, as well as a Club Flush Draw, still I'm pretty sure my 3 Aces are the best hand, so I raise my last $10.00 all-in. Both Jake and Dave call, bringing the pot up to over $50.00. The Turn brings a 3 of hearts, and it obviously doesn't help either of them, as both check. The River is the 10 of Clubs giving me a Full House Aces over 10s, and I'm in good shape to win at least some of my money back. Jake has been having a pretty good night, and looks at Dave, he takes almost a minute before saying "Looks like you have about $25 bucks left buddy & it's just you & me... care to go all-in?" We usually had a $5.00 raise limit, but there's a history of looseness with that rule, especially towards the end of the night.

Dave didn't even think about it before saying "OK, you're on!" and he shoved his stack off to the side of the main pot. Now technically Jake had not actually made a 'legal' bet, he had only asked a question... so Dave was actually betting out of turn. As I had not yet missed a bet, since both of the others had checked on the turn, and since we were obviously getting sloppy with the rules, I decided to 'call' the side bet. "As the banker, I want in on that and I will cover all bets." I announced, as I took chips from the box to match Dave's stack.

I was sure that I was up against a Straight and a Flush, or maybe Flush vs Flush, but either way my Full House was pretty safe. There was the outside possibility of a Royal Flush in play, but I dismissed that out of hand as almost absurd... and thought I could actually make a profit on the night with a win.

Jake actually had to think about this 'predicament' (or thats what he wanted us to think) I'm sure he was expecting me to stand with my "All-In"... or that's what he wanted us to think anyway. After a momentary pause, he said "All right then, let's play." He made a third stack, equal to ours, and shoved it into the pot. He was the only one who was still had chips left left, and would probably come close to breaking even. 'Even when he lost this hand', I thought to myself confident in my cards.

Dave turned over K-9 of Clubs for the best possible Club Flush (A,K,Q,10,9), but made me even more confident in my Full House, because a Straight-Flush was no longer a concern. I smiled as I turned over my 'Winning Hand' and looked at Jake. That's when I knew I was beat, even before he turned over his Pocket 10's... Incredible??? He held the only hand that could possibly beat me, with four 10's.

I bought back whatever chips Matt, Chuck, Eddie & you are holding first from the money I collected at the beginning of the night... Dave of course has none left, but that still left me reaching for my wallet to cover the big-winner. "It looks like bag-lunches for me this week." I said to nobody in particular.

Matt, our host for the evening replied "Well Shark, it's your turn to host next week, so you'll get a chance to win it back... besides you have nobody to blame but yourself, you should have just left it at 'all-in' you didn't have to call the side bet."

Following my usual course, I'd stopped drinking at halftime. I did this for 2 reasons, first because I didn't want to drive home drunk and secondly, because I found that the others tended to loosen up as the game went on and the beers flowed down. Being the 'Designated Driver' for all the games except the ones at my place, tended to have a positive profit potential for me over time.

Driving everyone home that night, I ended up dropping Jake off last, his place was closest to mine anyway. We had been friends since High School, and I knew he was only kidding when he asked me if I "needed a loan", but it still kind of irked me the way only friends can. I was doing pretty well for myself at the bank. In fact we all had done alright since the days when we used to cut grass for money and smoke grass for fun. Matt, of course, would inherit the dealership one day, but for now he was the Sales Manager. Eddie hadn't gone to college, but he took Auto Shop in High School, and worked his way up through the Service Department at the dealership. He was also did some shade-tree jobs on the side, until he was finally able to save up enough money to open up his own shop a couple years ago. Now he had 3 bays for tires, brakes, & tune-ups, and 5 people working for him.

But Jake was the 'big winner', and I'm not just talking about tonight. After college, he had gone on to law school, followed by a year clerking for a trial judge, and 5 years in the State Attorney's Office, Felony Division. Before he left with another lawyer from his office and started working for the other side. Now he was one of the most successful and sought after defense attorneys in the city. Remember when the State Senate President had been caught in a hotel room with a hooker and a mountain of cocaine? That was Jake on TV defending the Senator's character and reputation for a lifetime of public service, from the "Devious lies of his of his political opponents, and their lackeys in the media." Of course the Senator had still resigned in disgrace, but no one held that against Jake. He had been able to get the criminal charges dropped on the grounds that the search had taken place before the warrant had actually been signed.

Like I said, I knew he was only kidding about the "loan", but still driving home I kept replaying the entire night in my head, including the way that it had ended. I knew it was just the luck of the draw and logically, I had done nothing wrong. If I had to do it again, I would probably play my cards the same way as I had the first time. Seriously who folds Aces full of 10's? If you say you would have folded, you are probably either lying, or a fool... or your name is Phil Ivey. It wasn't like I had never lost before or that I couldn't afford the loss. Just that I am a pretty competitive guy and I hate to lose, period.

*****

II.] The Morning After

When I got home, it was after 1:00am, and Lynda, my girlfriend, who had recently moved in with me, had already gone to bed. I needed to get to bed too, but I knew there was no way I could sleep and I didn't want to wake her. I went to the fridge and got a beer, then logged onto my computer for a bit and checked the markets in Japan & Europe. Money never sleeps as they say, and since I couldn't sleep either, I figured I'd get a head start on my day. I thought at least work would take my mind off the poker game, but it didn't help, neither did the beer or the one after that. Sometime after 2:00am Lynda walked out of our bedroom wearing only a tiny pair of black lace panties. "Are you coming to bed tonight baby..." she asked, "or should I just make myself cum without you?"

Lynda and I had been together for over a year before she moved in, and our sex life had been great up until then, absolutely no complaints. However, after she moved in, it was like a switch had flipped in her brain. She was insatiable now, and constantly coming up with new ways to express her desire for me. Like the time I had come home from work after a long day to find her laying naked on the kitchen table 'wearing' nothing but a whipped-cream bikini & 3 well placed cherries. "Hi baby... dinner is on the table." was all she said.

After we made love for the third time, I had basically given up on getting any sleep before work. I took a shower, while she made breakfast. Then we made love again. After that, I needed another shower and she joined me for some steamy hot clean-up fun. By the time we were finished, I was already running late for work. Of course, I could always call in sick. I hadn't used a sick day in 3 years, but I have always believed that 'if you want to play, you've got to pay'. So I called my assistant, Jenny, and told her I wouldn't be in until 9:00. On the way out the door, I kissed Lynda again and as we pulled apart for the final time we both said "I almost forgot, I have something to tell you." at the exact same time. In the interest of chivalry I smiled and said, "You first." at the same time she did. "No you first baby." I insisted.

"Ok, I talked to Ellie last night. She is going to be in town for a few days, and I invited her to stay in the guest room this weekend. I hope you don't mind, I didn't want to bother you during the poker game."

"Sure hun, its fine... who is Ellie again?" I knew I should know the answer to that, but I still hadn't had any sleep.

"See I knew you only wanted me for my body! Men!" she snorted, shaking her head with a smile. "Ellie, my college roommate? She has an interview in the city on Monday, and she is gunna spend the weekend. By the way, you're taking us out dancing Saturday Night and you better be charming!" she giggled lightly "Now what did you want to tell me baby?"

"Sounds like fun hun." I lied, but what else was I supposed to do? Say no? "The guys are coming here for poker Monday night, so you'd better be charming baby." I teased her back.

"Well this should be interesting" she grinned "Ellie isn't flying out until Tuesday morning."

Interesting indeed, I thought while I drove to the office. The day was a blur, phone calls and meetings, interrupted by a 30 minute nap at my desk in lieu of a lunch. I had a meeting with my boss the VP of Commercial Loans in the afternoon. I guess I looked as ragged as I felt, because he asked me if I was feeling alright? I told him I was fine, of course. What else could I say?

"When was the last time you had a vacation?" he asked, as he was looking at my file. So I'm pretty sure he already knew the answer.

"It's been a while sir, but I'm fine, really." (I had gone to The Bahamas a few years back with Jake & Matt for a weekend of golf, scuba diving, and male bonding as we celebrated the opening of Jake's firm... but nothing since.) "I am actually planning to take Lynda on a Hawaiian cruise for her birthday, in February."

"Well, if you say so. However, I still think you need a break. Why don't you take Friday off, in fact, take Monday too?" He asked it like a question, but I could tell it was more of an order. He then slid an envelope across his desk to me. I picked up the envelope and went to stick it in my jacket pocket, when he stopped me. "Go ahead, open it." I did and then almost fell out of my chair when I saw what it was. "You've had a pretty good Quarter, my boy... but let's not mention this to anyone else." he gave a smile that told me once again it wasn't really a request. "Now get back to work, before I change my mind."

Actually I'd had better than a 'pretty good quarter'. I had single-handedly hit the lending goal for the entire department, which in turn, made my boss look damn good to his bosses. But I certainly wasn't expecting a $20,000 bonus, less taxes of course. Suddenly I wasn't so tired anymore. When I got back to my office, Jenny (my assistant) told me that Lynda had called, and was stuck at the Hospital where she worked. She wouldn't be home before 9:00 or maybe even 10:00, but she would try to call me later if she got a chance.

At 4:30 I called over to Jake's office and got his Para-legal, Grace "Hiya Sexy, is 'The Man' available?"

"Sorry Lover-Boy, he is in a deposition and has a client waiting."

I have known Grace for a long time, and we had even dated for a while. Well we had really just been more what you might call 'Friends with Benefits'. In fact, I was the one who had recommended that Jake hire her when he started the firm. We had never really broken up, just kinda drifted apart, then back together a few times. Then one day, after I hadn't heard from her for a few weeks, she called me and told me she wanted to introduce me someone. Her name was Sally and she was Grace's lover (That night was simply incredible, but that's another story altogether.) Since then Grace & I have remained friends, but the benefits had dried up.

"Ok, will you do me a favor hun... Please ask him to meet me at 'Louis' after work, you might also wanna tell him I'm buying, just to make sure he shows up." Of course I knew he would show up, 'Louis' is actually named Le Chateau Versailles, and it is the best steakhouse in town. ('Louis' [pronounced: Lew-ees] is just what we call it - as in King Louis XIV).

"He should be done by 6:00, Love... Say 6:30, just to be safe."

"Thanks Babe, I knew I could count on you."

Dinner was of course exquisite, 18 year old Scotch to start, followed by 2" thick bone-in rib-eye steaks, finished off with crème brule & fine cognac. We'd had come a long way since our days of stale pizza and Pabst Blue Ribbon, but aside from better clothes and credit-cards that were not maxed-out, neither of us had been 'changed' much by success... if that's what you want to call it.

"Well old buddy, I guess you don't need a loan after all... So tell me, Scotch, steaks, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"No, I don't need a loan, but you might wish I did though, I need a favor... Lynda's college roommate is coming into town this weekend, and they want to go out on Saturday night, I need you to be my wingman."

"Sorry bud, no can do. I'm going to Vegas this weekend. You remember my cousin Chris? He spent the summer with us while his folks were in Europe. Well he is getting married next week, and the bachelor party is Saturday, I'm flying out Thursday after work. I told you about this months ago, hell I even invited you. You are gunna have to fly solo on this one... But from what Grace has told me, that shouldn't be too much of a problem for you." He winked. "Oh, and you should probably scratch me from the game Monday night. I might be wiped out, but my flight gets in around 6:30 so if I have anything left in the tank, I'll call you from the airport."

*****

III.] A Long Couple of Days

When I got home, Lynda was in the shower, so I opened a bottle of wine, and jumped online for a quick check of the after-hours trading news. Nothing really interesting other than some large blocks of Harley-Davidson shares, trading on positive earnings news. I rode a Sportster in college and for a few years after, but wound up selling 'her', because I didn't have time to ride. I took the money I got for selling the ol'girl and invested the cash in 500 shares of Harley-Davidson stock. That had been a pretty good ride too, that after splits and re-invested dividends, had made me more than enough money to buy another bike... But being as I was now engaged to a nurse who worked in the Trauma/ICU department, another bike was not soon in my future. So I just continued to ride the stock, and bought more shares on the market dips.