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Poker:  Groovy Stew Style

I don’t know who said it, but it’s true what they say:  Poker takes minutes to learn, but a lifetime to master – for some that is. My friend Stewart must be the exception. His nickname has evolved as follows: Stewart to Stewie to Beef Stew to Groovy Stew.  The last one stuck mostly because he rips on the bass and acoustic guitar.   

Groovy, for short, would mainly watch the home poker games. He never really had an interest in playing, but after seeing how much money was won on a weekly basis he decided to take a stab at it. After a quick “what beats what” tutorial, he was pulling out his wallet ready to jump in.   

The game he decided to jump in was the $20 No Limit Texas Hold ‘Em Poker mini-tournament, paying only the top two finishers.  Good sized game to learn in.  He was actually doing well, up until his all-in hand that is.  The board was a rainbow of Ace, Jack, 3, Queen and Jack.  Bobby, holding King -10 off-suit check-calls till the river when he goes all in.  Groovy decides to call.  Wow, what a call.  What does he have?  4 Jacks? A boat? Aces?  A set of Queens?  A set of 8’s?  Maybe the K-10 too?

 Bobby says “I got a straight, what you got Groove?” 

 “I got a straight too,” Groovy says, ending the anticipation.

 “Chop, chop,” Says Bobby flipping over his straight

 Groovy Stew, still getting used to the lingo asks what chop-chop means, to which I explain that since they both have straights and obviously two different straights is not possible.   

“Wait my straight is better than his.  He got a 10-J-Q-K-A.  I got a J-Q-K-A-2.”  He says flipping over his King –Deuce.  Wow.  You could have heard a pin drop then the most obnoxious eruption of laughter I have ever heard from 10 drunken 20-somethings.  After looking at his blank stare and obvious anger at the fact that he was out $20 and did not know why, I had to explain that poker straights stop at the Ace.  It does not keep going past it. 

 Groovy has refused to play another game of Hold ‘Em with us.  Somehow I think when he starts seeing the money being won again, we’ll be able to get him back in.  Hopefully he will have a better teacher next time.  Wait, did I teach him that a flush is all the same suit and not just the same colors?  Oh well.