If you listen intently, you can hear the sound of big pot being pushed.
It’s a rustling sound, almost like that of leaves rustling in the wind.
And when one of the big pots is being pushed in your direction, it’s one of the sweetest sounds you will ever hear.
So there we were, holed up in one of the infamous Las Vegas poker caverns, grimly hanging on to a few meager stacks of chips. We had nearly been KO’d when holding Ah-Jh and all-in on a board of A-9-6-4, the spade jack miraculously landed on the river and we prevailed over someone playing A-9.
So we had chips and chair.
We waited and waited a few rounds before peering down to find two black deuces staring at us in late position. Obviously a small pocket pair isn’t a great starting hand — unless you can catch one more on the flop and make a set. That happens about once in every eight times. So while the odds aren’t great, if the price is right, it’s sometimes worth the risk.
We looked up to see a flop of Q-5-2. For pocket deuces, there are worse flops.
A kindly gray-haired lady bet into us, and we promptly raised with the intent of shutting out two eager gambler-types behind us. So much for our plans: They both called two bets cold. So did the kindly gray-haired lady.
A king fell on the turn, and we fired out again and got the same three callers. And on the river? Still another king, giving us deuces full on a board of Q-5-2-K-K. Obviously, there are other full houses out there. And even more painfully obvious, we have the lowest ranking full house. But it is a full house and it does beat two pair or someone who has backed into three kings.
We fired one last time, picking up two callers this time. And when we showed down the full house, the two callers quickly mucked.
Then came the rustling sound of the chips being pushed. The dealer sweeps up the chips and, sometimes using two hands, pushes them in our direction. Sometimes it takes two pushes. A three- or four-push pot indicates a very healthy-sized pot.
We watched a few laps and seriously thought of cashing out. We’d improved our chip position substantially, and the hour was late.
But how about one more lap? The game had gone to a half-kill and we posted the big blind. Several callers limped and we found Ad-2d in the pocket. We’d been looking at ace-suited all day long and never even whiffed a flush. But we completed the bet and were hopeful of a generous sprinkling of diamonds on the flop.
The dealer burned and turned and out tumbled 3-4-5 — but no diamonds. We’d flopped the low end of a straight but had to be wary of bigger straights. Few players with call with 6-2, but 7-6 is not at all uncommon.
From early position, we fired out, picking up more callers than Democratic faithful opposed to the current occupant of the White House. In middle position, a player who had been struggling, grabbed feverishly for chips and raised. Uh-oh. We stood up to look at her chip position, which was dwindling. Looked like a draw with a 6 in the pocket or possibly two pair like 5-4.
We called the raise and the pot grew with callers behind us.
The dealer burned and turned and a queen fell. Great card for a lowly straight, and we fired out a a big bet. There were plenty of callers, and it put the original raiser all-in.
We were rooting hard for another picture card that didn’t match the first one, but a 4 fell on the river and paired the board. Hmm.
But if the original raiser really did make something, she was all in and there was still a side pot. We fired one more shell and picked up two callers for a side pot. Both mucked when we tabled the straight.
The original raiser tossed her cards away, vanished from the table and the dealer began to push the pot, the chips making the rustling sound. It was a three- or four-push motion, a sweet sound and the perfect way to end an evening.
