"Oh great, I have Bryan Devonshire to my left."

"Here I am?" I said.  The person speaking to me was a tall, skinny white guy, normal looking, mid 30's.  He's my new friend Jason. 

We're playing in the Orleans Open $300+40 Omaha 8 or better event.  I had played one Orleans Open event ever and just remember it being retardedly deep early and finishing quick.  But, I discovered this tourney last night, and it's a Thursday morning, so value is value right?  Plus, since I pretty much do better at O8 (and other mix) donkaments than anything else, might as well pad the personal roll a little bit this way instead of playing cash games. 

At 2am day of I text Jimmy Fricke and tell him about the tourney, he accepts and joins. 

So Jimmy's there before the start, we're chatting it up, we're on different tables, which is somewhat lucky because they only have THREE starting tables (thanks Matt Savage/Cal State)...  So, not sure how things happened, but Jimmy ended up being on a table that got broke before the tourney started, got handed a seat card, went to said seat, old dude walked up to the identical seat, got mad, yelled at floorman, and somehow Jimmy ended up sitting in the two seat on my table, directly to the left of my one seat. Poker TV

"Oh seriously?  I have Devo and Jimmy Fricke one and two to my left?"

I learned later that evening that Jason was playing in his biggest tournament of his life, is a big fan of online Poker Road, and knew very well who we were. 

So Jimmy and I commence chatting, I suggest a $100 last longer, he accepts, and then I say that he should lay me 90-100 since he's on my left.  He giggles, doesn't accept, then I start to count chips and think about structure. 

We have 10k, blinds are 25-50, playing 50-100. 

"Dude, we have one hundred big bets," I say.

"I mean, I've been known to spew, but I've never lost more than 70 big bets in any session of anything limit.

"Wanna go bowling?" I look at Jimmy.

"Yeah I'll go bowling."

I ask the Jason dude, but I don't know that he's Jason yet, "Wanna go bowling?"

"Yeah, I'll go when my wife gets here."

Ok.  We play like four hands, Jimmy and I spew in at least one each because, really, the hands we play now have zero relevance on our tournament finish, and I say, "I'm going to get my ball."

I leave the table, go to my trunk, get my ball sack, and return to my tournament table.

Play one hand, spew.

"Wanna go bowling?"

"I'll go bowling."

"Let's go."

Jimmy Fricke and I stand up from our tournament seats twenty minutes in, walk upstairs, and buy three games each of bowling.  We have a good time, I have two beers, and I bowl my 2nd best game ever in the 3rd, 209.  I'm not sure of my best game ever, it's somewhere between 214 and 219, but I was very drunk when I rolled it, texted Shelley immediately, and the next morning she was like, "Nice job bowling last night!"  I honestly had no idea what she was talking about.  So for best games remembered, this one was it.

We go downstairs, resume playing with 30 minutes left in level three, 45 minute levels, playing 75-150, 150-300.  I had 9050 in my stack, Jimmy had 9600. 

Less than two hours later I busted Jimmy, ship the $100, tyvm. 

I played very well the rest of the tourney until shortly after dinner where I punted a hand that I missed a pretty clear semi-bluff on the turn that cost me the pot and the tournament (course I still could have hit one of twenty-one outs on the river to scoop, but if I had bet the turn I scoop then).  So busto, call Shelley, and she's still at the dinner table with Misty, Jason's wife. 

Misty showed up a couple of hours before dinner, after Jimmy busted, and since Shelley was planning on meeting me for the dinner break, I asked them if they'd like to join, and they accepted.  We hung out there for a while, Jason showed up less than ten minutes after I busted, and then we decided to go bowling again. 

Three games and one pitcher turned into five and four, and a good time was had by all.  I love how poker brings people together in community that would otherwise never meet, yet create friendships through the most unusual of circumstances orbiting around the green felt. 

We're taking them to Capo's and Steel Panthers tomorrow night.  I'm stoked. 

Upcoming, Jimmy and I are headed to the Commerce for the last week of the Cal State Poker Championships, specifically the $1k HORSE, $2k NLHE, and $5k NLHE main event.  In other news, Jimmy, Courtney Harrington, and myself will be doing the B Team Special Show every Saturday morning live from the WSOP.  Cheers!

Peace and good luck,

Devo

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