A Memorable Loss To Grandpa

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No poker strategy lessons today. I just wanted to share a fun story that I was reminded of recently. Hope you enjoy it.

I was raised as a young boy in Michigan, and that is where most of my relatives on my father’s side still live. Several years ago, I was visiting, and my dad flew in from Kansas City, where he was then living. Since I would be there as well, it seemed like a good time to visit family.

At the time, my grandpa was getting pretty old, and was somewhat frail. He was living with my Uncle Russ and Aunt Connie, who used to host a small $5 buy-in poker tournament about once per month with family and a neighbor or two. Since Dad and I were visiting, they decided to run one of those tournaments while we were there.

It started with nine players around the dining table, and eventually got down to just Grandpa and me, and I had a small lead as we began heads-up play. Having played with him for a couple of hours, I was confident I could “grind him down,” since he played a very tight game.

It occurred to me that it would mean a lot to him to win this, especially beating me heads-up at the end. And winning this small family event was clearly unimportant to me, as the money involved of any consequence. However, as soon as the thought occurred to me, I immediately dismissed it. Even in this situation, I just didn’t have it in me to lose on purpose. Maybe that speaks poorly of me, but I just couldn’t dump intentionally. Even to Grandpa.

We play a few hands, and then I raised preflop and hit two pair on a flop of A-Q-7. I bet the flop, Grandpa raised, I re-raised enough to put him all-in, and he called. Because he was so tight, I knew he had something, but I still figured that I had to be the favorite to win.

However, he had A-Q for a better two pair, and was actually the huge favorite. His hand held up, crippling my stack, and he busted me soon after, winning the tournament. You could clearly see how much it meant to him, and how happy and proud he was feeling.

I couldn’t have asked for a better finish. The best part was I knew Grandpa could truly say he bested me that night. I imagine he did just that, to anybody who would listen. In my mind, I can hear him telling somebody, “You know, my grandson is the world champion of poker, but when he played with us here at home, I beat him!” I hope he got to say that many, many times before he passed a few years later.

If you have a great family poker story of your own, I would love to hear it. Please post it online, tagging me @FossilMan and @CardPlayerMedia on Twitter when you do. Thanks!

Have fun, and Play Smart! ♠

Greg Raymer is the 2004 WSOP world champion, winner of numerous major titles, and has more than $7 million in earnings. He recently authored “FossilMan’s Winning Tournament Strategies,” available from D&B Publishing, Amazon, and other retailers. He is sponsored by Blue Shark Optics, YouStake, and ShareMyPair. To contact Greg please tweet at him using @FossilMan or go to www.FossilManPoker.com.