It was 1875 in Dodge City...all the fast gunslingers had come to town for the annual fast draw competition...they were all there, Hickok, Billy the Kid, Johnny Ringo, Hardin, Wyatt,the RifleMan, Holiday, Luke Short, Annie Oakley, others... Any one of them on a good day could be the best for THAT day... Hickok had been on a bad run lately, but had been surviving, the Rifleman also had been getting some bad breaks but hanging on...The Kid had been on a tear, as had Ringo...the others so so. (NL cash game, all the top names had been playing for 3 hours straight, Doyle was down to 1/3 of his buy in, TJ was getting low stacked, meanwhile Stu was running hot as all his bluffs were working and he was hitting his flush draws like it was unreal. Helmuth was bullying the table also, and catching unbelievable sets on the flop. Ivey, Lederher, Annie Duke and MoneyMaker were holding their own)
Suddenly, everything started to click for Hickok, he outdrew Hardin and Short with both hands, putting them both out with his ivory handled Colts. The Rifleman fired off 6 quick shots with his 44-40 into the bunched up Oakley, Ringo and Wyatt, putting them out. The Kid and Holliday had it out and they were both so dam fast, they put each other out. (Doyle limped in with pocket 2’s and so there were 2 other people in the pot, w/ their AJ, AKo... flop came A22, Hellmuth went all in with his AJ, Lederher stared at him for 17 minutes then called with his AK and Doyle came on in...taking it all down...
Next hand,
TJ slowplayed his AA, Annie Duke raised 3X BB with her KcQc, Ivey called with his JJ,
MoneyMaker came in w/ his 45hearts...TJ called... flop came Ah, Jc, 2h... TJ immediately checks, Annie raises the pot w/ her strt draw, Ivey calls... MoneyMaker? ha, are you kidding? goes all in. TJ goes all in, Annie being short stacked now goes in, Ivey also. Turn 8c, ... River, the 3 of hearts?
No, MM’s luck ran out... the last Ace. TJ pulls it all in.
Hickok and the Rifleman KNEW they’d had a good run suddenly and didn’t want to push it, they left the competition and went to the Soiled Dove Saloon for libation and “other” recreation. All the others fought it out till Holiday and his luck came back and he once again survived and won it all...even though he WASN”T the best. (Doyle and TJ left the game, knowing that when you’ve been on a long drought of bad cards and bad beats and suddenly come back in a single session, it’s time to take a break and be glad you’re leaving even. They remembered how many times they’d come back and gotten a bit ahead, thought about quitting, but kept playing tired, only to lose it all back, then cursed themselves for having kept playing. Stu went on to win all the cash...only to self destruct a week later...Annie was just happy to go back to her real treasure, her kids. MoneyMaker quit his accounting job and started giving lessons on how to play the river.)
(Hickok’s gone for the Summer, may you all get the Holy Absolute Nuts at least 5 times while i’m gone... “En Vino Veritas”)
