Online Poker

I've taken a week's break from the Poker.com world to fly up to Bali and chill out on the beach, sipping on Bintang. (Indoneasia's Local Beer)

At least I had planned to spend time on the beach. As it turns out Semanyak's beaches on the west side of the island don't exactly look like they did in the brochure. The golden white sands have been replaced by dark, polluted mud, covered in garbage and a thousand beachside merchants that refuse to leave you alone unless you buy a 20c leather wristband or carved Hindu statue. So my one trip to the beach 50m from our room will probably be the last.

It's not all bad though, as the resort is great, although empty. My girlfriend and I are one of about 6 couples staying in a 150 room resort, so we have about 10 local hospitality workers following us wherever we go and they couldn't be friendlier. It's low season at the moment, but the tourist numbers are still significantly down since the bombings that occurred here, targeting westerners.

I went shopping yesterday to see if I could get any poker supplies for a few poolside sit & gos. Every shops sells fake watches, sunglasses and designer t-shirts by the truckload, but not a single pack of cards or poker chips were to be found!

But we hit the jackpot last night in the resort's 'sports bar'. I now know what it would be like to have your own bar. We spent a night as the only patrons in the sports bar, with 5 staff just to get us drinks and our own 5 piece covers band. The band was pretty awesome actually - the Balinese people really can sing and the guitarist did a wicked Santana impersonation.

In the corner of the bar, I found a checkers set and a pack of cards. We now had the makings of a Sit & Go. With the checkers as chips we started the first Balinese Heads Up Challenge. I think we got a few bad looks to start with as gambling of any any form is a definite no-no in Hindu culture (unless it's a 'religious' cock fight apparently).

I went to an early lead and holding a fush draw after the flop, had 'Mrs Kris' as the locals call her, down to just four checkers with an all-in decision. She called and turned over A5, needing a 3 to complete her wheel straight.

Of course the turn was a 3 and no spades came to fill my flush and it went downhill from there. I don't think I won another hand and my poker nemesis girlfriend took out the inaugral Balinese Heads Up Challenge. She says it was never in doubt.... I wish I had the same confidence with gutshot draws...

I sipped my Bintang and sang along to a few more songs from the only band I've ever seen sing in perfect key, but always with totally wrong lyrics. It's a load of fun hearing some of the lines they make up to fit into a song.

I'm going to go up to Kuta tonight for a Sunday session and see if I can find a few geezers (British tourists) to talk into a game of poker. I need to get my poker fix against someone I have a chance of beating.

Sing can can (no worries in Balinese)

Kris @ Poker.com