Re: MIT game. I'm just more or less CTRL-C, CTRL-V'ing this thing.
Year is 2004. I'm at a team building conference near Boston and buddy up with an MIT alumn. We're stuck in a hotel for a week (regardless if you live close or not they required you had to stay at the hotel). My new friend mentions that he might go back to Cambridge where he lives to hit up "THE" MIT game that plays every Thursday. Its a single table game that rotates 40+ people in and out of the house throughout the night. Great open bar, food, every energy drink you could think of, all on the house. No rake. What could go wrong?
So I play for about 2 hours. I don't see any real talent here poker wise (all rec players at the height of the donk era) and basically the people are half cool and the other half are social freaks. As a software engineer and as an arcade game restorer, I've interacted with many MIT folks over the years in person and the social element tends to be hit or miss.
One of the freaks is wearing this bright purple ladies shirt and has white dyed hair that is a super fro'd up. Unlike everyone else, he had not been talking... at all.. which made his 70's David Bowie look more freakish. I flop the nut straight and we both check (hand analysis is not important here). The turn came a low brick (2nd heart on the board). I look down at about $250 and he has about $40. I go all in, largely because I needed to pee and get a beer. He thinks, thinks, thinks, thinks.....breaks out his wallet (Wat?) and puts down $250. Dealer deals the river as the money is slapped on the table. He called the turn with 6 high and gets a flush on the river. No redraw except for the flush. The breaking out of cash, dealer putting out the river card seemed to happen in a single moment.
Now, this was bad and I was all like "WTF about table stakes?". They say there are no table stakes. No table stakes?
I'm steaming. HARD. I go to rebuy and then they throw down this other jewel. IF YOU GO ALL IN AND YOU LOSE, YOU MAY NOT BUY BACK INTO THE GAME. At this point some 14 year old to my right leans into me and says in low voice "Its a good rule. It protects everyone". WAT???? If you've heard "It protects everyone" among the NH/MA degens, this is the origin.
Anyone who knows me knows I have a big mouth. I start a tirade about how ridiculously stoopid these rules are and everyone just sorta avoids me. I was with my friend and had to sit there for 2 hours and not play, at which point the game had changed up players completely so I begged to rebuy in. They eventually complied...I started playing maniac and the game ended 10 minutes later (due to me I'm sure). Worst...game...ever.
Oh. Did I happen to mention the game was 1/2 and everyone used QUARTERS! Actual Quarters! Some people used bills but most used QUARTERS! No chips. Not even dice chips. I was one of very few people using bills. They probably use quarters because that protects people too.
EDIT: I should emphasize more about the quarters. It slowed the game so bad. People would show up with wrapped quarters or bags of quarters and start constructing these 1 or 2 dollar piles in front of them. When calls or raises were made, splashing the pot was standard so any idiot could easily short the pot. The table was just a big wood table, so it had the appearance of kids counting their piggy bank and getting ready to hit the bank for bills. Blech.
