I'm playing a Saturday weekend tournament at Foxwoods on a holiday weekend. Its a $300 tourney I think (could have been $400). I'm sitting in the 4 seat. There are three young guys to my right who I haven't played with before and on older guy to my left who I've played with at least 7 years. And by older I mean more or less my age.

I'm talking to the young guys and we're having fun. The guy to my left is periodically holding his head in his hands. Covering his ears. Turning his head to the left trying to cut me out of his life. This is his personal nightmare. Sitting next to me while I have found several players to talk to.

It gets worse for him as I order a cup of black coffee. It amps me up. I start talking a mile a minute. I'm not losing so that isn't shutting me up. I turn to the guy on my left and ask him if he has a headache, he looks like he is in a lot of pain. This isn't going to be his day.

Its a tactic you don't see a lot. Trying to drive a fellow player crazy with friendly chit chat. I have had an old guy shove all his chips in against me and say bitterly "I hope I lose" and then storm off when he gets felted with a smile on his face. Free at last.

Anyway, the guy on my left is slowly getting whittled down. His chips too. He has about 25 blinds when we get to the hand in question. The guy to my left goes all in on the flop and is immediately called by the guy to my immediate right who has flopped a set. The guy to my left has top pair and a gutshot. He is missing only a Queen for Broadway.

The turn comes up and its a small card like a 3. The Dealer burns a card and hesitates a slight second. And before I can stop myself I say "Turn over the Queen" to the Dealer. Who turns over a Queen. Not what I was expecting. The guy on my left starts laughing. The guy on my right is stunned for a second and says "that was not cool. What is wrong with you?" Something like that.

I immediately apologize. And the guy on my right is not mollified. He tells me what a jerk I am and I have to agree with him. I apologize a few more times and it does not go well.

Then we are all quiet for a minute or so and I start to think about why I would say that. And it comes to me slowly. I said it because in all likelihood (90% of the time) a Queen won't come. The guy to my right will feel relieved and will forget about any anger he might have because he will have a lot of chips. The guy on my left will lose but his last thought will be a pleasant one about me. Maybe I'm not such a bad guy after all.

So I decide to test this theory out loud. I tell them all my story about why I might have blurted out "Turn over the Queen" and the guy to my left says "you know that actually bought you a couple of extra hours of patience." The guy on my immediate right says it makes some kind of sense but doesn't excuse my behavior. So I apologize again. I make sure he knows I wasn't routing against him. And we all go quiet again.

Some time passes. We start talking again. The guy on my left joins in. We are having a good time and I am relieved. It could have been a hopeless disaster but somehow the guy on my right has rallied and is in good spirits. And then the guy on my left gets it in again with the same guy on my right.

Its a similar situation and by the river the only way for the guy on my left to win the hand is if, yes you guessed it, a Queen comes up to give him a K high straight. There are a few nervous glances my way. And its a tough choice. Its everything I can do not to blurt it out again. I mean could a Q really come up again? Is it worth it? Will I get physically punished?

So, the Dealer takes his time on the river. There is an air of tension at my end of the table. If I had been paying attention at all I would say there were at least 3 players trying not to stare at me but sneaking a peak in my direction.

"Turn over the Queen!" is shouted.

By the guy on my immediate right. Who is in the hand...

We are all laughing so hard that when the Queen fails to materialize the guy to my left is shaking his head, waving goodbye, and still laughing as he leaves the table.

I have to admit I was also laughing out loud. Did not see that coming.

Good story! Thanks for sharing and I hope you cashed.

Need more like you on the felt Mr. Rick. The fact that you could turn this "perceived snub" around and bring back the social aspect poker tournament says a lot about your character and the value you bring to the room you play in. Well done.

My head just exploded.

Couldn't you just play normally and not shout anything out?

Gold.

I wouldn't have apologized for calling for a card though. Is he mad that it came because you called for it? lol

Would have been way better if the dealer yelled out "QUEEN" and put it right in front of that guy, pointing at it with his finger as if to say "that is the river mother****er".

You should've said ... "Hey, he's been enjoying our conversation so much I thought we'd keep him around a bit longer." GL

Seems like you were deliberately trying to be a douchebag but then somehow accidentally made people happier. Congratulations?

I think the safest way to call out cards is to call out the exact card so even if a Queen does come but it's a different suit, you're let off the hook easier because you're still wrong. And on that 2% chance that you're right, well the attention you get is probably worth it for calling out the correct card.

Yeah, because the guy isn't going to give you a look when he loses all his money to the Qs instead of the Qd you called out.

I think he was taking advantage of common and acceptable gamesmanship by making conversation then did something he felt crossed a line and tried to rectify hard feelings it might have caused. Works for me.

The old guy should do himself a favor and bring earplugs to the table with him if chit chat annoys him. I mean, he was annoyed even before OP turned it up.

Maybe the hoodie and earbuds kids are on to something. ....