Cold deck story

The traditional meaning of cold deck is a pre-set deck slipped into the game set up in such a way that you will always get all your money in, then lose.

A classic is you getting AA, the other guy getting QQ, you don't play your hand aggressively until the flop of QQ7. Then all the money goes in, Turn A, River A.

The QQ will never be able to get away from his hand, he can't help but go busted.

Traditionally it meant you were cheated. Now days people use the term to mean that's just the way it happened, not that the deck was slipped by the dealer.

But one guy told me a story once that shows it is possible to get away from a cold deck.

It was a private game in Lake Charles, LA. No limit hold'em. Deep money. Big Rick hosted the game. The lineup was Big Rick, a bunch of Big Ricks cronies from the topless club he was a bouncer at, and the Kid that told me the story. The Kid was naive, but had money, his daddy owned a local retail business and the Kid ran it for him.

They were playing in the dining room of Big Rick's house, and in between hands the Kid went to the bathroom. The mirrored cabinet was open and the mirror was showing a cabinet in the dining room, down the hall. The kid could see a crony get a deck of cards out of the cabinet. Then Big Rick yells at him, "we're dealing you in, come on back, we'll wait, you're the big blind".

He comes back to pick up QQ. Big Rick limps, everybody else folds. The Kid checks. The flop is QQ7. The Kid checks. Big Rick goes all in for a few thousand dollars. The Kid folds.

Big Rick jumps up and yells, "You can't fold, what the hell are you doing?"

I don't know that the story is true. But I know Big Rick. I beleive the story.