Poker Night #44: One for the Roadhouse

We went to a Wednesday night poker tournament for the first time tonight, and we did well. But the turnout was smaller than we expected -- as we expected laid-off Bill Heard employees to show up, trying to win some money. (See our other blog Thursday for more on that.)

We played at a rock-and-roll bar called The Roadhouse, at 11th and Broadway. Modern rock and hip-hop tunes played in the background all evening long, as thankfully no band was on stage to distract us. (Or at least me.) A lone TV behind the bar showed the ESPN baseball game.

Reflecting the bar setting, most of the players were younger than I -- and the crowd was almost completely different from Lil' Kim's Cove on Thursday nights. Still smoking, drinking and cursing, sadly -- but different.

So how did we do? Very well, actually. We finished fifth at the final table. And we could have kept playing awhile, except for this hand (memory admittedly a bit fuzzy):

BLINDS: 2,000/4,000

IN THE POCKET: Ah Ac.

I'm on the button with about 34,000 in chips. I raise 10,000 when the play comes to me. Most players fold, but a woman an opponent has labeled a "cheerleader" calls me.

ON THE FLOP: Three high cards -- two of them hearts, the other Kd.

The play checks to me, and I bet 15,000. The cheerleader calls.

ON THE TURN: A smaller card (I forget which one).

The cheerleader bets, and I go all-in with my remaining 9,000. She calls me, with no Aces. I'm feeling good until....

ON THE RIVER: Kh.

I have top two paid. But the cheerleader had two smaller hearts in her hand, so she hit a flush. Ouch.

Should I have gone all-in on the flop? I didn't because I wanted to bring more chips my way, instead of scaring everyone off the pot (as I did once before with the big blind at this final table).

MINISTRY MOMENT: "I haven't lied about my hand all night," a man next to me at the semifinal table said a couple of times.

I praised him for his ethics, then reworded a bit what he said. "You should not bear false witness against your neighbor." (Ex. 20:16) I don't think he really caught what I said.

UPDATED SCOREBOARD: 21 final tables in 44 nights (47.7%) - 6 cashes.

YAHOO POKER TOTAL: RECORD HIGH of $7656 (Up $212, all from poker) -- and since "We Wuz Robbed" (post below), the gain in six days actually is $512.