Poker Night #95: A Push Too Late

"To every thing there is a season.... a time to keep, and a time to cast away." (Ecc. 3:1,6, KJV)

At a poker table, good timing can make all the difference in the world. We think we had bad timing tonight, which cost us a final table finish at Lil Kim's Cove. The tournament was down to ten players, with five players at two tables, when the moment came....

BLINDS: 1,000/2,000

IN THE POCKET: A-J of diamonds

"Blinds up next hand!" had been called by the tournament director moments before the deal. We're second in line to bet, with 13,000 chips.

Ali Nejad on Poker After Dark says when you have fewer than ten big blinds in your chip stack, it's "push or fold" time. We don't really believe that -- so we split the difference and raise to 6,000. A man in the small blind calls.

ON THE FLOP: Q-8-5 offsuit (admittedly unsure on the smaller cards)

We miss the flop. Both of us check.

ON THE TURN: Q

We miss again. Both of us check again.

ON THE RIVER: 6.

The small blind now bets 5,000. With 7,000 left, we think it over -- then fold. It's simply too risky.

We think we hear the other player confirm later he had a Queen. If we had gone all-in with 13,000 in the first place (especially knowing the blinds were about to jump to 2,000/4,000), we might have chased him away.

With only 7,000 left, we felt forced to push next hand with A-7. Two players called, and a young man gained 8-8-8 to knock us out in tenth place. We walked home concluding we handled the A-J wrong.

MINISTRY MOMENT: A loud clap of thunder was heard inside Lil Kim's Cove during the semifinal tables. "God going bowling," a man to our left jokes.

To which we respond: "If God decided to strike, you'd better split." This play on words has some Biblical basis; consider how God punished rebellion by Israel in the wilderness.

One hand later, we're moved to the other semifinal table to balance things out. As we leave, we tell the man to our left: "Remember, God is the REAL kingpin." Even over Jesus Christ, according to I Corinthians 11:3.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 40 final tables in 95 nights (42.1%) - 9 cashes.