Poker Night 104: My Weekly Reader

"It's easy to play when your opponent knows how to play well." So a man to our right said during tonight's poker tournament at Lil Kim's Cove. We think that was a compliment -- but then again, maybe our plays are too obvious.

The comment came after we bet in response to a King on the river. Other players folded when we bet -- a good idea, since we had two pair. Someone else would take us on at a critical moment later....

BLINDS: 200/400

IN THE POCKET: A-K offsuit

We've played only a few hands, because the cards have been poor. But this is a bettor's hand, so we raise to 1,100. Two other players call.

ON THE FLOP: Q-Q-8

We're first in line, and we check. "Oh man...." a folded player across the table says in response to this. We later learn he knew we had "big slick." If the other two in the hand know, they aren't saying; they check as well.

ON THE TURN: 4

Still not quite it. We check, as do the others.

ON THE RIVER: K

That's it! "I'm all-in," we announce -- shoving 3,175 chips.

"Instant call," a man to our left says. Gulp. We fear bad news is coming. The third player folds.

"Kings and Queens with an Ace," we show with hope. It beats the opponent's K-10. He's out of the tournament a couple of hands later -- while we use that big gain to keep advancing. A break follows shortly after this hand, and a man marveled at how we went all-in with A-K while three clubs were showing on the board. (We never told him we didn't notice that.)

Our stack was never huge, but we wound up tied for fourth. A man took two of us out at the final table by making a full house.

MINISTRY MOMENT: Our "Jesus as your Savior" coin may be gaining a following. The man who liked it last week picked it up tonight, and showed it to a woman at the semifinal table. She liked the message as well. An order for a package of coins will be coming, after we attend an upcoming church convention. (That convention will limit our posts for the next week or so.)

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 42 final tables in 104 nights (40.4%) - 9 cashes.

YAHOO POKER TOTAL: $13,798 - unchanged. (No games played).

NBC SPORTS POKER TOTAL: Five-player sit-n-goes - 29-34-10-5-8. Full tournaments - 21 final tables in 176 games (11.9%), 2 cashes.