To last deep into a poker tournament, we're convinced you need a good amount of patience and a little bit of good timing. Both of them finally came together for us at The Red Barn tonight -- and the result was a third-place finish, our best result since an Atlanta game in February.
The Red Barn normally only pays the winner. But with three players remaining and a second tournament to follow, the Tournament Director (one of the three) made a nice proposal: split the $25 prize money three ways. He took $10; another man who said he was playing poker for only the fourth time took $10 -- and because our stack was the smallest, we'd wind up with $5.
So how did we survive for third place? After a big early win with pocket Aces and a couple of missed chases, we endured to the final table for this....
BLINDS: 1,000/2,000
IN THE POCKET: A-7 offsuit
Six players remain. The blinds will go up next hand. And we're second in order to bet. We figure this could be our last good hand, so we don't wait: we push all-in with 4,500 chips left. Three other players don't seem scared, and call.
ON THE FLOP: 7-4-3
Not an overpowering Ace, but top pair is a good start. The remaining players bet.
ON THE TURN: 7
"Sevens are wild," someone watching the table says. Indeed -- wildly popular for us! Betting between two players continues, and a woman to our right goes all-in as well.
"Seven's on my side," we say turning over our cards (and with apologies to a San Francisco television station). The woman who pushed only has A-6.
ON THE RIVER: K
Two pair is the best anyone else can do. We more than triple our stack, to more than 15,000 -- and we're thankful for the nice run to go on.
MINISTRY MOMENT: Several presented themselves to us tonight, including one exchange among several people.
"The poker gods are not with me," said the Tournament Director (well before he finished second).
"I wish the air conditioning god was with you," a woman responded. "It's hot in here."
"I believe there's only one God," we declare -- adding he's Lord over everything. "But maybe I'm just weird."
"I don't think you're weird," answered a Christian friend to our immediate left. He agrees with us about one God -- and the woman who brought up the air conditioning seemed to agree, although she didn't say much.
"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord," agrees Deuteronomy 6:4. Yet John 1:1 adds a critical extra detail: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Verse 14 indicates that Word became known to us as Jesus Christ. Is He your Lord, too?
UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 70 final tables in 171 nights (40.9%) - 12 cashes.
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