Tuesday, October 26, 2010

October Senior Championship: Drip by Drip

We knew we'd be away at a church convention on the night of the National League of Poker September Senior Championship, so we didn't bother qualifying. But October's tournament found us back home, and resolved to do well....

:00 IN: We have A-10 right off the bat, and triple the bet to 90. But the flop is 9-7-6, and someone bets 140. We dare to call with overcards. The turn brings a Q, and we call a slowed-down bet of 30. Another 6 on the river brings a bet of 50. We hold our nose, call -- and take the pot with Ace high, for a quick gain of $525!

:02 IN: We have A-Q, change to a limp and call a doubled bet of 60. But a flop of 5-8-K brings two all-in bets. We "turn tail" and fold -- and are thankful when Kings take the pot.

:03 IN: Another Ace comes! We have A-2, and call a doubled bet again. The flop is 4-5-3 for a straight! Small bets ahead of us lead to our raising to 360. An opponent calls (all-in, we think) with 5-6. The turn is a 2, giving him a higher straight -- but thankfully the river is a 6! A straight on the table means a split pot.

:05 IN: We play 10-6 of clubs. The flop is 8-5-7, giving us an open-ended straight draw. After calling a minimum bet, the turn and river are 7-9. Our bet of 250 brings a fold, and we gain $630.

:07 IN: Strength again, with A-J! A player ahead of us raises to 200, so we call. The flop is J-8-8. We bet 100, putting an opponent all-in - and our two pair hold up for $654 more!

We doubled our starting stack in eight minutes -- but sadly, the tailspin began from there. Hopeful plays of Ace-small or suited cards brought failed flops and folds. We marveled at how 75 percent of our stack drained away, one hand at a time.

:51 IN: We have 9-10 in the small blind, having just folded A-2 to a raise. We're down to 508 chips, but dare to play this. The flop is an ugly 4-3-K. But the table checks. The turn is a 7, and more checking ensues. When the river is a 10, we cautiously bet 200 (about half our stack) - and our 10-9 tops an opponent's 10-6, for a $1,400 comeback!

But more draining followed with rising blinds, leading to another moment of truth....

1:02 IN: We have 7-7 in the big blind, and go for it -- pushing all-in with about 500 chips left. One player calls with A-8, so we're ahead.

ON THE FLOP: K-Q-10

Too high to be comfortable for us. A straight is waiting.

ON THE TURN: A

But top pair will do for our opponent.

ON THE RIVER: 6

We lose the race, and finish 169th out of 879 players.

MINISTRY MOMENT: When we made the $1,400 comeback, this short chat occurred....

Dealer: flopblogger wins Main Pot ($1400) with One pair, tens
Me: (whew) PTL
TYTIKI: amen
Me: Good to see believers here. :-)
TYTIKI: amen 2 that 2


This was refreshing -- because earlier in the day, we encountered a scoffer and a mocker at a play-money cash game. (More on that session in another post.) We actually expect skeptics when we play; that makes it more of a ministry, after all. But for "Tytiki" we'd say....

Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king. -- I Peter 2:17


Do you want to become part of this brotherhood? Two other New Testament-era ministers explained how....

They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved -- you and your household." -- Acts 16:31


Honor King Jesus, more than any king you're dealt at the table.

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