Poker Night 245: Don't King Me

We pondered for a long time what approach to take at The Red Barn tonight, to break our long final table slump. We leaned toward playing very tight, and pouncing when the moment was right. It wouldn't take long to see if that worked....

BLINDS: 25/50

IN THE POCKET: K-K

We're only about five hands in, and we haven't lost much from our starting stack of 6,000 chips. Sitting fourth in the betting order, we choose to hold on tight and limp. Most of the table plays this hand, with no one raising.

ON THE FLOP: Q-10-3

An overpair has us thinking happy thoughts -- so when someone across the table bets 200, we're pleased to call. Only a couple of players fold.

ON THE TURN: K

"We three Kings" is a very out-of-season song. But that's what we have, and we're ready move on it -- but hold on. A woman across from us bets 2,000. The board is an absolute "rainbow," so we think this is a classic "two pair versus trips" bet. So we don't hesitate to call. Another player calls, to go all-in with less than the bet.

ON THE RIVER: 5

The woman across from us doesn't slow down, betting 2,000 more. With "top trips," why should we worry? We call again.

"I've got a straight."

NOOOOOOOO! The woman shows A-J! The King which gave us confidence gave her something even better. Our dream of a big gain turns into a huge loss - down to 1,625 chips.

We never recovered from that moment -- as attempts to limp with A-8 and A-7 brought no pair on the flop and forced us to fold. A final desperation move with 9-8 of spades brought a pair of 9's, but other players made two pair to eliminate us. We miss the final table for the 14th live tournament in a row -- finishing sixth at a table of eight.

MINISTRY MOMENT: Our card protector tonight had several messages combined in one. The American Red Cross sent us this lapel pin several years ago, for giving two gallons of blood. It was a reminder that the Red Cross is accepting donations to help survivors of last week's devastating tornadoes in the Southern U.S.

But one man who noticed the pin thought of something more. "Blood - the gift of life." And it's a gift Jesus offered long ago for you. Do you know why? Offer a comment if you'd like to answer; we'll explain in an upcoming post.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 94 final tables in 245 nights (38.4%) - 15 cashes. Our last final table appearance was way back on February 10.