Poker Night 246: Cincos de Mayo

We noted this is the National Day of Prayer. But at Lil Kim's Cove tonight, the talk was more about Cinco de Mayo -- even though the music from the jukebox was country and rap. Our evening was doing a slow "sink-o," until this happened....

BLINDS: 200/400

IN THE POCKET: 5-6 of diamonds

It's the last hand before the one-hour break, and things don't look too good for us. Despite a "go-slow" approach in hopes of breaking our long final table slump, we begin the hand at 2,850 -- and we're in the big blind, so take 400 away from that. We're comforted when the table simply calls, so we can check.

ON THE FLOP: 5-5-9

"Cinco de Mayo!" the dealer points out. For one night only, a winning hand with 5-5 would earn a 5,000-chip bonus. We don't have that, but we have an obvious move to make. The small blind folded pre-flop, so we push.

"I'm all in -- 2,450."

A couple of players fold, but a young man across the table calls. So does "The Sheriff," as we call him from the badges on his hat. We're not sure what to make of these calls, since the table has been betting big most of the night.

ON THE TURN: 10

The board is practically a rainbow, so we're not really concerned about this. The two players who still can bet build a sidepot.

ON THE RIVER: As

Even with this big card, we're feeling pretty good -- unless one of these men has a 5. The young man makes us wonder, by spending a long time in the tank before making the first action. He finally bets about 3,000. The Sheriff calls.

"I've got two pair," the Sheriff says -- showing 9-7.

"I've got a five," we declare.

The young man says nothing, but turns over A-9.

"You win it all," the Sheriff concludes. Huh?

"How can he win it all, if I have a 5?" we ask. That man spent so much time thinking that the Sheriff forgot we were still in the hand. Indeed, we do take the main pot - and take a Mexican jump (without any beans) to 9,550, increased to 10,000 by the "color-up" of chips which follows.

That big win allowed us to play for awhile after the break -- but then big bets came around us as we held A-K. We went all-in, as did two other players. But the board didn't pair for us, and a man holding 10-10 eliminated two people. We finished tied for 20th -- but not completely unhappy about the day. (Keep reading to learn why.)

MINISTRY MOMENT: A young man wearing an old-school uniform of basketball legend Dominique Wilkins sat to our left, and couldn't believe some of the play he saw.

"Oh my freaking God," he exclaimed at one point.

"He's my hope for salvation," we quietly responded. And we're not the only ones....

Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me.... Say to my soul, "I am your salvation." -- Psalm 35:1, 3

King David apparently wrote this during a time when he was under some sort of attack. The salvation we seek today is different -- and eternal, which God promises believers ultimately will receive when Jesus comes back.

By the way, the faux "Human Highlight Reel" didn't respond to our one-line answer. What would your answer be?

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 94 final tables in 246 nights (38.2%) - 15 cashes. The slump reaches 15!

NATIONAL LEAGUE OF POKER TOTAL: Full tournaments - 135 point wins in 645 games (20.9%), 49 final tables, five cashes. UFC Knockout: 1 win in three games (33.3%).

Our latest money win came earlier in the day -- as we finished third in a tournament with 579 players, and at one point led the field by more than 80,000 chips! Third place earns us $10, while first and second would have gained us $50 and $20.

POKER STARS.NET: Pretend cash games - $44,916, up $119.