Going for Dough in Ocala

We took a two-day job-related road trip to Florida this week. And of course, any road trip there includes checking maps for ways to save money -- and even make money along the way at poker rooms.

Ocala Poker was practically right on the way to our destination. It's only three miles off Interstate 75, between Gainesville and Ocala. Even on a Tuesday afternoon, it was a busy place with several tables full and a waiting list for a few players.

The woman at the counter suggested the least expensive buy-ins would be for $1/$1 no-limit and $1/$2 limit. We chose the latter, and after a few minutes walked to the table with the minimum $20 to play.

Things didn't go well at first. Flush chases didn't work -- and even a 7-7 pocket pair with a 2-7-2 flop turned into a "bad beat" loser, as our full house was topped by a man with 9-9 who saw 2 on the turn for a "better boat."

We lost $20 in less than 30 minutes -- but we budgeted to spend $40. With that second $20 bill, things started happening....

BLINDS: $1 (only one blind)

IN THE POCKET: 5-5

A fairly good start for us. But the peril of small-stakes pot limit is that it's cheap and easy for anyone to play, even with wimpy hands. So most of the table jumps in.

ON THE FLOP: 5-7-8 (all diamonds, as we recall)

"Trips" on our trip give us hope -- but note there's flush and straight potential here. "River chasers" are more likely to get rewarded in this format, as you can't scare them off with huge bets. But we plunk down the minimum $1 bet, and a few players fold.

ON THE TURN: As

That seems harmless for us. The minimum bet is now $2, and we bet it. One man calls; the rest of the table gets out of the way.

ON THE RIVER: 5

Wow!!!! Now we quietly try to remember the rules at the Ocala Poker website. Is this a bonus that could pay for our entire trip? We confidently bet $2. A man across the table doesn't hesitate, raising to $4. But any full house he has is worthless, so we raise to $6. He raises to $8.

"I'll raise to ten," we say.

"You can't do that," veterans of this table say to Mr. Newby. Too bad - we have to settle for a call. (Of all the times to long for NO-limit play.)

"How much do quads pay here?" we ask.

"Nothing," someone grumbles.

"Because I have quads," we announce. We'll gain at least $14 for winning the pot, though -- as well as compliments for a nice hand.

"He had a straight flush draw," someone points out. Our opponent had a mid-range diamond (didn't see exactly which one). Had his straight flush come along with our 5 -- and it wouldn't have been the first time for us -- we would have split the room's building "Bad Beat Jackpot" which stood at more than $33,000. Now THAT would have paid for the trip, and a whole lot more!

Several pots came our way after that -- and we left Ocala Poker to go back on the road with $78. We gained 95 percent on our $40 investment, and whistled the hymn "Thank You, Lord" as we walked out the door.

If only we had quit there. We decided to squeeze in one more "lightning round" stop the next day, as we drove home from our destination.

We had to wait longer at dinnertime, and would up at a $1/$1 no-limit table. We didn't grasp that difference, and bet small right away with K-K. The board brought a pair of 5's, and two other players pushed us all in for our small $20 investment. They both had 5's, and a man looking like the twin brother of CNBC's Jim Cramer on the big screen in front of us took a big pot with an Ace kicker.

We lost $20 in one hand -- but quit then and there, settling for an $18 gain (45 percent) over two days. It didn't cover the entire cost of the trip (not even one tank of gas), but it was relatively satisfying.

MINISTRY MOMENT: We made sure to bring the "Jesus as Your Savior" coin for this moment. We showed it to the man who topped our full house on Day 1.

"Absolutely true. Absolutely true," he said of the message. He's a retired schoolteacher, who hopefully spends time being taught by the true Master.