Poker Day 566: Flop-House

We arrived at Hollywood Casino Indiana today for an unusual (for us) Tuesday midday tournament, then discovered we could pick up a nice consolation prize.

A snack shop across the hall from the casino was offering free dessert, to mark National Strawberry Ice Cream Day! This was a $4.95 value - and c'mon, how many casinos offer free ice cream? If only we could survive to the first break, and not have to wait around for the coupon….

BLINDS: 300/600

IN THE POCKET: K-10 of clubs

At this point, the ice cream coupon is secured. It's the middle of Hour 2, after we overcame an early setback with pocket Kings to close Hour 1 at 13,475 from a starting 12,000 chips. We tend to fold K-10 when blinds go up and things get risky. But these are suited, so we try them. Two other players at the table of eight call.

ON THE FLOP: 10-10-K

No clubs. But no problem! We build an instant full house! A man to our right plays first, and offers 1,200. This reminds us of our last tournament in Kansas City.

"I can do 12," we say matter-of-factly. The third man can't; he folds.

ON THE TURN: 7

We doubt this helped our opponent at all. This time he checks. We want him to stick around and keep feeding our beast, so we make a hesitant-looking bet of 1,500. He calls. We're glad about it.

ON THE RIVER: 3

We should have the TV "check-mark" at this point. Now our opponent is ready to bet again - but backs off a little, to 1,100.

"No," we say. "Not enough." Forgetting it's an ice cream day, we raise to 3,100. Will our opponent take the dare? After a moment.... he does!

Then we remember the famous words a man said to oust us at a Alabama poker night years ago. "I flopped it," we say. When we show the full house, our opponent folds without showing.

"Was it that ice cream?" another player asks.

"I haven't eaten the ice cream yet," we answer with a smile.

Thankfully, the ice cream had to wait a long while. Big timely cards kept coming our way - never pocket Aces, but several winning A-K's and a couple of successful flushes. We ballooned to 36,200 after two hours of play. then reached the final table at 42,200.

Marvelous moments kept happening there. Even though we fell to 32,200 at the three-hour break, we won a sidepot with A-10 and made a big flush with 6 of hearts. Then we had three hands of 3-3 4-4 and 3-3! The first pocket pair was blown up for a full house on the river, but the other two led to double-ups - and we survived to the final three, to make the money!

After a few hands of chip shuffling, we asked a question. "Is it time to say 'chop'?" The other two men agreed to that. We wound up with $360 - seven times the $70 buy-in! We were thankful for God's guidance in making money. And since it's January, we were able to drive the free ice cream all the way home to enjoy later.

MINISTRY MOMENT: When we turned over 6-6 at the final table, one talkative opponent declared: "Satan's hand."

"Actually, that's three sixes," we said in correction.

"You'll need three sixes," he predicted in response.

That man turned out to be wrong, as the 6 of hearts led us to a winning flush. But this is a reminder that some people don't know the Bible as well as they think. Let's review his reference....

Wisdom is needed here. Let the one with understanding solve the meaning of the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. His number is 666. - Revelation 13:18 (NLT)

Many people have made guesses about what 666 means. We will not do that here. But the prophecies of Revelation indicate the future "beast-man" will require everyone to worship it, and receive some kind of mark for trading (verses 15-17). But believers in the true God should do something else....

….This means that God's holy people must endure persecution patiently and remain faithful. - Revelation 13:10 (NLT)

You don't have to wait for an end-time beast to come to do these things, you know. The best time to start practicing these traits is now:

If we endure hardship, we will reign with him. If we deny him, he will deny us. If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is. - II Timothy 2:12-13 (NLT)

By the way, there's one other 666 in the Bible - the size of a Israelite family (Ezra 2:13). We didn't find any 66's in the text. But there's one big overarching one - as the standard Bible has 66 books! Can you name all of them? And even more importantly, have you read through all of them?

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 214 final tables in 566 games (37.8%) - 46 cashes. Since we crossed the 500-tournament mark in April 2017, we've had 31 finals in 66 tries.... not far from 50 percent!

The Proper Answer

Is there a "right way" and a "wrong way" to play poker?

Lots of people have different approaches. But we ask this in the wake of Monday night's tournament, when a man suggested we don't know how to play. We'd bet on the flop, after a man went all-in pre-flop and a sidepot developed for three other players.

We'll let you comment on whether our approach was correct. But as that man grumbled, we chose to say nothing in response. And we think that "answer" was the proper one....

But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. - Matthew 5:39

These are famous words of Jesus Christ - but it's very hard advice to follow. Some poker players love to engage in trash talk, perhaps to throw others off their game. It's only natural to join the, uh,  discussion. And to be honest, Jesus sometimes did:

..."We are not illegitimate children," they protested. "The only Father we have is God himself." Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me.... You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire"... - John 8:41-44

Calling someone a child of the devil doesn't seem very nice, does it? Yet Jesus did it to "Jews who had believed him" (verse 31) - and by the time the conversation ended, that group wanted to stone Him (verse 59).

But at the end of His earthly life, Jesus practiced the advice of Matthew 5 - and in the process, fulfilled an Old Testament prophecy:

...He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth. - Acts 8:32

Perhaps better put, to borrow from an old hymn, "He never said a mumblin' word."

Jesus set an amazing example of humility in His death, as he submitted to the torture of His accusers. May we all try to follow that example - in a poker room, and in all walks of life.

The Biggest Loser

When you hear about big-name poker players, the news is usually impressive and positive. Player A made a final table. Player B walked away with hundreds of thousands of dollars.

But then there's Player C - and we offer Dan Cates as an example of that. He calls himself on Twitter "one of the most successful online poker players of all time." Yet he made a poker news website this week because of how much money he's lost - nearly $500,000 since the start of the year on PokerStars. (He clearly plays for money on that site; we only use play money, and don't even buy extra chips.)

Perhaps more surprisingly, Cates seemed to call attention to his own losing streak by writing on Twitter:

for someone who has played games all over the world and on many stakes, I have to say @PokerStars has the WORST games by FAR (toughest)

The fate of Cates is a reminder of why some people warn against playing poker. in the first place. When someone when money, especially in a cash game, someone has to lose money. But believe it or not, sometimes losing a lot can be a good thing:

But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. - Philippians 3:7

The Biblical apostle Paul's resume didn't have poker tournaments on it. But for his day and his religious circle, it was impressive....

If anyone else thinks he has reason to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee.... as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.... - Philippians 3:4-6

In other words, he was a Jew's Jew. But there's one item on the resume we left out:

...as for zeal, persecuting the church... - Philippians 3:6

And that was the problem. Paul (originally called Saul) thought he knew what God was doing, and thought the new "church" movement after the resurrection of Jesus Christ couldn't possibly be it. But God proved him wrong by striking him down.

"Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked. "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he replied. "Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do." - Acts 9:5-6

Saul left that moment temporarily blind, and had to be led to Damascus. But once there, he was healed and began preaching Jesus "is the son of God" (Acts 9:18, 20). The success he had doing that led him to write later:

What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I might gain Christ.... - Philippians 3:8

Maybe you're like Paul, or like poker's "Jungleman Dan.". You've lost a lot, at the table or in life. Maybe God is trying to tell you something. Ask Him in prayer to show you what that message is. Ask for His wisdom, which - pardon any offense - is far better than yours (I Corinthians 1:25). Serving God is the real path to victory, in this life and beyond.

Luck or Something Like It III

We've been going over an article our church pastor wrote several years ago about whether you should really give "luck" any credit for things going well or badly - in poker or anywhere else.

In our first post on this topic, we noted God provides "blessings" as opposed to luck. Now for a third time, we point to this part of the pastor's article:

When blessings come upon an individual, they typically are linked to physical and/or spiritual obedience and good works. God plainly tells us that blessings are a result of our actions.

But here's a problem with that statement. God not only provides blessings to whomever He pleases - He expects you to provide blessings, too. Here's proof:

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. - Romans 12:14

How often do you see that in a poker room? Especially in some tense cash game?

It's easy to trash-talk your opponent when he hits a two-out river card to win a big pot or stay alive in a tournament. Yet the proper approach in God's sight is the approach that isn't natural. It means biting your tongue, if that's what it takes.

But I tell you, Do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God's throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool.... - Matthew 5:34-35

Swearing and foul language can happen often at a poker table. God wants your response to borrow from a recent hit country song - be "humble and kind." (Which strangely comes from an album with an old-school "four-letter word" in its title.)

You have heard that it was said, "Love your neighbor and hate your enemy." But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.... - Matthew 5:43-44

Jesus Christ offered this advice. Then He lived it....

When they hurled their threats at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. - I Peter 2:23

Can you do that - not only keeping quiet and calm during a poker tournament, but even offering blessings to opponents along the way? It might not be easy. But with the help of God's Holy Spirit, it can be done.

So we close by borrowing from a late preacher whose voice is still heard on radio. Instead of counting on something lucky to happen, "walk with the King today.... and be a blessing."

Do You Love Me?

At its base, some would say poker is a selfish game. The object in a tournament is to gain everyone else's chips. As long as we remember it's only a game, we think there can be some balance there.

But how self-serving should we be? We asked in a recent post if it's wrong to love yourself. The greatest example of love we know had something to say about that - perhaps in a context you hadn't considered before:

So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. - Matthew 7:12

Jesus is reciting what some call the "golden rule." We normally think about the outgoing aspect of that, and we absolutely should. But how would you "have" others "do" things "to you?"

A masochist might want to be insulted and shamed at a poker table. We've heard that way of thinking called a "martyrdom complex" - and at one point Jesus seems to encourage that approach:

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. - Matthew 5:10

But Jesus also said He overcame the world (John 16:33) - and He wants us to have the hope of overcoming as well.

Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. - Psalm 42:5

One frequently-quoted Bible promise is that God will complete the work He's begun in you (Philippians 1:6). If you love God for what He's doing in you, that can be the proper kind of "self-love" - and one you can share with other people.

Mark-A-Lot

The World Series of Poker website is calling it "one of the great feats in poker history."  And it does NOT involve one of the game's big-name celebrities.

Mark Newhouse sits down at the Main Event final table Monday night for the second year in a row.  Rising to the top from among 6,000 or more players once is outstanding.  Doing it twice ought to get Newhouse considered one of the best poker players in the world.

But in an interview with WSOP.com, Newhouse wasn't ready for that sort of title:

I don’t want to say that about myself. Yeah, I know it’s amazing, but I’m never going to say "greatest" about anything with my name in it.

Compared with the Hellmuths and Iveys of the world, this sounds different - a poker player showing a measure of humility.  Perhaps it comes from Newhouse finishing ninth out of the "November Nine" last year.  But it ought to come from a proper understanding of our own humanness.  Consider one famous example of this:

For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am.... - I Corinthians 15:9-10

Who wrote these words? The apostle Paul, whose name is on at least 13 books of the New Testament. (The authorship of Hebrews is open to debate.)  He realized what sort of man he'd been, under a different name....

Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples.... - Acts 9:1

But later in that chapter, Saul was struck down and made blind.  Jesus Christ could have killed him, to defend His church.  Instead, Jesus humbled Saul to walk in a different direction:

But the Lord said to Ananias, "Go!  This man is my chose instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel.  I will show him how much he must suffer for my name."  - Acts 9:15-16

As the apostle Paul, he went through a lot - including several floggings (Acts 16:23).  Yet he kept humbly doing what God had directed him to do.

If you consider yourself God's gift to the poker table, we have a few suggestions.  1) Go to Las Vegas and prove it at the WSOP level.  2) If you don't (and odds are you won't), admit you're not -- then find ways to serve others in a humble way.  As Jesus put it:

For he who is least among you all - he is the greatest. - Luke 9:48b

Getting Ned-led

In years gone by, scoffers might have called a Christian a "holy Joe."  But in the 21st century, the name on the label has changed.

"Hey, it's Ned Flanders," a man said when he spotted us at a live poker tournament the other night.

Come to think of it, we look a little bit like that character from The Simpsons.  But we think that man called us by that name because of the character's attributes.  Ned Flanders is the "extremely religious next-door neighbor."  Perhaps that fits us, too -- as our longtime Pastor preached against The Simpsons within two weeks of its premiere, so we hardly ever watch it.

Considering a lot of local poker is played at bars and nightclubs, the thought of a Christian stepping inside and sitting at the table might seem odd to some people.  But we think part of the duty of a believer is to live your faith so that people can see it:

In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. - Matthew 5:16

When Jesus said these words, He probably realized not everyone around Him would praise God for what He did.  In fact, the Lord wound up crucified -- and several early apostles were put to death for their faith as well.  (Review Acts 7 for one example.)  Yet the Bible advises....

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. - James 1:2-3

....But he who stands firm to the end will be saved. - Matthew 24:13

Compared to the torture some believers have faced over the last 2,000 years, we realize being called the name of a cartoon character is incredibly tame.  So we're dealing with it.  And we're ready to face even worse things, should they come.

But we'd close with this question: since the Bible warns even worse times are coming for the world as a whole, are you ready to face them?  Without God and Jesus Christ in your life, can you really count on clinging to anything?

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.... where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf.  He has become a high priest forever.... - Hebrews 6:19-20

Twelve a Clock High

One of this year's Grand Slam tennis finals took almost six hours to finish.  Playoff games in hockey have gone to four overtimes, and lasted nearly as long.  But those events seem tame, compared to what the three finalists in the World Series of Poker Main Event went through this past week.

Greg Merson won the championship after a session which lasted 11 hours, 59 minutes -- practically from dusk to dawn!  Admittedly, a WSOP event doesn't have the physical action of a tennis match or hockey game.  But think about it: could you do your job at a top level for 12 hours, through more than 250 transactions (or "hands" in poker)?  And lest we forget, Merson had to outlast nearly 6,600 other players in preliminaries last July.

Merson credited long cash games for preparing him for the final-table marathon.  He learned a trait all of us could use -- endurance.  It's not simply for poker players, athletes and hard-working laborers:

And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.  But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. - Matthew 24:12-13 (KJV)

Yes, Jesus Christ had something to say about endurance.  Believers must endure, if they want to achieve salvation.  What sort of things must they face?  Let's note one example....

We work hard with our own hands.  When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly.... - I Corinthians 4:12-13

Christians around the world face a wide range of persecution today.  It could be as relatively tame as name-calling in a U.S. school lunchroom -- or as serious as churches being attacked in Africa and Asia.  Yet they're told to endure.

Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons.  For what son is not disciplined by his father? - Hebrews 12:7

Tough times can teach us the importance of being obedient to God, and following his Biblical instructions in our lives.  In doing that, Christians follow the best example of all....

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. - Hebrews 12:2

Jesus endured to the end of His physical life, then was resurrected to the eternal life He had in ages past.  Believers can have the same thing -- a prize even better than Greg Merson won:

....For riches do not endure forever, and a crown is not secure for all generations.... but he who trusts in the Lord will prosper - Proverbs 27:24, 28:25

Brat-Worst

Several online poker sites are free for entry and play.  So they're open virtually to all comers -- and that means all kinds of attitudes as well.  Check this chat from a Saturday night National League of Poker tournament:


Me:  Table toast to
Me:  Neil Armstrong.
Dealer:  radley666 wins Main Pot ($2,440) with Flush, jack high
radley666:  go eat a midgets dinglrburys *** neil
Dealer:  saintsman wins Main Pot ($2,120) with Two pair, kings and queens
Me:  No respect for
Me:  the dead, eh?
radley666:  what u gonna cry?? 
Me:  No.
Dealer:  flopblogger wins Main Pot ($210)
radley666:  u sick dirty sex predator

At this point, we were moved to a different table and had no further contact with Radley.  So there's an obvious question here: why did our effort to mark the death of the first person to walk on the moon bring such an ugly response -- including name-calling toward us?

We'd have to read the mind of Radley to be sure of the answer.  Maybe he was drunk.  Maybe he's a teenager going through a rebellious stage of life.  Maybe he was trying to "psych out" the rest of the table by matching bully tactics with tough words.  (Radley folded, in the hand we won.)

But people like Radley can be anywhere -- on your job, in your school, or driving aggressively around you on the highway.  The Bible advises us not to be surprised by this.

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.  People will be lovers of themselves.... boastful, proud, abusive.... ungrateful, unholy, without love.... slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited.... Have nothing to do with them. - II Timothy 3:1-5

The list here actually is longer, but we selected the traits which seem to refer most closely to Radley.

The advice to "have nothing to do with them" sounds logical, but it's almost too easy. What if conditions bring you face-to-face (in this case virtually) with such people?  Paul goes on to assure believers....

But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone. - II Timothy 3:9

People with attitudes such as Radley may think they will - but they simply haven't learned the truth of life yet.

So how do you respond to this sort of potty-mouthed player?  We can think of a couple of Biblical approaches, which are easy to combine.

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. - Proverbs 15:1

Speaking softly admittedly is easier to accomplish in person.  The only real "volume control" in an online chat is in typing ALL-CAPS (indicative of shouting) or lower-case.

You have heard that it was said, "Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth."  But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. - Matthew 5:38-39

This was the approach Jesus took all the way to His crucifixion, as He was abused and mocked by soldiers. It goes against our nature, but it's what the Lord advises us to do.

When the tournament was over and it was bedtime, we did something we're not sure Radley would appreciate.  We prayed for him -- asking God to teach him whatever lessons he needs to learn, about whatever he's going through.  That's following Biblical guidance as well....

But I tell you: Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.... - Matthew 5:44-45

If more people did that, we might see a fulfillment of Neil Armstrong's famous words: "One giant leap for mankind."

Poker Night 243: A Time to Panic

We changed our poker schedule this week due to a special Holy Day, and made a Tuesday night visit to The Red Barn. We won two early pots to jump above 9,000 chips. And then....

BLINDS: 100/200

IN THE POCKET: 7-8 of diamonds

We sit in the Small Blind, and have lost a couple of mid-sized pots to drop to about 6,400. We limp in with suited connectors, but the Big Blind raises to 500. We join about three other players in calling.

ON THE FLOP: 6s-9h-10h

Now that's a nice order of cards -- a straight on the flop! We decide to slow-play to maximize our gains, and the Big Blind bets 300. After other players call, we're tempted for a moment to go all-in. After all, two hearts are showing and someone could be on a flush draw. But instead, we make a modest raise of 1,000. Only the Big Blind calls.

ON THE TURN: Ah

Uh-oh -- not the suit we want to see. We cautiously check, and the Big Blind bets 2,000.

"Can you beat a flush?" he asks us. "If you can't beat a flush, don't bother calling."

We've heard trash talk like this before, and we conclude he's trying to chase us off the pot. We call 2,000, leaving 2,250 in our stack.

ON THE RIVER: 5h

Oh no!!! Now four hearts are showing, and our straight looks like a dead-end street. We check again. Our opponent bets 2,000 again.

"OK, I'll fold my straight," we say showing our cards.

"I had the flush," the pot-winner says. But he never shows the cards to prove it, and he asks moments later why we called his pre-flop raise in the first place. (Our "suited connectors" explanation seemed to satisfy him.)

So did we completely misplay this hand? We're not really sure. Other players at The Red Barn tend to buy more bar items than we do, giving them an automatic chip advantage due to bonuses. So our opponent had more chips to play with than we did.

But if we had pushed for 5,250 more chips after seeing the straight on the flop, the table probably would have presumed we had a huge hand and folded on the spot -- or someone like Mr. Big Blind with a huge stack might have decided to take us on, and in the process potentially take us out. What would you do?

We never recovered from that big loss -- eventually going all-in with A-9 after the one-hour break. A woman called with 3-2. So what happened? The flop was 3-3-2, of course. She made a full house, and sent us home shaking our head -- sixth place out of six at our table.

MINISTRY MOMENT: "That looks nice," the Tournament Director said after looking at our "Lord's Supper" card protector. He hadn't seen it before. Here's a quote from that famous supper which you may have overlooked....

They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God. - John 16:2

When we lost that big straight to the presumed flush, the pot winner and another man exchanged a "knuckled bump" across the table -- right in front of our nose. No one ever seems to offer that to us. The paranoid/persecuted thinker might conclude from that the other players are out to get us. It's not "killing," but a targeted elimination.

It's the nature of a poker game, of course. The only way you win is by eliminating everyone else. But why might we be on a "hit list" of sorts?

They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. - John 16:3

By comparison, a much more Christ-like attitude was displayed by the woman who hit that unlikely full house to eliminate us. "I still love you," she said as she shook our hand -- even though she offered it a touch early on the turn, when running Aces didn't come.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 94 final tables in 243 nights (38.7%) - 15 cashes. The slump stands at 12....

NLOP Championship 3: Saves and a Slap

We haven't mentioned the fact that we qualified for our second Sunday night championship in a row at National League of Poker. A second-place and a fourth-place on consecutive days gave us a chance at the $500 top prize. So here's what happened....

:02 IN: We have 7-8. The flop of 5-Q-8 gives us middle pair. Then the turn is a 4. We call a $200 bet, hoping for a big river -- but it's a 10. We take a big loss, and fold.

:12 IN: Just in time after another big loss shrinks our stack to 320, we're dealt pocket Aces! We push pre-flop, and survive a caller to rebuild. But at that moment, this chat exchange occurs:

Dealer: flopblogger wins Main Pot ($730) with Three of a kind, aces
Me: PTL
Drewster: SMD
Me: Uh oh , stumped me with that one

We checked an acronym web site later, and came to the conclusion this was not a polite compliment by our opponent. In fact, it spelled out something vulgar. But people who "praise the Lord" really shouldn't be surprised by such things.

"In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted," Paul writes in II Timothy 3:12. While verse 13 mentions "evil men," we have no way of knowing if this opponent is evil, good or something in between.

"If they persecuted me," Jesus said in John 15:20, "they will persecute you also." Compared with what Christians in some terror-laden countries face, a vulgar acronym online is microscopic.

Whatever the level of challenge, pray to God for patience to endure it -- and remember other words of Jesus: "He who stands firm to the end will be saved" (Matthew 24:13).

Now back to the game....

:22 IN: We have A-K of spades in the big blind, and raise to 300. The flop is Js-9s-A. Then 8s on the river gives us a nut flush, and we're up to 1,360.

:46 IN: With blinds climbing, we have a lowly 10s-2c in the big blind. But the flop brings two more 10's! We push, an opponent folds and we gain a $1,085 pot.

:55 IN: Another big blind brings us Q-5 of diamonds. The flop is Q-4-4, and we go all-in. An opponent calls, but only had pocket Jacks. After a 2-8 appear, we hit a high of $2,445.

But then came high blinds and no help from the deck. A-9 led to two Kings on the flop, and we had to fold a big bet. K-J of spades brought an all-in dare by another player pre-flop, and we folded fearing the worst. (Yup, the opponent had A-A.)

1:12 IN: With only 420 chips left, we're forced to go all-in with 9s-3d. The flop is A-6-2. Then come 6-7, and we're topped. Out of 1,412 players, we finished a respectable #230.