We played well enough to win several pots in the first 90 minutes. But then came a big moment of drama....
BLINDS: 2,000/4,000
IN THE POCKET: 7-7
Three full tables started the tournament; two tables of six now remain. We have 22,500 chips, but we realize a notorious big bettor is sitting across from us. So we call, prepared to fold to a massive raise. Instead, that bettor raises "only" 4,000 more, to double the blind. We call, as does a man to our left.
ON THE FLOP: 10-6-2
This looks uninspiring. But the big bettor lives up to his reputation. "Seventeen-five," he declares -- giving us something to think about, since we only have 13,500 left. Our instinct tells us he did not make a pair, even with the 10. This continuation bet smells a lot like a "go-away bet" with two big cards. Since we actually have a pair, we decide to go for it.
"I'm all-in," we say. The man at our left does as well.
ON THE TURN: 8
As best we recall, the two remaining players in a sidepot check. This mid-range card seems hopeful for us as well.
ON THE RIVER: K
But ooh boy - this one doesn't. One of these players now could be "fisher-King" with a higher pair. Yet they both check again.
"Pair of sevens," we say as we show.
The big bettor slowly, dramatically turns over.... A-9! He missed, and so did the other opponent! The pocket pair survives, and we score a big win of about 66,000 chips.
"I bet what the hand was worth," the big bettor says between hands.
"I didn't think you had a pair," we say. Thankfully, our read was right -- and it provided a big enough stack to take us to the final table.
Once there, we folded Q-J twice -- only to see them make potential winning hands. But A-K brought us another huge win, as a King on the flop ballooned us to 140,000. But the stack slowly drained from there, until we were forced to go all-in on the Big Blind with J-5. The board was filled with Kings and 2's, giving a man a huge full house which knocked another player out along with us.
Final result: a tie for fifth place (officially fifth on The Red Barn score sheet). Maybe we've turned things around in live tournaments, as we've made three final tables in the last four.
MINISTRY MOMENT: "Your turn, Reverend," a man across from us said at the final table. We were first to act, so we knew he was talking to us. Yet this comment brought a moment of pause -- because that title explains much of what the past 1,000 blog posts is about.
"I'm not a Reverend," we quietly answered. "I try to be reverent."
Did you know the title Reverend never appears in the King James Bible? The word only appears once:
He sent redemption unto his people: he has commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name. - Psalm 111:9 (KJV)Reverend is whose name? Verses 1 and 4 indicate that title refers to "the Lord," as in God. We're not sure how the term became attached to church pastors; in the congregation we normally attend, it isn't used.
Admittedly, "reverent" does not appear in the King James. But that translation along with the New International have several verses referring to an attitude of reverence.
God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him. - Psalm 89:7 (KJV)Why? Because God is powerful enough to tear down nations (verse 10), and He is our ultimate judge (verse 14). But God offers to share his heavenly kingdom with all of us, and bring it to Earth at the return of Jesus Christ....
Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.... - Hebrews 12:28 (KJV)Revelation indicates the first phase of the Kingdom of God on Earth will last 1,000 years - something far, far more impressive than 1,000 posts to a blog.
UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 127 final tables in 366 nights (34.7%) - 20 cashes.
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