Poker Night 399: If You're H-AA-ppy and You Know It

Did you know Wednesday was the first-ever International Day of Happiness?  But sadly, we're not happy with the alleged misconduct by a manager at Lil Kim's Cove.  So we chose to stay away this week, and instead went to Soho Bar and Grill.  When poker night comes, some hands make players happier than others....

BLINDS: 50/100

IN THE POCKET: A-A

Why yes, we are happy to see these "pocket rockets."  But we're sitting "under the gun" -- first to act at this table of seven.  So we play by our usual approach: limp early, bet late.  We simply call the blind, and wait for big bettors.  Only problem: no one raises.

ON THE FLOP: A-9-6 (third card may not be precise)

A third Ace suggests our patience may be rewarded.  A quiet young woman to our right starts things off, with a modest bet of 100.

"Looks like she wants to play," a man across the table says.

"We're going to find out," we respond -- and raise to 600.  This convinces several players to fold.  A man across from us calls, as does that young woman.

ON THE TURN: 9

Now we have a full house.  We're sure a reward is coming -- but how much?  The young woman checks.  We really don't want to scare our opponents off, so we settle on a bet of 1,000.

"I'm all-in," the man opposite us says.  He has about 9,000 chips.  Then the young woman goes all-in as well, for 325 more!

"I have to go all-in," we say with a bit of resignation in our voice.  We have about 11,000 chips after winning a couple of earlier pots, so we have the other players covered.

"So it's 325 over here?" we ask about a sidepot.  "And I think I'm going to get a lot more."

We flip over our Aces, and the table is stunned.  The only hand which could top ours is 9-9, to make quads.

ON THE RIVER: 3

The young woman shows A-8 -- only two pair.  We're not sure exactly what the man had, but it fell short.  We eliminate two players, capture a massive pot in the range of 30,000 chips -- but never even think of doing a "happy dance."  That would show up the losers, you know.

The first hour brought more success, and we reached the one-hour break at 37,500 chips.  But then things looked weak, as strong hands such as A-Q and Q-Q lost to two pair.  With the blinds rising, we dealt ourselves another pair of pocket Aces.  Going all-in with 10,500 worked for us, for a "triple-up" rebuilding -- and after two hours, we were back to the 37,500 we had before.

Patient play after that brought us to the final table -- but then we called a bet of 25,000 with A-J, only to see things escalate from there.  We dared to put in our last 15,000, only to see other players with A-9 and A-Q.  A man with K-K had the lead, and won it all when the board didn't pair for anyone.  We finished tied for eighth (eighth in points) -- a satisfying night, at a room with more than 30 players.

MINISTRY MOMENT: One man at the final table was puzzled about our long nail, which we used as a card protector.  We wound up explaining to three people how it reminded us of the price Jesus paid for our sins.

"Do you believe in Jesus?  Is He your Savior?" we asked one man to our immediate right.  His answer was yes, so we asked what the Lord has been doing for him.

"Keeping my head above water," the man answered.

That's been the case for us in recent months as well.  The days have not been easy, when it comes to finances.  But the Bible promises....

He has caused his wonders to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and compassionate.  He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever. - Psalm 111:4-5

The key words in this promise are "those who fear him."  If you fear God, blessings such as food will follow.  Jesus reinforced this point:

So do not worry, saying, "What shall we eat?" or "What shall we drink?" or "What shall we wear?".... But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. - Matthew 6:31, 33

Don't give in to the temptation to take "short cuts," when tough times come.  Walk honorably and morally before God, and have faith He will honor you in return.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 138 final tables in 399 nights (34.6%) - 21 cashes.

As of now, it appears next week will be a "spring break" for us from live poker.  A busy schedule may not allow any trips to tournaments.

NATIONAL LEAGUE OF POKER TOTAL: Full tournaments - 283 point wins in 1,399 games (20.2%), 92 final tables, 10 wins, 12 cashes.  No-River Hold 'em - 30 point wins in 116 games (25.9%), 25 final tables, 1 win, 2 cashes.

Sunday night was very good for us in a tournament with 1,180 players.  We finished 38th - easily in the money at a poker room, but awarded no points or money at NLOP (only the top seven won cash).

POKER STARS.NET TOTAL: Pretend cash games - $85,160, down $617 (total corrected).