Poker Day 519: Chips and Ladders

The AK-47 assault rifle gets its name from "automat Kalashnikova" - an automatic weapon developed by Soviet General Mikhail Kalashnikov. In a poker room, 4-7 usually doesn't amount to much. And one hand from today's tournament at Kansas Star Casino shows an A-K is no sure thing, either.

BLINDS: 75/150

IN THE POCKET: Ace-King offsuit

The day has not gone well for us at all. Lead-outs with promising hands have turned to setbacks, as our table is a bit aggressive. We start this hand with 1,875 chips from a starting 3,500.

Seeing these big cards in the leadoff position, we realize this could be the moment. We limp in, hoping for raisers. A woman at the opposite end of the table obliges, with a raise to 250. A couple of players call. So do we. But then, the man to our immediate left creates confusion.

"Floor," calls the dealer. That man had put out a purple 500 chip to cover the original call of 150. Now he's put out two lime-green 25 chips, explaining his intent was to call the 250. The Tournament Director rules by adding those two chips, the man made his total bet 550 and thus has made a re-raise.

On with the bidding, then. The woman across the table calls 550. But a young man to her left decides enough is enough - and goes all-in! His total is 1,325. That's a steep price for us. But who folds A-K pre-flop?

"I might as well," we conclude. We call. The man to our left calls as well. The woman across the way goes all-in for less than 1,325. This hand suddenly is huge.

ON THE FLOP: Ks-10c-6c

"I have 550 left," we say after seeing a marvelous flop. "I'm all-in." We do this out of concern for two clubs showing, in case the man to our left is dreaming of a flush. Apparently not; he folds. That means we keep the 550. Now what about the others?

As best we remember, the young man has Q-Q and the woman has Q-10. The odds are in our favor.

ON THE TURN: 7

So far, so good....

ON THE RIVER: 8

No straight. No flush. No more poker for two players. We knock them out, and practically triple our stack to about 5,750.

That was the start of an amazing run, where we won four hands in a row and five out of six! We topped out in the first hour at 7,550, reaching the break at 5.575. Then in Hour 2, A-K came a couple more times - and we reached that break at 11,400.

Hour 3 brought another nice win with pocket Aces. But then we let ourselves get suckered into a "chasing" hand with A-6 where our opponent made small feeder bets until we missed the river and had to fold to a push.

That was crippling for our stack, and we finally went all-in with A-10 and 5,000 left. The board didn't pair for us, while an older woman paired her Jack to eliminate another woman along with us. But we finished close to the final table again, in a tie for 13rd place out of 58 players.

MINISTRY MOMENT: One poker room regular (not us) showed up for the first time in several weeks. He explained to a dealer who recognized him that he attends "about once a month."

"He's using moderation," we pointed out. "Moderation in all things."

At least one person seemed to recognize where we learned that concept. You probably can guess where....

Let your moderation be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. - Philippians 4:5 (KJV)

We've heard some ministers take this verse to mean you shouldn't go to extremes. But the original Greek word for "moderation" is "appropriate.... mild." That's why other Bible translations use words such as "gentleness" here.

Whichever way you look at the wording, the advice is good. If you play poker in moderation, it can be fun and potentially profitable. If you play for hours every day and you're not a poker pro, that's probably not moderation. Some might even call it an addiction.

It is good to grasp the one and not let go of the other. The man who fears God will avoid all extremes. - Ecclesiastes 7:18

Looking at it the other way: playing poker with a "gentle spirit" (NASB) is simply a courteous thing to do. We heard during the tournament about one man who was barred from the casino for calling a male dealer an expletive-filled "girl." In contrast, consider Jesus....

Take me yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. - Matthew 11:29

Jesus talked tough when the moment required it - but never in an extremely blasphemous way. May people in all walks of life try to follow His perfect example.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 188 final tables in 519 games (36.2%) - 38 cashes. Experiment cost: Up $50.

Poker Day 478: Saved By the Felt

"South-Central Kansas's Premier Poker Room" is how Kansas Star Casino now promotes itself inside the building. Well, OK.... but it's practically the only poker room now. Yet we went there Friday, and had an afternoon of drama:

BLINDS: 50/100

IN THE POCKET: 2-2

We won an early pot with a "Big Blind Special" (more on that later), but have had some serious losses since then. We come to this hand with 1,475 chips out of a starting 3,500. So should we play the smallest of pocket pairs? We're second to act, with little margin for error. We decide to call, hoping no one will raise. But two seats to our left, a man reaches for a purple 500 chip.

"Raise," he says. But wait....

"That hit the felt," the dealer rules. She says the chip landed across the red commitment line before the man said "raise." Thus it is a 100-chip call.

"What do I do?" the man asks.

"I'll give you change," the dealer says.

No one else raises. Four players are in. And our mind goes back to the night before, when a Seattle Mariners pitcher may have given away a win over the Kansas City Royals by taking an out at first base instead of starting a double play. Could a small slip work that well for us?

ON THE FLOP: 3-2-Q

Oh yes, it can! We stumble into three of a kind - but of course, we check to the raiser. The man two seats over now can bet 500, and he does. A man across the table calls.

"All of it," we say - dropping down the remaining 1,375 chips.

The man who committed illegal procedure probably regrets it now. He folds. But that man across the table calls us.

"You did me a favor, by what you did," we say to the raiser before turning over our cards. "I probably would have folded." The remaining opponent has 9-9, so we're in a comfortable lead.

ON THE TURN: J

No harm with that....

ON THE RIVER: A

...Or with that! The man's little slip turns into a big double-up for us, as we move above 3,500 chips.

But more trouble came after that - and at the first break, we sat with a lowly 450 chips. Yet after the break, an amazing comeback happened. All-in with A-9 won a pot, to restore us to 2,200. Calling another man's all-in bet with A-10 paid off with Aces on the flop and turn.  Our stack advanced to a high of 6,100 - and that was despite folding 8-10 in the Small Blind, before a 10-10-10 flop showed up!

With three tables left, another crossroads moment came. We played K-10 of spades, and a Qs-Jx-7s flop gave us a big flush draw. Then we hit the flush with Js on the turn - and a man across the table went all-in!

"Did you hit it?" we asked aloud - realizing he might have the Ace of spades and a higher flush.

"I wouldn't push if I didn't," the opponent said - suggesting he doesn't lie.

"I have little choice," we said as we called for our last 3,400.

The opponent turned over.... 7-7!  He hit something we didn't expect: a full house! We had an open-ended straight flush draw, if As or 9s came on the river - but no, it was a 5. Our big risk failed, and we finished 26th our of 69 entries.

MINISTRY MOMENT: Back to that early pot we won in the Big Blind. We described to other players as a "BBS."

"Does that stand for basic bulls***?" one man asked us.

"No, I meant Big Blind Special."

Then a man between surprisingly suggested something else. "I thought he said VBS - as in Vacation Bible School."

Do you have memories of those schools? We remember a week of summer mornings, eating duplex sandwich cream cookies and playing "Red Rover" on the grounds outside the church building. But VBS is supposed to teach something else....

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. - Proverbs 22:6

To be honest, we can't recall a single Bible lesson from our Vacation Bible Schools - although we remember the pre-school play time stopping for a story or two, and thinking Bible references on the walls were clocks. For example:

But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ. - Philippians 3:20

"It's 20 after three in the Philippines," we told grown-ups with our five-year-old reasoning. Right?!

Well, of course it's not right. But we needed to learn - and summer Bible schools and camps are designed to help young people learn about Jesus, and what a Christian life is all about.

If you want to improve your poker skills, you might go to a "boot camp" or watch videos. Young people learning to walk in a godly way have the same kind of option at this time of year. But if you send a child to VBS, don't forget something....

These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. - Deuteronomy 6:6-7

Parents should reinforce what children learn about godly living - not only with their words, but their actions. If you're a mom, dad, grandma or grandpa, we hope that's what you're doing all year long.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 177 final tables in 478 games (37.0%) - 33 cashes.

Poker Day 426: Bright Ideas

"You know it's going to be serious poker," we said at Winners Cardroom today, "when the dealer is wearing sunglasses."

No kidding - the female dealer had shades covering her eyes.  She took them off once the tournament began.  We have a pair of sunglasses, but find we have trouble reading the cards when we wear them.  So instead of looking "poker cool," we focused on trying to win....

BLINDS: 200/400

IN THE POCKET: A-9 offsuit

The first few minutes of this game haven't been the greatest for us.  We lost one pot when our two pair were outkicked.  This likes a good hand for attempting a comeback -- and with no one raising pre-flop, we can play rather inexpensively.

ON THE FLOP: K-9-3

It's middle pair and top kicker, but nothing to make us overconfident.  A man to our right tosses out 500 nonchalantly.  We're led to think he's chasing something, so we call.  A young woman across the table who's rather new at the game calls as well; everyone else folds.

ON THE TURN: 5

A card which probably didn't help anyone.  That man to the right tosses out 500 again.  Now we're even more convinced he's chasing; we call again, as does that young woman.

ON THE RIVER: 3

This pairs the board, and gives us two pair.  The man to the right makes another 500-chip toss.  Enough of that, we say to ourselves.

"Raise - 1,500," we say.

This is a "bully bet" on our part, trying to seize the pot by indicating we have something big.  The young woman ponders this for a moment -- then calls.  Uh-oh; that's probably trouble.

The man calls as well.  He shows 9-4 - much as we suspected.  Our Ace has his two pair outkicked.  But the young woman turns over A-K.  She had the high card, but let everyone else bet in front of her.  A good move on her part, to take the part.

That loss plus a continual dearth of quality cards put us in a deep hole.  We limped to the break at 5,000 chips.  But then things changed.  A desperation all-in with A-10 led to two more 10's on the board, and we stayed alive with 10,000 chips.  Then A-K brought a winning King on the flop, and we escaped again.  Then we pushed with 10-10, gained a third 10 on the river, and suddenly had 40,000 chips!

But with the final table nearing, the odds finally turned against us.  We went all in with A-9 and received an Ace on the flop (as best we remember), but lost to a man with A-10.  We're thankful for a great rally, even though we fell short by finishing 11th/

MINISTRY MOMENT: "Is that a candle?!" the dealer asked about our card protector.  Yes, it was - a small green one that we haven't used in years.

"I brought it to remind me," we said, "that I should be a light for Christ."

This led to a discussion about whether God wants people to play poker.  We'd looked at that topic before, and we probably will again.  But what we found most noteworthy about the candle came later, when a man to our left looked closely at it.

"Do you plan to use that again?  It doesn't have much of a wick."

We admitted we haven't been able to use it in recent years for that very reason.  And that leads us to an important point about candles.

For you will light my candle: the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness. - Psalm 18:28 (KJV)

A church or dining table can have the nicest-looking candlestick known to man.  But something has to light it, or it has no real value.  King David in this psalm refers to the Lord as the one who lights his candle (see verses 1-2).  But you have to be the wick - willing to let God enlighten you.

Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick: and it gives light to all that are in the house. - Matthew 5:15 (KJV)

A covered-up candle loses oxygen and expires in a short time.  Are you willing to let God light your candle - perhaps ignited by His Holy Spirit through a study of the Bible?  Then are you willing to openly display that light, by letting the Spirit work in your mind and life?

If you're willing, God is able - and you might find you can burn brightly for Him for a long time.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 151 final tables in 426 games (35.4%) - 25 cashes.

Poker Night 307: Don't Push Me

A poker game can be a bit like "day trading" in the stock market.  As one player at our Lil Kim's Cove table pointed out tonight, a big bet can bring a big reward -- or it could leave you with no chips at all.  We faced that fact not once, but several times....

BLINDS: 25/50

IN THE POCKET: J-9 of diamonds

We won the first hand of the night, but then a lost couple with modest betting.  Now we're in the big blind, with no raising ahead of us.  We check and hope.

ON THE FLOP: 3s-7d-3d

It's a flush draw, and we check when our turn comes.  A man to the left offers 100 at the pot.  A man to the right raises to 300.  We're willing to try a moderate chase, so we call.  Four players are still in the hand.

ON THE TURN: Ad

Thank you very much!  We have a flush -- but are those other men betting because they have better cards?  We check again and let them go at it first.  The player to the left throws in 200.  The player to the right raises to 500.  It's tempting to jump over both of them with a big bet, but we decide to be sneaky and call.  Four players remain in.

ON THE RIVER: 4d

Welllll.... that wasn't exactly what we wanted to see.  Four diamonds showing could mean someone with only one high diamond could top us.  So we decide to come out of hiding, betting 500 right off the bat.  A man to our immediate left, who's been doing the same thing we're doing, calls.

But the bettor to the left is next in line, and doesn't slow down: "800 more."  That brings a fold from the raiser to our right -- and a big decision from us.  Only two cards can beat ours.

"I'm going to assume you hit it," we finally say -- and we fold.  The man who called earlier does so again.  Sure enough, they both have diamonds -- but they have the 8 and 10!!  The man at the immediate left takes the pot, and we wind up folding a big winner.

Looking back, we showed the table another example of why some players consider us a pushover.  Given a critical moment, we tend to play it safe.  But we didn't a few minutes later, when A-8 of clubs brought a "nut flush" on the flop.  A man with two pair confidently bet 2,500, only to see us go all in for 3,900 more.  He called suspecting what we had -- but his hopes for a full house missed.

A couple of pushes worked for us in the second hour, but other chances fell short.  We reached the third hour of play and went all-in with K-J and 15,000 chips left -- but the board didn't pair for us, while a man with a huge stack caught a 3 to make a pair.

It was a good run, but we barely missed the final table again.  We finished tenth -- only one spot better than earlier in the day, when we were 11th in an online tournament.  Except the online game had 577 players; Lil Kim's Cove may have had 30-35.

MINISTRY MOMENT: The man who eventually took us out wore a small metal sword on his shirt.  It reminded us of a cable TV commercial, where a man wields a large sword and boasts about watching Season 1 of the series Game of Thrones.


"Do you watch Game of Thrones?" we asked him.

"No," he answered, "but I play God of War.  Do you play God of War?"

Online poker is about as far as we wade, when it comes to video games.  "No," we said.  "I know a God of war, but I don't play it."

Then we turned to the man at our left and added quietly: "When Jesus comes back, He's going to be a God of war."

That man seemed to nod in agreement.  But if you're used to Jesus being called the "Prince of Peace," you might find that surprising.  Let's check the Bible on this:

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.  And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. - Isaiah 9:6

This prophecy about Jesus Christ is associated normally with December, thanks to a section of Handel's Messiah.  But Jesus doesn't really control a "government" now.  That's still ahead, when He comes again -- and look at what will happen then....

I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war.... On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. - Revelation 19:11-16

Read that entire section of Revelation, and you'll find Someone named "the Word of God" is coming down with "armies of heaven."  Yes, the "Prince of Peace" will come as a tough guy - a conquering King who will "strike down the nations," then "rule them with an iron scepter."

Would you want to face such an onslaught when Jesus returns, whenever that is?  Or do you think it's better to make peace with the Prince of Peace now, and stand on the Lord's side?

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 108 final tables in 307 nights (35.2%) - 17 cashes.

We've now missed 11 in a row.  But in that stretch, we've finished in tenth place twice and 11th place three times - only one or two spots away.

NATIONAL LEAGUE OF POKER TOTAL: Full tournaments - 215 point wins in 895 games (24.0%), 71 final tables, 7 cashes plus 1 other win.  No-River Hold 'em - 5 point wins in 19 games (26.3%), 4 final tables, 1 win.

The Senior Qualifier we won earlier this week didn't pay any money; only the monthly championship does.  So we've had an "other win" to our scoreboard, awkward though it seems.

POKER STARS.NET TOTAL: Pretend cash games - $77,067, up $2,278.

Poker Night 208: Threes to Please

"That's not a raise," a man across the table from us said tonight during an early hand at Lil Kim's Cove. With the blinds at 25/50, we raised 100. He eventually made big bets, and ran us off two pair which probably would have won. So if you can't beat 'em, join 'em -- right?

BLINDS: 25/50

IN THE POCKET: 3-3

The hand we surrendered cost us a lot of chips. But we won most of it back in the hand prior to this one, when we followed the man's example and shoved all-in with four diamonds on the board. (Yes, we had the nuts.) Now we're first in the order, and we limp in. Several players do.

ON THE FLOP: 5-3-5

Jackpot! A woman ahead of us checks, and we know what to do with a full house.

"Fifteen-hundred," we announce. "It worked for him" -- referring to a bet that man across the table made against us earlier. That man appears stunned that we bet so much now. But he calls, as does the dealer.

ON THE TURN: 8

Why slow down? We bet 2,000. Our opponents decide we mean business, and fold. Then following that man's example, we don't show our cards -- and we repeat his words: "I don't want to give away my strategy for the next hand."

(By the way: did you notice our last post occurred at 3:33 p.m. U.S. ET? Then 3-3 paid big dividends? Naah -- we think it's coincidence.)

We won a couple more nice pots as well, then chose to play tight defense in the second hour after a big loss to a well-hidden three of a kind. We survived to the final table with one minimal 500-dollar chip -- then won the draw for dealer, and endured past the two-hour break.

When we finally had to go all-in with J-4, we were outgunned by a woman whose K-Q both paired. But we went home relieved and satisfied. A seventh-place finish broke that looooong streak of missing final tables!

MINISTRY MOMENT: "You going to cut?" a woman to our left asked at the semifinal table. We admittedly were distracted by the TV on the wall behind our seat, and what channel was on.

"They're showing TBN -- Trinity Broadcasting," we pointed out. You certainly don't expect that at a bar like Lil Kim's Cove. And the captioning was on, so we could read everything ministers such as Dr. David Jeremiah said.

"Some people here probably could use that," we said -- and the woman next to us agreed. Admittedly, no one else seemed to pay much attention to the screen or the message. But if it's on, someone could -- and who knows where God might get someone's attention.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 84 final tables in 208 nights (40.4%) - 15 cashes. Live heads-up record: 2-3.

NATIONAL LEAGUE OF POKER TOTAL: Full tournaments - 90 point wins in 488 games (18.4%), 37 final tables, two cashes.

POKER STARS.NET TOTAL: Pretend cash games - $23,599, up $1,395. The next Million-Dollar Challenge freeroll is this Sunday, but schedule commitments may prevent us from playing.

Poker Night 168: The Power of Ten

He looks more like a "Babyface" than a tough guy. But the man sitting to our left at Lil Kim's Cove tonight acted like a poker bully from the start. Before he even sat down for his first hand, he raised 1,000 pre-flop. He did it again and again -- raising with anything. Yet he won several big pots, so he built a huge stack. What's a cautious-minded player to do?

BLINDS: 50/100

IN THE POCKET: J-J

We sit two chairs ahead of the "bully," and have tried and failed twice already. In one case, A-8 in the pocket didn't pair on the flop -- and his post-flop bet of 2,000 forced us to fold. Realizing what he might do now, we call the blind.

Then, of course, he raises -- and for the second hand in a row, he goes up 2,000. A man across from him goes all-in with 6,150. "I can't call an all-in," the bully says -- only we remember he's spouted lies before during the evening.

A man to our immediate right thinks it over for awhile, then folds. "I'll try it," we announce -- but all we have left after calling the 2,000 is 2,350. The bully actually means what he says, and folds. We're left to go heads-up against a bigger pusher. We turn over the Jacks. He waits.

ON THE FLOP: 8-K-2

We miss. Our opponent shows a King. Uh-oh.

ON THE TURN: 10

The dealing comes non-stop....

ON THE RIVER: 7

"I've got two pair," our opponent says. K-10, in fact. He takes us out -- about the fourth player to be eliminated from the table.

"Good time to fold big slick," the man to our immediate right says. He pondered A-K, but folded.

"And what did you have?" we ask the bully.

"I had 2-4." Assuming he's telling the truth, he probably would have bet on the flop with bottom pair. But his approach to the game succeeded in throwing others off theirs -- including us.

MINISTRY MOMENT: "You have your lucky charm?!" a man asked us at the bar after we were eliminated.

"I don't even eat Lucky Charms," we told him -- as in cereal.

But the man knew we bring unusual card protectors. Tonight, it was a small "Thank you" card distributed by a bank years ago. "It's a reminder to me to be thankful," we explained. "What are you thankful for today?"

"Getting up in the morning."

"You should thank God for that every day," we said to encourage him. And we encourage you the same way. Thanksgiving shouldn't simply be a November thing -- be thankful to God for every blessing he gives. And oh yes: thank you for visiting this blog.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 68 final tables in 168 nights (40.5%) - 11 cashes.

NATIONAL LEAGUE OF POKER TOTAL: One-table sit-n-goes: 4-9-4-2-1. Full tournaments - 51 point wins in 282 games (18.1%), 22 final tables, 1 cash.

We gained points three afternoons in a row this week, including a fifth-place finish Monday out of 160 players.

POKER STARS.NET TOTAL: Pretend cash games -- $11,033, down $380.

Poker Night 127: Push to the Finish

A phrase in business says, "You've got to spend money to make money." That's true in poker, too -- but in poker, other people are striving for the same money you want. That means both higher risk and higher reward. A hand at Club Eighty-Five tonight was a classic example....

BLINDS: 50/100

IN THE POCKET: Ace of spades - Ace of clubs

We've hardly had any cards worth playing so far, so this is worth the wait. Sitting second in the betting order, we raise to 400. But a man to our left isn't impressed by that, and re-raises to 900. Then a man across the table (giddy over hitting quad 8's on the opening hand of the night) hikes the stakes to 4,000!

We have 5,400 chips left at this point, but elect a simple call. The man who went above us first does the same.

"You ought to go all-in," a man to our right who folded suggests. But there's a method to what we're doing....

ON THE FLOP: 3-8-3

Now comes the all-in bet, tossing in our remaining 1,400. This timing could give the impression we hit something big on the flop -- and we seriously doubt anybody still would be in this big pot with a 3. The first man to our left is wary of this, and folds. The other man calls.

"Rockets' red glare," we say as we show the Aces. (Well, OK -- the cards really are black.) Our opponent has face cards, but no pair.

ON THE TURN: J

Looking good for us....

ON THE RIVER: 4

We raised a little. They raised a lot. But when all was finished, we gained a big pot -- jumping to more than 15,000 chips.

Our stack kept growing as the night went along -- to 20,000 at the one-hour break, and 55,000 at the two-hour break! Patient play with rising blinds allowed us to not only make the final table, but wind up SECOND on the night! We trailed badly when heads-up play started, and lost when we were forced to go all-in with 7-9. Two pair came on the board, but that gave our opponent a winning straight.

If this was Lil Kim's Cove, second place would have earned us a "bucket of beers" worth about $10. At Eighty-Five, which was hosting poker for only the second time.... well, we went home empty-handed. The young man who won was pointed out to the bartender by the tournament director -- but when we left, he still didn't know if he earned a prize for it. Still, this was our highest finish in live play since mid-August.

MINISTRY MOMENT: "I see you brought a battery," a man across the final table from us said. "A little AAA battery."

"Is there a reason for it?" another man to our immediate right asked.

"Yes, there's a reason," we answered with a nod and a smile. (Besides being our card protector, of course.)

"You knew he'd have a reason for it," a woman across the table alertly said. She's getting to know our tricks rather well, isn't she?

We then explained the reason to the final table. "This is to remind me that I receive power, when the Holy Spirit comes upon me." (Acts 1:8)

The man who first asked about it decided we could have brought a better illustration. "You should have brought a size D!"

"Watch out," the woman added. "He'll bring a big marine battery, and slam it down!"

We all had a good laugh about that -- but the man's point was that a big battery could reflect more of the Spirit's power. His point is a good one. But remember what Jesus said about little things?

"I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." (Matthew 17:20) Does moving small mountains of stacked poker chips count along those lines?

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 50 final tables in 127 nights (39.4%) -- and we're going to call this a "cash" based on the Lil Kim's Cove standard, so we're up to 11 (ten first or second places, plus the fourth-place money-maker in northwest Florida).

Poker Night #38: The Legalist

First the good news: We finished in a three-way tie for fourth tonight at Lil' Kim's Cove. Three of us went all in at the final table -- one man with K-K, myself and one other with Q-J. But the woman with the biggest stack called with a 9, and two more 9's came up on the table. So she won it all -- and had the biggest tower of chips when I left, and only three players to go.

By rights, I should have finished 6th -- down to 25,000 at the final chip exchange, with the blinds at 5,000/10,000. But leaving with two other players artifically improves the record. So there's safety in numbers, even if you all go out together.

But what I'll remember most about this night was the man sitting immediately to my right. He knew much more about poker than I did. At least he came across that way.

Case 1: A player bets 800 in a hand. A woman goes all in with only 350. A third player calls the 800, so a sidepot is set up.

"There should be 900," Mr. K (for Know-It-All :--> ) says.

"But she bet 350," I note. My math says 3 x 350 = 1,050 is what the woman can win.

"You don't know how to do this, do you?" Mr. K replies. He explains it's 3 x 300. I admittedly don't quite grasp how he figures that, so I let it go. (The woman won that pot, by the way.)

Case 2: Blinds are at 100/200. I'm in the small blind, and the play calls to me.

IN THE POCKET: A-A.

I toss in the extra 100. "Plus 1,000," I say. Wrong.

"You're string betting," Mr. K declares -- and tells me the 1,000 has to come back. I thought "string betting" meant matching the big blind in a raise, but he won't even let me toss in 200 more.

Why? "Because you said see." But I didn't say see.

He corrects the explanation. "You said and...." Which I still didn't say. His point is that I must use the word "raise," or it doesn't count.

Other players have been informal in betting all evening, but I was the one called on the carpet -- no, felt. I pull the black chip back.

ON THE FLOP: Three smaller cards (don't remember which ones). "Now you can do anything you want to," Mr. K says. But I don't want to cause another correction.

"I will ****bet**** 1,500." He accepts this.

I eventually win the pot with the pocket aces, which he points out. But I make pains to be sure he wants me to say the word "raise" from now on. "I don't want to upset you any more."

"You didn't upset me," Mr. K says calmly. You know, he was probably right. I was the upset one -- because he invoked legalism into the hand. A nice friendly tournament suddenly (at least for me) had the stiffness of a European casino.

Case 3: Mr. K. raises in a later hand, without saying "raise." I say nothing. Many legalists tend to enforce rules for others, then forget to follow them personally. We'll get deeper into this another time.

(By the way, Mr. K. didn't make the final table.)

UPDATED SCOREBOARD: 18 final tables in 38 nights (47.4%) - 5 cashes.
YAHOO POKER TOTAL: $3,240 (Up 17 -- but without blackjack Down 74.)