Every month National League of Poker has a "Poker Studs" championship tournament for men only. (There's a separate tournament for women.) We never tried to qualify for this until this month. So did we win the title we dubbed "Stud of the Month?" Here's what happened Wednesday night....
:01 IN: We have Ad-Jc, and double the blind to 60. The flop is 4-6-Q, two of them clubs. We bet 30, and get a caller. The turn is Ac, and we bet in hopes of claiming the pot -- but the caller remains. The river is 3c. We bet another 60, and our opponent raises to 120. Only one card can beat us -- and he has it, Kc for a better flush! Ouch.
:12 IN: We have A-6 in the small blind -- and Ace high is good enough to win $280.
:18 IN: We have Q-10 of diamonds. The flop is 9-6-J, and we call a bet of 60 with an "open-ender." The turn is an 8, completing our straight! An opponent bets 200, and we happily call. The river is a 4, and when the opponent only bets 60 we push all-in with 450. He calls. His 6-6 is topped. We jump to $2,550!
:29 IN: We have K-K. The flop is 4-10-4, with a third 4 hitting the river. No one had quads, so our full house earns $1,650.
At the half-hour break, we had $3,140 -- good enough for 72nd place, from a starting 1,137 players. But several hands fell short after that. A-J didn't pair, and we folded to a big river bet. 7-Q of hearts brought two hearts on the flop, but no flush.
:57 IN: We have A-J of hearts with 875 chips left. Playing in lead position, we call with rising blinds.
ON THE FLOP: 4s-Ac-7h
Here's our chance for a big move. We push all in for our remaining 675. An opponent calls.
ON THE TURN: As
Three Aces! Yes!
ON THE RIVER: Ks
Three spades?!?! Oh no! Our opponent has 9-Q of spades! Running spades gave him a winning flush.
Right move + wrong cards on the board = a finish in 211th place for us. In our going-away message we write: "That's why I'm not a stud."
Friday, December 31, 2010
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Poker Night 220: Aces and Races
"Scared money don't win," a man at our table told us early in the evening at Lil Kim's Cove. We folded two meager hearts, which turned into a winning flush. But there are times when being afraid is not an issue....
BLINDS: 500/1000
IN THE POCKET: A-Q offsuit
We reached the one-hour break with a healthy 10,500 chips, thanks to several pot wins. But a recent loss has left us with 4,500. Seeing these cards, we could simply limp or push. Taking a middle course usually is not recommended. But after thinking it over, that's what we try -- raising to 2,000, in hopes of attracting as many players as possible. A couple of opponents call.
ON THE FLOP: A-J-A
Three Aces look very A-ttractive! But a woman to our left goes all-in first, stacking up 4,000. We see no choice but to call, with our remaining 2,500. Everyone else bails out. No one turns over cards, except the dealer....
ON THE TURN: 9 (we think; it happened fast, and others at the table disputed this)
ON THE RIVER: A
"I've got a full house!" Our opponent throws down J-J with confidence.
"But I have quads," we respond. Yes, we hit quads in a live tournament for the second time in a week! Not only do we double our stack, we get the 5,000-chip "quads bonus" under tournament rules.
But to borrow from Job 1:21, A-Q giveth and A-Q taketh away. We went all-in again with those cards later in the second hour, matched against a man with J-10. Trouble was, a Jack came on the flop and a 10 on the turn. We were sunk -- eliminated in 14th place at the semifinal table.
MINISTRY MOMENT: There's nothing that can clear the tables at a poker tournament quite like word that someone's car has been hit in the parking lot. We won a pot by default that way tonight -- but things turned ugly moments later. Someone involved in the collision used a racial slur, to refer to a young man at our table coming into a "white bar."
"I'm not afraid of him," the young man said. But his actions said something else -- as he was clearly distracted by the presence of the "redneck" (as others at the table called him), and he used a cell phone to call police.
"I've never seen a sign anywhere outside that says this is a white bar," we said.
"That's because there isn't one!" a woman next to us added. (In fact, we believe the bar owner is an immigrant from South Korea.)
Everyone at the table came to the defense of the young African-American man -- and that's good to see. We pointed out during the discussion that poker is a game where anyone can play and win, no matter what their skin color and gender is. (We added "age," but technically you have to be 18 to play at Lil Kim's Cove.)
As it happened, we used a church newspaper article about racism for Bible study earlier in the day. The African-American author points out "racism is a sin.... found within the hearts of people of all races...." That kind of heart needs to be changed -- and the Holy Spirit within you can help make it possible.
UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 90 final tables in 220 nights (40.9%) - 15 cashes. Heads-up: 8-13.
NATIONAL LEAGUE OF POKER TOTAL: Full tournaments - 102 point wins in 544 games (18.8%), 40 final tables, 2 cashes.
POKER STARS.NET TOTAL: Pretend cash games -- $34,489 up $435.
BLINDS: 500/1000
IN THE POCKET: A-Q offsuit
We reached the one-hour break with a healthy 10,500 chips, thanks to several pot wins. But a recent loss has left us with 4,500. Seeing these cards, we could simply limp or push. Taking a middle course usually is not recommended. But after thinking it over, that's what we try -- raising to 2,000, in hopes of attracting as many players as possible. A couple of opponents call.
ON THE FLOP: A-J-A
Three Aces look very A-ttractive! But a woman to our left goes all-in first, stacking up 4,000. We see no choice but to call, with our remaining 2,500. Everyone else bails out. No one turns over cards, except the dealer....
ON THE TURN: 9 (we think; it happened fast, and others at the table disputed this)
ON THE RIVER: A
"I've got a full house!" Our opponent throws down J-J with confidence.
"But I have quads," we respond. Yes, we hit quads in a live tournament for the second time in a week! Not only do we double our stack, we get the 5,000-chip "quads bonus" under tournament rules.
But to borrow from Job 1:21, A-Q giveth and A-Q taketh away. We went all-in again with those cards later in the second hour, matched against a man with J-10. Trouble was, a Jack came on the flop and a 10 on the turn. We were sunk -- eliminated in 14th place at the semifinal table.
MINISTRY MOMENT: There's nothing that can clear the tables at a poker tournament quite like word that someone's car has been hit in the parking lot. We won a pot by default that way tonight -- but things turned ugly moments later. Someone involved in the collision used a racial slur, to refer to a young man at our table coming into a "white bar."
"I'm not afraid of him," the young man said. But his actions said something else -- as he was clearly distracted by the presence of the "redneck" (as others at the table called him), and he used a cell phone to call police.
"I've never seen a sign anywhere outside that says this is a white bar," we said.
"That's because there isn't one!" a woman next to us added. (In fact, we believe the bar owner is an immigrant from South Korea.)
Everyone at the table came to the defense of the young African-American man -- and that's good to see. We pointed out during the discussion that poker is a game where anyone can play and win, no matter what their skin color and gender is. (We added "age," but technically you have to be 18 to play at Lil Kim's Cove.)
As it happened, we used a church newspaper article about racism for Bible study earlier in the day. The African-American author points out "racism is a sin.... found within the hearts of people of all races...." That kind of heart needs to be changed -- and the Holy Spirit within you can help make it possible.
Faith in Christ Jesus is what makes each of you equal with each other, whether you are a Jew or a Greek, a slave or a free person, a man or a woman. -- Galatians 3:28, CEV
UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 90 final tables in 220 nights (40.9%) - 15 cashes. Heads-up: 8-13.
NATIONAL LEAGUE OF POKER TOTAL: Full tournaments - 102 point wins in 544 games (18.8%), 40 final tables, 2 cashes.
POKER STARS.NET TOTAL: Pretend cash games -- $34,489 up $435.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
The Turn (without a card)
A tournament director said earlier this week we'd be more likely to "turn the other cheek" than fight back against him.
In poker lingo, players "fire barrels" at each other all the time -- in the form of big bets and raises. That's part of the game. But away from that, the quote from the tournament director has some significance. Consider the One who said it first....
Sadly, we've heard Christians in church groups try to explain away these words of Jesus. They might say you really ought to run away. Or they'll justify their carrying of weapons for "self-defense." But did Jesus live what He preached?
That's why we tend to avoid "trash talk" at poker tables -- and even fold frequently when someone acts as a "betting bully." Let the cards, and your example, do the talking. Attackers admittedly probably won't get the message right away -- but with time and careful thought, they will.
In poker lingo, players "fire barrels" at each other all the time -- in the form of big bets and raises. That's part of the game. But away from that, the quote from the tournament director has some significance. Consider the One who said it first....
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
Sadly, we've heard Christians in church groups try to explain away these words of Jesus. They might say you really ought to run away. Or they'll justify their carrying of weapons for "self-defense." But did Jesus live what He preached?
When they hurled their insults 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
That's why we tend to avoid "trash talk" at poker tables -- and even fold frequently when someone acts as a "betting bully." Let the cards, and your example, do the talking. Attackers admittedly probably won't get the message right away -- but with time and careful thought, they will.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
December Senior Championship: Care Package
We have two opportunities this week to win monthly championships at National League of Poker. The first came tonight, with the Senior Title and $100 at stake....
:02 IN: We have 10-A, and double the bet in a tournament where big early betting doesn't happen much. But our cards don't pair, and a 6 on the turn gives someone else a pair and the pot.
:06 IN: We have J-10 in the Big Blind, and double the bet again. The flop is 5-9-10, but then the betting climbs until someone goes all-in. We smell trouble despite top pair and fold. We never see what the pusher had.
:18 IN: We're back in the Big Blind with K-A, and try yet another double. The flop is Q-7-6, and a continuation bet of 60 on our part chases no one. Then come 5-9, and someone has an 8 to make a straight.
:19 IN: Holding J-Q of diamonds in the small blind, we simply call. (This leaves our chip stack at 220.) The flop is K-J-4 with the 4 a diamond. An opponent bets 120 -- and without top pair, we fold. Good thing; 7-9 follow giving a player with 10-8 an oddball straight.
:28 IN: We have 10-10 and little choice -- going all-in with our 220, with two players calling. The flop is J-9-5. The turn is a 3. The river is a 6. But thankfully, no one has anything better than a 9! We rebuild to 930.
:34 IN: We have Q-7 in the Big Blind. The flop is 9-Q-A. We check, as does the table. The turn is a 6, so we bet 250 -- and the table folds. We're up to 1130.
:38 IN: We have A-6. The flop is 3-J-6, giving us middle pair. An opponent bets 150 (the minimum), and we call. The turn is another 6, and the opponent offers 150 again. We raise to 500 -- but he calls with another player, anyway. The river is an 8. All parties check -- and we're stunned to see that bettor with 3-3. His full house hurts. Hard.
:45 IN: With A-Q under the gun, it's time to push again -- all-in with 280 left. The flop is J-6-10. The turn is an 8. The river is a 10. But another player has a Jack, and his two pair send us packing. Final score: 304 out of 894.
MINISTRY MOMENT: After that all-in bet with 10-10, this chat happened....
Dealer: flopblogger wins Main Pot ($930) with One pair, tens
Me: (whew) PTL
StevoinHTown: The Lord dont care bout Texas Holdem
Me: but He cares about me. And I dare say- about you.
We personally hope God does care -- because we're in a financial pinch right now and need every dollar we can win. As for the bigger picture, the Bible advises this....
The "he" obviously refers to God. But Peter adds more to the guidance of receiving God's care:
The money didn't come for us on this night -- but we think God is far more willing to bless a humble person than an arrogant, pride-filled one. What do you think?
:02 IN: We have 10-A, and double the bet in a tournament where big early betting doesn't happen much. But our cards don't pair, and a 6 on the turn gives someone else a pair and the pot.
:06 IN: We have J-10 in the Big Blind, and double the bet again. The flop is 5-9-10, but then the betting climbs until someone goes all-in. We smell trouble despite top pair and fold. We never see what the pusher had.
:18 IN: We're back in the Big Blind with K-A, and try yet another double. The flop is Q-7-6, and a continuation bet of 60 on our part chases no one. Then come 5-9, and someone has an 8 to make a straight.
:19 IN: Holding J-Q of diamonds in the small blind, we simply call. (This leaves our chip stack at 220.) The flop is K-J-4 with the 4 a diamond. An opponent bets 120 -- and without top pair, we fold. Good thing; 7-9 follow giving a player with 10-8 an oddball straight.
:28 IN: We have 10-10 and little choice -- going all-in with our 220, with two players calling. The flop is J-9-5. The turn is a 3. The river is a 6. But thankfully, no one has anything better than a 9! We rebuild to 930.
:34 IN: We have Q-7 in the Big Blind. The flop is 9-Q-A. We check, as does the table. The turn is a 6, so we bet 250 -- and the table folds. We're up to 1130.
:38 IN: We have A-6. The flop is 3-J-6, giving us middle pair. An opponent bets 150 (the minimum), and we call. The turn is another 6, and the opponent offers 150 again. We raise to 500 -- but he calls with another player, anyway. The river is an 8. All parties check -- and we're stunned to see that bettor with 3-3. His full house hurts. Hard.
:45 IN: With A-Q under the gun, it's time to push again -- all-in with 280 left. The flop is J-6-10. The turn is an 8. The river is a 10. But another player has a Jack, and his two pair send us packing. Final score: 304 out of 894.
MINISTRY MOMENT: After that all-in bet with 10-10, this chat happened....
Dealer: flopblogger wins Main Pot ($930) with One pair, tens
Me: (whew) PTL
StevoinHTown: The Lord dont care bout Texas Holdem
Me: but He cares about me. And I dare say- about you.
We personally hope God does care -- because we're in a financial pinch right now and need every dollar we can win. As for the bigger picture, the Bible advises this....
Casting all your care upon him; for he cares for you. -- I Peter 5:7, KJV
The "he" obviously refers to God. But Peter adds more to the guidance of receiving God's care:
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.... -- I Peter 5:6
The money didn't come for us on this night -- but we think God is far more willing to bless a humble person than an arrogant, pride-filled one. What do you think?
Monday, December 27, 2010
Poker Night 219: Four the Win
Holding one big card in poker often isn't enough. The second card can matter. At The Red Barn tonight, we were reminded it can matter a lot.
BLINDS: 100/200
IN THE POCKET: A-4
After winning an early pot with pocket Aces, our chip count is back down to about our starting level of 6,000. We're "under the gun," first to act. This is a marginal hand to play, but the blinds are reasonable enough that we can "play any Ace" with hope. So we call, and no one around the table raises.
ON THE FLOP: 9-4-3
"We hit it," as they say at our tournaments -- but we didn't hit it very well. But we doubt anyone else did, either. We send out a "probing bet" of 200, and about half the table folds. Three others remain.
ON THE TURN: 10
That didn't help much. This time we check -- as do the other players.
ON THE RIVER: 4
Now that helped -- a lot! The players ahead of us check, but we won't. We bet 1,100. At least one man guesses we have a 4, but we say nothing. A player to our left calls.
"I've got two pair," a man to our right says, "but I'm not sure they're good enough." After thinking a moment, he calls.
"No, they're not good enough," we say showing our hand.
"I should have known you had a 4," that man admits as we gain about 2,500 chips.
We held on to that gain long enough to reach the final table (albeit on a night with only about 18 players). Then we went all-in with Q-J, caught a Queen on the river and jumped from 3,000 to 19,000!
That allowed us to stay around amid rising blinds -- and we finished fourth, for our best outcome since Thanksgiving week. The end came with a forced all-in bet in the big blind with 8-6, and nothing pairing.
MINISTRY MOMENT: The tournament director at The Red Barn likes to be a little "touchy-feely." Before tonight's game, he pretended to punch us around the waist, then follow up with other blows. We ducked, but didn't move beyond that.
"He probably could beat you up," another man said in our defense.
The director knows our works well. "But he'd turn the other cheek."
"But he'd eventually run out of cheeks."
We said nothing through all this. What do you say about it? Our thoughts will be in a future post.
UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 90 final tables in 219 nights (41.1%) - 15 cashes. That's three final tables in the last four live tournaments.
BLINDS: 100/200
IN THE POCKET: A-4
After winning an early pot with pocket Aces, our chip count is back down to about our starting level of 6,000. We're "under the gun," first to act. This is a marginal hand to play, but the blinds are reasonable enough that we can "play any Ace" with hope. So we call, and no one around the table raises.
ON THE FLOP: 9-4-3
"We hit it," as they say at our tournaments -- but we didn't hit it very well. But we doubt anyone else did, either. We send out a "probing bet" of 200, and about half the table folds. Three others remain.
ON THE TURN: 10
That didn't help much. This time we check -- as do the other players.
ON THE RIVER: 4
Now that helped -- a lot! The players ahead of us check, but we won't. We bet 1,100. At least one man guesses we have a 4, but we say nothing. A player to our left calls.
"I've got two pair," a man to our right says, "but I'm not sure they're good enough." After thinking a moment, he calls.
"No, they're not good enough," we say showing our hand.
"I should have known you had a 4," that man admits as we gain about 2,500 chips.
We held on to that gain long enough to reach the final table (albeit on a night with only about 18 players). Then we went all-in with Q-J, caught a Queen on the river and jumped from 3,000 to 19,000!
That allowed us to stay around amid rising blinds -- and we finished fourth, for our best outcome since Thanksgiving week. The end came with a forced all-in bet in the big blind with 8-6, and nothing pairing.
MINISTRY MOMENT: The tournament director at The Red Barn likes to be a little "touchy-feely." Before tonight's game, he pretended to punch us around the waist, then follow up with other blows. We ducked, but didn't move beyond that.
"He probably could beat you up," another man said in our defense.
The director knows our works well. "But he'd turn the other cheek."
"But he'd eventually run out of cheeks."
We said nothing through all this. What do you say about it? Our thoughts will be in a future post.
UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 90 final tables in 219 nights (41.1%) - 15 cashes. That's three final tables in the last four live tournaments.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
The X Factor Continued
A Friday post mentioned an online chat about Christmas, in which someone wrote: "Xmas takes the Christ out of Christmas."
That statement is incorrect in two different ways. In one sense, the "X" does not remove Christ at all. We found this information Friday at a website about using proper English:
In Greek, the letter chi (pronounced ky, to rhyme with tie) is written as an X. Chi is the first letter of the Greek word for "Christ." Greeks sometimes abbreviated "Christ" as X. They abbreviated "Christ savior" as XP. P is the symbol for the Greek letter rho (pronounced row, to rhyme with toe), which is the first letter of the word "savior" in Greek. The Oxford English Dictionary shows the first known English use of Xmas in 1551.
(Side point: this could give a whole new meaning to Windows XP, couldn't it?)
Yet in another sense -- the sense we meant in our reply -- changing the start of a word does NOT change a day's meaning. That's because the Bible doesn't show any time when Jesus or the early disciples kept Christmas. The story of Jesus's birth is there (Luke 2:1-20), but the holiday is not!
Some Christian groups maintain a "Christmas" season holiday was around long before Jesus was born. And we noted there's more evidence Jesus kept Hanukkah; we addressed this in a post last July.
Then a player wrote about Jesus: "The world has lost an important man...." With all due respect, is Jesus lost -- or might you be?
Jesus ultimately will do that when He returns to Earth....
When that happens, all nations truly will see "the salvation of our God" (Psalm 98:3).
That statement is incorrect in two different ways. In one sense, the "X" does not remove Christ at all. We found this information Friday at a website about using proper English:
In Greek, the letter chi (pronounced ky, to rhyme with tie) is written as an X. Chi is the first letter of the Greek word for "Christ." Greeks sometimes abbreviated "Christ" as X. They abbreviated "Christ savior" as XP. P is the symbol for the Greek letter rho (pronounced row, to rhyme with toe), which is the first letter of the word "savior" in Greek. The Oxford English Dictionary shows the first known English use of Xmas in 1551.
(Side point: this could give a whole new meaning to Windows XP, couldn't it?)
Yet in another sense -- the sense we meant in our reply -- changing the start of a word does NOT change a day's meaning. That's because the Bible doesn't show any time when Jesus or the early disciples kept Christmas. The story of Jesus's birth is there (Luke 2:1-20), but the holiday is not!
Some Christian groups maintain a "Christmas" season holiday was around long before Jesus was born. And we noted there's more evidence Jesus kept Hanukkah; we addressed this in a post last July.
Then a player wrote about Jesus: "The world has lost an important man...." With all due respect, is Jesus lost -- or might you be?
For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. -- Matthew 18:11, KJV
Jesus ultimately will do that when He returns to Earth....
These [trials] have come so that your faith -- of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire -- may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. -- I Peter 1:7
When that happens, all nations truly will see "the salvation of our God" (Psalm 98:3).
Heads-Up: Dressed to the Nines
(BLOGGER'S NOTE: This entry is our second annual "Blog Simulcast," also being posted at The Blog of Columbus, Georgia.)
As I scurried to the car around 8:10 p.m. ET Saturday night, a "wintry mix" was falling -- more snow than rain. The forecasters on TV went back and forth so much on the chance for snow that I'm not sure if they wound up being right or not.
Yet I was undeterred as I drove down U.S. 280 in Phenix City. I remembered the old "over and under" rule from icy winter storms in Atlanta -- slow down at overpasses and underpasses. But where I was going, people were more likely to put "over and under" on the Saturday night pro football game.
I drove to The Red Barn in Phenix City, for its weekly Saturday night heads-up poker tournament. Yes, a bar was open on 25 December. But from what I could see, it was NOT serving spiked egg nog.
"Are you here to play?" the tournament director asked when I walked into the side room of The Red Barn.
"Yes, sir," I said. "It's a day on, not a day off." In terms of winning money, that is. My apologies if that explanation disappoints people looking ahead to Martin Luther King, Junior Day....
"That's a snappy suit you have on," the director added. It was the same suit I'd worn to a worship service during the afternoon, which was followed by a nice dinner with friends. If only my gray tie hadn't been so uncooperative - because the director fixed it for me once, spotted it crooked again and wondered who tied it in the first place.
The side room at The Red Barn was chilly for several people - even though the window "air conditioner" at one end was set to 86 degrees F. There weren't enough warm bodies on hand to improve things. And of course, that meant not as much hot air from trash-talkers.
"It's snowing like h**l out there," the tournament director said after a check outside. Nearly a minute later, he suddenly realized what he had said. "That's an oxymoron, isn't it?" Umm-hmm....
While I sat at a table warming up with solitaire, a man holding a cell phone explained why a female friend couldn't play. "Christmas Day is the one day of the year at Waffle House when all employees are required to work." Even calling out sick could get you fired, he said. Who knows what happens to a manager who didn't order enough frozen hash browns?
(The good news for that female employee is that she already had received $170 in tips on her shift. First prize at Heads-Up Poker Night normally is $60 - and you probably don't have to deal with nearly as much cigarette smoke.)
One woman in the unofficial poker room was playing for the first time, so the tournament director explained the rules - and even played a hand with all the cards face-up. Sometimes I wish all the hands were like that - because my chances would improve substantially.
The Heads-Up tournament director delayed the start of play, hoping more players would show up. But 30 minutes after the scheduled start time, only 11 names were on the list. The usual maximum is 24, so my chances of winning were more than twice as good. If only my play could improve that quickly, after three shutouts in a row....
After the draw for bracket positions, I faced a man I've played on two other Saturday nights. We were 1-1, and he jumped to the lead in a few hands. But I rallied by making three sevens and a "double-up" with Ace-Queen, and it led to this....
BLINDS: 400/800
IN THE POCKET: A-K of diamonds
With the blinds this high (each player starting with 4,000), a hand this good is worth a big move. We go all-in, and our opponent calls. He has 10-4 of diamonds - and a chip count reveals we're exactly even, so we're BOTH all-in for a winner-take-all showdown.
ON THE FLOP: J-9-8 (only the 8 is a diamond)
Uh-oh -- our opponent has a straight draw to win.
ON THE TURN: 10
That pair gives him the lead, and there's no longer any hope of winning with a nut flush. We need a big card.
ON THE RIVER: J
It's not big enough, and the man beats us for the second time in a row. It's called "winning a race" in poker -- and it beats drag racing on slick roads.
Thankfully, the Heads-Up tournament is double-elimination. We were now in the losers' bracket -- and while we waited, someone called the tournament director to wish everyone "Merry Christmas."
"Bah humbug," one of the players answered. "It's Christmas night, and I'm playing poker." And unlike my Dad's Christmas night card games, he had to pay for the liquor.
After early matches were finished, we sat down for our second match against a man named Ben. "My name's Richard," Ben said. "My name's really Richard Benjamin."
"Well, I'm Richard Burkard." If my middle name had a W, it would have matched his last name -- and I would have someone for comparing notes about identity theft.
Then came one of the most amazing moments in my four years of playing live poker....
BLINDS: 100/200
IN THE POCKET: 4-9 offsuit
On the very first hand of the match, Ben calls in the small blind. I check the big blind.
ON THE FLOP: 9-9-9
Did I see that right? Yes, I did - quads-come-quick! Hoping to make a big gain, I check. So does Ben.
ON THE TURN: 7
Not wanting to scare Ben away, I bet a meager-looking minimum 200. "Raise to six," Ben says. I ponder a moment, tempted to go all-in - but instead simply call.
ON THE RIVER: 5
Now it's time to strike. "I'm all-in," I say.
"I have to call," Ben says. "I've got a full house." He shows 7-10.
"Can you beat quads?" I say. Of course he can't - but he's understandably stunned by what just happened. So is the tournament director, whom we both call over to examine the cards. "This was a one-hand knockout," I tell him - a little like another Saturday night match, which put a fighting troupe out of business.
"Awesome two-bet!" a man across the room said to us when he heard about what happened. It's called in poker a "slow play" - but I've never seen it lead to a faster exit.
But one punch doesn't win a poker tournament, even when it's Heads-Up. The next elimination match proved to be the end for us, as several losses led to a forced all-in bet with 5-8 of clubs on the 12th hand. Our opponent had King-Jack, made a full house -- and sent us back to our empty one.
We didn't win the tournament, but at least we improved to winning one match. And for an unexpected consolation prize, we found a buildup of wet snow on our rear windshield to take home and store in the freezer. Columbus now has seen a noticeable snowfall four winters in a row. If only the poker cards fell that attractively all the time....
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