royal flush

So my Jackpot experience was one for the books. I'm there to play golf (and try to help my foursome who aren't great golfers) in a benefit tournament, and instead I stay up all night playing poker at a 3-6 Texas hold 'em table. I wouldn't have stayed there all night, but I was getting very lucky and having a great time.

Did I say I was getting lucky? Yeah, to the tune of a royal flush. I don't expect to get another for a long time, but it was really quite thrilling. I even won 5% of the "bad beat" pot as a bonus, which came to around $260. Quite a nice amount for a small-time guy like myself. But it wasn't about the money, it was about seeing those cards turn over.

I was dealt a Ks Qs and in late position. I was raising the bet and I think 3 players called it back to me after the flop. The flop was something like 5c 10s Js. So I knew I was looking at a possible straight flush right there, but at this point I still have nothing. The odds of getting the flush here are something like 35% and I have an open straight draw so I believe everyone checked to me and I bet the three in which two people called. Now on 4th street, up pops the 9s so I get my straight flush (amazing) so no one is going to beat me at this point as I have the nuts, and the 2nd highest hand possible in the darn game. So here it checks to me and I bet the $6, one player folds and the other calls me down. He probably has a small spade in the hole thinking his flush is not good, but what the hey. In 3-6 most people will call you down for the heck of it because there's not much at stake, and it's almost impossible to bluff anyone out. However, earlier I had mucked probably 20 hands in a row and was talking loudly about how I hadn't had a hand to play in "for-ever!" which probably meant that most people thought that when I played a hand, it must be pretty decent. I'm a real tight player and all (what I wanted them to think) but I had been playing tight all night so they were pretty much right. Anyway, I digress... The guy calls and the dealer flips the river and there it is, the As, to make the royal flush. And I had the 9 to boot, which is whacky, but whatever, that doesn't matter. The guy checks to me again and I bet $6 again but who really cares at this point, I can't believe what I'm looking at. He hums, haws, calls and I flip them over saying something like, "I got the royal" and everyone at the table starts clapping and making a scene. Quite surreal. The room boss came over and set me up with the bonus and on top of everything else, I kept winning at each table I was moved to after that. Didn't go to any huge stake tables, as I'm way too much of a small timer to ever get into it (what a way that would be to make a living... pro gambler would be brutal!) but I must say it was quite a thrill and something I won't forget for a long time.

Got back to the room at 7am, left for golf at 8am, and let's just say that 18 holes later I was glad to be getting off the course. It was a scramble, but I was terrible and we finished way out of the money. Still, it was worth it.

I had stopped at a gas station in Burley on my way into Nevada and bought a $2 little Peruvian elephant carved out of semiprecious stone, for good luck. I kept him by my chips at the table the whole night. Now the elephant is perched in a place of honor on my bookshelf, all shiny and green.