When I realised that last night was the evening of Friday 13th one of my friends told me I had better not play poker. The problem is - I was already booked into the second stage qualifier for the Nottingham leg of the Great British Poker Tour.
There were thirty players and the top eight were paid out. The initial seven won seats in the super satellite which will award the winner with a place in Nottingham. The eighth participant was paid the remainder of the money in the prize pool ($54).
At the first break I was the overall chip leader. I had amassed that amount by winning big hands with holdings like AK, AA and even folded pocket queens thus keeping to my new rule!
I made it to the final table after nearly ninety minutes of play. Within a few hands, the players with the least amount of chips were eliminated and then it was down to the remaining eight.
I was then handed a pair of jacks.
Eighth place would have handed me the fifty-four dollars and if I were to be honest - I wasn't really worried if I walked away with a super satellite seat or the money. With that mindset, I figured there would at least be one or two rivals at my table thinking the same thing so I went all-in.
'Calm down, Taylor. We are all through.' I was warned by one of the other players at the table.
What was this guy thinking? Was he aware that we still had one more place to go until a seat was awarded to the final? Was it a bluff on his part to make the others at the table think that we had all qualified for a mass call of my all-in raise so someone would leave in position eight?
I don't know what his logic was but I would like to think it was that elaborate plan to coax the people into calling my raise. If it was - it worked. I got one caller.
He had a jack and an ace so the only cards to fall on the board that would have helped him were the aces. He had three possible cards to save his tournament. I had one card in the deck that would assist me as I knew he was holding the other one.
Nothing came out for either of us so I took the pot with my pair. I ended his night but softened his pocket with over fifty dollars but not before I arrogantly announced;
'Now we're over,' to the player who had spoke out against my all-in move.
So I am now in the possession of a ticket to the grand final to Nottingham. I can bank this seat either tonight or on May 5th. I think I might ride my luck and attempt it tonight. I don't know yet.
On the subject of riding luck - my tip for the Grand National is Point Barrow. I have placed it in a n each-way super heinz bet along with Fulham, Crystal Palace, Chelsea, PSV, Schalke and Real Madrid. A majority of these teams are playing away from home so I am going against my theory on backing the home favourite. Fulham are my - pardon the pun - dark horses of the day. I realise that when managers get sacked the team often perform well in the games following the firing. I sense the same will be said today.
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