Well, I played poker at Hollywood Park again yesterday, and to say I'm playing poker as a professional would be an understatement. All my bluffs were working, I was calling at the right time, and betting aggressively was the way to go, as always.

The name of this poker tournament is the Poker N'Ponies tournament. For those that don't know, Hollywood Park is a racetrack, as well as a casino, and thoroughbreds from all over the country come there throughout the year to show their stuff. Inside the casino, several big screens show the action, and some of the gamblers are not only playing poker, but betting on the horses as well. One guy at my table had Golden State in the sixth, but I busted him out before I found out if he won.

Yes, as I mentioned above, I was playing as a professional poker player, and personally responsible for taking out twelve people from the over 150 people in this particular tournament. I always laugh when I bust out someone that moments earlier, was criticiizing my play. I take a little solace in lasting longer than them as well. Everything was going fine for me at table 2, seat 8. I had built my stack up to a healthy 26K, which is impressive when you consider I started with 800. The problems began when I started what I laughingly refer to as, the table fugue.

Now, I've gone through these at least once before, that I can remember. It goes something like, the director moves you to another poker room. You play one maybe two hands, and then the table gets broken up again. Lather, rinse, repeat. Now, I took 5th in the tournament the last time I performed this feat of legerdemain, so, I wasn't really worried this time, either.

Now, of course, the table fugue comes with significant risks. You're about to be big blind at one table, so, they move you into another poker table, where you become the big blind there. Anyone see the problem with this? In my case, the need to have good cards in the BB is necessary, as you don't really have a good read on anyone at the new table. And this time, I was dealt 69o, or Big Lick as some like to call it, for obvious reasons.... And I didn't know this until it was my turn to act, either, as I don't usually look at my cards until then. The problem this time was, everyone had folded to the cutoff, who bet 5K when the blinds were at 1000/2000, with a 200 ante. I dared the small blind to call, in an attempt to build the pot, as I had a previous adversarial relationship with her, having shared a table with her in the past.

But, she wasn't having any, and folded to me. I looked down at my hand, and folded, figuring to pick it up the next hand, with a big bet in the small blind. The problem with this plan is as I stated previously, I was in the middle of a table fugue. The table was broken immediately, and I was moved to yet another poker room, where I was afforded another opportunity to post the big blind again. And in a funny feeling of dejà vu, I was again dealt big lick. Coincidentally, the exact same two cards from the previous table. I'll let the math majors among you figure out the odds of that. Add to the fact that the chip leader at that table bet 5K in front of me. So, I was afforded the opportunity to fold, and again the same thing happened in the small blind.

So, in the span of three hands, I was down almost a quarter of my stack, when I was dealt a pair of 8's on the button. The small and big blind are both short stacked, at which point, the chip leader gets ready to bet, and I ask, "5K?" to which he responds, "Six thousand." As he counts it out and pushes it in. three people fold to me on the button, and I look at my cards for the first time, and think about what I know from the previous two hands of betting. The first time, he had AQ suited, and the second time, everyone had folded to him. Not much info, huh? I had a thought process here, which went something like, "He probably has a small pair, or worse...." I valiantly declare, "All in." The two most powerful words in the English language, when it comes to poker playing. The small blind folded, and the big blind called, as I figured they would. At which point, the chip leader called.

And showed a pair of Kings.

Realizing that I'm a 4 to 1 dog at this point, I called out for 8's, however, Card God must've misunderstood me, and dealt two aces on the flop. I tried again, but an ace came on the turn, and I'm drawing dead to the river. I'm busted out in 27th place, and as there were only 150 entries, they were only paying two tables, so, I was nine spots out of the money.

I pick up my things, and start the long walk home, knowing that I played as professional poker players do.

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