Poker Host Acid Test

I hired a new person to run poker tournaments and he ran the Monday night tournament at Addy's Bar and Grill. The acid test for whether or not a poker host is good is if I can sit down and play poker and concentrate on the game, not what he is doing.

Even though it was his first tournament, he did very well. I did in fact get up from my seat three times to correct mistakes he was making, but it turned out well. In the end I was at the final table, albeit shouting instructions to the second tournament that started playing while I was at the final table of the first tournament winning all the chips and finishing first.

I had an impressive chip lead early in the game, but in one hand I lost most of my chips, and was soon down to only three chips of the smallest denomination being played. Linda to my right unwittingly encouraged me on saying that my lack of chips was not likely to stop me from running the table.

I went all in with a 7-3 and was called by K-3. I flopped a set of sevens and won enough chips to get back in the game. Now it was time to quit playing cards and start playing poker.

Poker is a mix of three elements - 1/3 math, 1/3 luck, and 1/3 psychology. Had I not been short stacked, my going all in with 7-3 would suggest I know nothing of math. Winning with 7-3 suggests I got lucky. With that luck I was able to establish a table presence that allowed me to use psychology to go on to win the tournament.

Luck hit my game two more times, and as luck would have it I hit on sevens both times giving me a table image that some found hard to get away from. I pressed my psychological advantage and won the tournament.

I hated knocking them out of the game, but I enjoyed playing with Roger and Linda at the final table.