Breaking Even

By: Christian Fellows I am a single, 40 year old male who spends a great deal of my time gambling. It�s a great hobby that I can actually win some money at! I really don�t play to become rich, I do it for the entertainment factor. I have gone through many phases in my gambling career. There were many times when I felt like becoming a professional and devoting my life to it. Ultimately I decided against it. I did not want to make my enjoyable hobby a career and ruin my passion for gambling. Most Friday nights I would leave my day job, go home and change and take off for an exciting night at the casino. When I arrived, I did my normal procedure. Grab a quick bite to eat at the buffet, cash in some money for chips and search for a hot table. It was a rather dead night. None of the poker tables were full. I reminded myself that it was still relatively early and hopefully it would pick up later. So, a little disappointed I sat down at the table with the friendliest dealer. Maybe his cheer would keep my hopes up so I could win. After about 20 hands I was thankful I was breaking even. The cards were falling nicely for me and I couldn�t ask for more. After a couple hours of this breaking even play, I decided to move tables. I wanted to test my luck at the high rollers tables, why not? I had already been playing for hours and hadn�t really received one exciting hand. The high stakes tables were full and the chips were flying. Why didn�t I realize this before? I folded on my first hand, I had a 3 of aces and a 9 of hearts. It wasn�t worth the risk, plus I was planning on folding my first few hands so I could get a feel for the other player�s style of play. The only way I would ever play my first few hands, is if I received something amazing. Like a royal flush or straight. I have a very specific poker strategy and I stick to it! Finally I was ready to play and it was my turn to post the blind. I was dealt a relatively decent hand an ace of spades and a 10 of spades. The flop showed a queen of spades and a king of spades! I was starting to get really excited. I did my best to not let these other high rollers see through my poker face. I was so happy I actually remembered my sunglasses. This was a tough group of players and I need to make sure they didn�t see any ticks. This was on of the moments I had been training and practicing for years. Next came the river and it showed a jack of spades. I had just scored a royal flush! The pot was already up to over $5,000 and I was pretty much guaranteed to take the pot. All these high rollers were lying and bluffing as best they could. They were actually doing a decent job. Finally, the showdown came. It felt like hours later. I don�t know why I was anxious about the showdown, I was confident I was going to win and I did! I walked away from the table $5,000 richer. I started the night off $300 and made a serious increase. After that night I seriously contemplated starting my professional career. The more I though about the more I became negative about the whole idea. That Friday night in the casino was rare. I was just at the right place at the right time and I won.