The following is an entry into a writing contest I am entering entitled "I Won!" While it is not necessary that I mention the exact words of the theme in my story, it should be obvious to readers, if only subtly.
I looked down to check the cards on the table and mentally double-checked to make sure that the cards in my hand were strong. I reached down to my pile of chips and raised the bet. My opponent and I were the final two competitors in the tournament, and I couldn’t afford to do anything silly. I glanced back at my opponent, but he wasn’t looking at me. He was moving his entire stack of chips towards the center of the table. "I’m all in," he said, looking back at me. I involuntarily took a deep, sharp breath. Now what?
I don’t consider myself particularly skilled at poker. For years I have understood the order of the strength of the hands and that the better the hand, the smaller the odds were that you would get them. That part of the game was easy for me. However, it was the other part of the game, the strategy of betting, that was foreign. The ability to determine how much to bet and how to read other players’ body language was a different language. Learning this new language meant I’d have to control my emotions of fear and greed.
The first time I had ever played Texas Hold ‘Em poker was at my company picnic a year earlier. I had come in fifth out of nine players, a respectable position for somebody who had never played before. I really enjoyed it and was looking forward to playing again the next year. In order to win, however, I had to construct a plan.
In the intervening year, I read some articles by stock traders who talked about risk management when it came to trading and poker. I watched TV poker tournaments and made mental notes about what I would do similar situations. I traded stocks on the market, practicing strict risk management with the intention of learning how to control my emotions. With these tools in hand, I went to the picnic with the hope of breaking even.
I paid my entry fee and sat down at the table. The cards were dealt and I looked at my hand. Not bad, I thought. I raised the bet and stayed in the game. In Hold ‘Em, five cards are eventually flipped onto the table and the object is to make the best hand possible with the common ones on the table with the hidden two in your hand. After each draw, players have the option of raising the bet or dropping out. After four cards were dealt on the table, I had a pretty good hand, a straight (a run of five cards of unmatched suits). “Great!” I thought. I had a strong hand on the first round. I raised again and stayed in. Unfortunately, the player on my left, my co-worker, had an even better hand. After the first round I was down 20% of my chips. Hmm, not good.
I quickly rethought my strategy, trying to evaluate where I went wrong. I went through my mental checklist. Had I played a good hand? Yes. Had I bet wisely? Yes – even though I had a good hand I made sure that if I lost it would not wipe me out. Did I still have a plan to follow? Yes. I still had 80% of the chips I started with and my strategy was solid. I knew that sometimes runs of bad luck happen. The key is to minimize your losses when you are wrong so you can stay at the table.
I stuck to my plan and I managed win a few hands. I had recovered enough to get back to third or fourth place. By consistently sticking to my strategy I had managed to outlive six other players. About an hour and a half after we started, I decided to take a chance. As luck would have it, I drew a flush. It was starting to get late and I wanted to leave. I decided that I was going to bet everything. A flush is a strong hand, I figured that if I were going to lose, I was going to lose to an even better hand and I could live with that. I went all in, and to my surprise so did somebody else. Not so surprising, I won the hand and I catapulted into second position. At this point, I knew that I was in a position to finish in third place and get my money back from the entry fee.
I continued to play the game and followed my original plan but I also played a bit more aggressively. One by one, the other players started dropping out. First there were five, then four, then three. I had hit my goal, the break-even point. Shortly thereafter, we were down to two.
I couldn’t believe my good fortune. Both me and my opponent had a big stack of chips. It was hard to tell who was winning. We played a few hands and alternated victories, most of the time with one of us folding quickly. On the next hand, I stayed in. I looked down to check the cards on the table and mentally double-checked to make sure that the cards in my hand were strong. I reached down to my pile of chips and raised the bet. I glanced back at my opponent, but he wasn’t looking at me. He was moving his entire stack of chips towards the center of the table. "I’m all in," he said, looking back at me. I involuntarily took a deep, sharp breath. Now what?
The cards in my hand, combined with the ones on the table, were a straight. This was the same hand that I had lost with in the very first round. I forced myself to focus. I guessed that I had more chips before the round started but if I folded, he would win the pot and hold a slight edge in chips. I mentally rehearsed what I learned during the year: in poker, at the beginning you need a strong hand when there are lots of players. Near the end, when there are fewer, your hand does not need to be as strong. I went over the checklist again: I had a strong hand and there were only two players left in the game. According to the plan the odds were in my favour.
“I’m all in, too.” I pushed forward my entire stack of chips. We both revealed our cards. When he turned over his, all he had was three of a kind. I turned mine over and revealed the straight. His face turned a little pale and I knew that the odds were on my side. The dealer turned over the fifth and final card, it didn’t match his and the game was mine. I won the poker tournament in my second time I had ever played!
My opponent and I shook hands, and I was beaming. The plan worked: play the hands you can win, watch your bet size, keep your emotions in check and stick to the plan. The question now is this: will I be able to retain my title next year?
