Twelfth of Fifty

Monday after work started towards the card club, and realizing I was two hours early, spied and stopped for dinner at some joint on the side of the boulevard called Angelo's Fine Italian Cuisine. They were not kidding. Some of the best fettuccine with shrimp, peppers, and red sauce that I have ever tasted. The two glasses of wine helped to enjoyment that much more. Finished up the Police box set on the way to the club and arrived in a good mood. Paid my sawbuck and was assigned table four seat one. Oh boy. When the characters started to take their seats for the tournament, I noticed a lot of folk who like to gamble approach table four. Lucky me, seems I was in for a couple of hours of folding as they pushed their chips all-in on just about every hand. I was prepared for this, and didn't mind at all. On the last hand of the re-buy period, I bought a super-size add-on which consists of twenty five hundred in chips for another twenty five bucks. When you start with only three hundred in chips, this is a big bonus. The second hour has four fifteen minute levels, and when the antes start to kick in, a round of poker gets expensive. Table five after three hours. Finally our table four broke up after three and a half hours of play, with me folding almost every hand during that time. I'm moved to table one with a much more laid back crowd. A couple of the quieter players follow me from table four. Right off the bat I'm dealt a pair of aces and called someone else's all-in raise. His king-jack could not catch up and I doubled up and crippled his stack. The very next hand I call another all-in with Ace Jack, they showed a pair of nines and with an ace on the flop, I eliminate him and and add a few thousand more to my stack including additional limper's chips who did not call with all they had. Wow, I was being blinded away at the old table, and within two hands moved up respectively to over ten thousand in chips. The next hour went smooth as I was just starting to get settled in. Table three breaks up, and then table two starts knocking players out ever other hand to the point where the director starts pulling from our table one to fill in the empty seats on their table two. Gets down to twelve players, six at each table and the guy on my right raises to five grand. I look down and find ace-queen, both of diamonds and have to make a decision. To go all in for about fifteen grand and try and take him on, or fold and wait for a couple of others to be eliminated and coast to the final table. It took a minute or so, but I finally pushed all-in and he quickly called with two jacks. I received no help from the flop, turn, nor river and was out in twelfth without any prize money. C'est la vie. I coasted all night, and then went out with nary a whimper. I will probably be back there next week. Wish me luck.