AH tis a fine thing when the universe decides it is the time to give a gambling poker player a break. We are always looking for it, desire it, want it, but rarely get it.

I was driving down route 90 with the blues of giving the last dollar to the terrible beat. I had been playing for nigh on 30 hrs, Had a considerable stack in front of me. the euphoria of playing in and winning in the no-limit game at the Grand poker room. Was dealt the queen -9 in the blind. Everybody just called the blind and the Flop comes q-q-8. i have a set and bet A 100, only 1 caller and everyone else folds. the turn is a 9. I now have A house on which I bet out 100 again, the other player comes over the top announcing raise to 1000. i'm now playing the trapper,I think it over, (no thinking really involved) The anticipation of A big payday swirling in my mind. I just call , now that is half my stack, I have about 1100 left in front of me. The river comes , it's A king. I'm mulling but not at all, ok go for it, I push my remaining stack in, announcing ALL IN. since it was every dollar i had it was literally all in. She snap calls no hesitation, the cards seem to turn over in slow motion and i'm the one with the motion sickness. I'm looking into the two faces of a king and a queen. the sickness of the adrenaline draining out of my body. It is a fact of the life of a poker player that queens full of 9's on the turn lose to queens full of kings on the river.

In the haze, i walk through the maze of patrons coming and going as I exit the casino with that sick feeling of not even knowing if i would make it back home for the gas tank was near empty. The rush to get to my beloved poker seat, meant that i bypassed the gas stations on the way in. Now i don't even have
A dollar to put anything in the tank. The rollercoaster of emotions are surfacing now. How "stupid was that" "you know better than that" "why didn't you just bet 100 again but NO YOU HAD TO BE GREEDY" instead of testing to see if your opponent had filled her order.

I sit in my car, staring into the abyss, thinking about what might have been, but mainly about what was. True it was a beat for sure, but life goes on, I turn the key and the engine comes to life, the needle on the fuel gauge moving only a hair, durn not even a 1/8 of a tank. I't's 6:30 in the morning. Up ahead I see a arm extended, thumb up in the air, I snap out of my reverie, and think maybe we can help each other out. I can give him a ride and maybe he will be grateful enough to throw me a few bucks for gas to make it on in.

I pull over just past him and he lopes up to the car. Opens the door and says "thanks for stopping, I'm trying to get to work" I tell him "no problem, hop on in" (all the while hoping beyond hope that i can finagle a few bucks out of him if he even has a few ) He introduces himsel "my name is Roland, just wanna say thanks again" I'm Ron nice to meet you Roland where is it that your trying to get to?) I work at harrah's in New Orleans. Oh wow really what do you do. He smiles and says I'm a poker dealer. My face falls and like all those who just come from a killer bad beat, hold a mild resentment against the dealer. I sigh, aint life grand, just coming from the grand where i lost over two grand. The universe can be a cruel place sometimes. so the whole story comes pooring out of me. He nods with a smile on his lips and asks how broke are you? All the way I'll try to get you there but point to the gas gauge and shrug saying "we both might be hitchhiking soon" He pauses for a second and says hey man i have some cash why don't you pull into the next gas station and i'll put some gas in your tank. The relief floods over me, i might make it home after all. I pull in the next station, He tells me go ahead and fill it up and inquires "do you want a cup of coffee" "sure I'd appreciate that thanks roland" He walks inside and i fill my tank, looking at the reading at the end is says 52.00. Wow now my relief is evident. He returns with two cups of coffee and a couple of cinnamon rolls and proffers A cup and roll. I accept it gladly. this stranger who was hitchhiking has brought about as much relief as I could ask for, or expect to get.

We arrive at harrah's and he says heys it's early, If your still hungry I'll treat you too breakfast if you'd like. Now the internal shame is taking hold, I say "man Roland you really saved me already, I mean 50 bucks worth of gas, and coffee and a donut" He looks at me with compassion and says" It is the players like yourself who feed and house me, I do alright on tips, and see what you go through everyday someone gets up from the table and i know it was their last dollar they lost in that last pot, I don't have the opportunity very often to give back to them what they do for me, so c'mon lets go have a good breakfast. we leave the car in the lot and walk down the street to a cafe' as we are eating he asks "do you play tournaments" i respond oh yeah i prefer tournys why? He thinks it over and says "we have a 30 buy in every morning you interested in me staking you entry fee" Now the adrenaline returns. I lick my chops and look him in the eye and grin and say "absolutely" he laughs and smiles and says " yep that's what I thought, a true player huh" he reaches in his pocket and pulls out some bills. Peels two twentys off and hands them to me. I ask if he wants the standard deal. Return the entry fee and split the cream if i cash. he shakes his head no and say nope it's yours now good luck i hope you get back on your feet.

The tourny starts at 9:00 am and i'm suprised there is over 200 entries. Four hours later there is just two of us remaining. the heads up battle has been back and forth, I look over at the live tables during a lull in the action and Roland is dealing and glancing my way occaisionally. finally it's over i was bested and finished second, but that paid 1,600.00. now the tears of relief are welling up in my eyes. the adrenaline pumping I slide over too the floor man and put my name on the board for the 4-8 table. he says he has a seat coming open in a minute so stay close i nod.

I sit at the 4-8 and fold the first 2 hands the third had i'm dealt pocket fives. there is a raise from seat two to 8 ,,3 of us call. the flop comes 5-5 A seat two fires 4 seat 5 raises to 8- the other player folds action on me I smooth call not wanting to give my hand away early. seat 2 reraises to 12 seat 5 looks at him and just calls and so do I . the turn is a 9 seat two bets 8 seat 5 calls i raise to 16, seat 2 immediately raises to 24 seat 5 thinks it over and folds i cap at 32. The river is another A. the board reads 5-5-A-9-A . seat two bets 8 I raise to 16 he immediately goes to 24, NOW IT DAWNS ON ME OMG could it be possible does he have pocket rockets, because if he does the bad beat jackpot is just a little over a 100,000 dollars I pray to the poker gods oh please, please, please let it be so, I cap it at 32 he calls. He turns over the pocket rockets, omg after all these years of playing poker never even getting a table share. Not even realizing I had done it i had jumped up my chair crashing to the floor, and let out a loud whoop then reach down and turn over my pocket 5's the tears welling up in my eyes. the whole table errupts in congratulations, and back slapping the rest of the poker tables in the room emptying while the players rush to get a look at the board. I'm gasping from the total adrenaline surge flooding through my body, i feel as though I stuck my finger in a electrical socket. The room is really buzzing now. the foor comes over and verifys the hands, then asks all the players for their ID cards and social security cards. I'm still in the clouds I hand them over . pick up my chair and sit back down. i find out the split for bad beats is 50%- 25%--25% my end is 50,214.00. It is surreal. The events replaying in my mind. the beat at the grand, the desolation, and emotional down of leaving broke, stopping to pick a hitchhiker up who turns out to be a poker dealer with compassion, he stakes me, and i end up on the big end of a bad beat jackpot as a result, my god what a two days of poker, but the glaring thing that stands out is that if i hadn't lost the hand at the grand i wouldn't of been in this seat for this to happen. That's poker and life you just never know what events are going to land you in the drivers seat !!!!