| Some of you may believe in it and some of you may | | | | she did not want to be with a moron like me. She |
| not. The majority of poker players know that poker | | | | also let me know that she would be packed and |
| is a game of skill, not luck. Luck is what keeps the | | | | gone by the time I came back. Trying to explain that |
| bad players coming back to the table. Then there are | | | | I was doing all of this for the both of us was useless |
| the even smaller amounts of us that believe in the | | | | and headed out. |
| poker Gods. I am one of them and if you play your | | | | The kinds of players in the game were mostly people |
| cards right, no pun intended, they will smile down on | | | | with money to burn, and lacking in poker skill. I had |
| you. | | | | played my best game and managed to make it to |
| As many of my friends know, my on-again off-again | | | | the final table. The pay out was for the top 5 |
| girlfriend has driven me to all new levels of insanity. | | | | players. Having an average chip stack I decided to |
| My addiction to poker was one of the reasons for | | | | ride it out and let the short stacks battle it out and |
| the many ultimatums she handed down to me. It | | | | hopefully push me into the money. The Poker Gods |
| was not so much that she disliked my gambling; it | | | | smiled and it worked. I had been knocked out in 5th |
| was more so that she disliked my losing. She was | | | | place when my pair of tens got beat by a set of 8's |
| always there for me to spend my extra winnings. | | | | on the river. I did not complain though, as I walked |
| I had just gotten paid and found that we were short | | | | away with $800, more than enough to cover the |
| $300. As the end of the month inched ever so near | | | | rent and other bills. |
| and the prospect of being evicted loomed, I felt | | | | When I walked into the front door, there she was |
| there was something I needed to do. I was too | | | | with her bags packed. "So?" she asked. Obviously her |
| proud to call my parents for cash, so I thought I | | | | leaving depended on how well or badly I did. "$800," I |
| could parlay my poker skill into some much needed | | | | said with a smile. Running up to me to hug me, she |
| cash. | | | | told me about the vacation we could go on with the |
| I decided to buy in to a no-limit $100 buy-in | | | | money, that she needed to get her nails done and |
| tournament structure game. I am normally a cool and | | | | needed some new clothes. |
| collected person, but you know the saying - | | | | I slowly counted out enough money for the rent and |
| desperate times call for desperate measures. When | | | | bills and left it on the table. Walking out the door I |
| you are first out of college and the best job you can | | | | said to her "This moron is going to buy some new |
| get pays $10 per hour, you need to do some hustling | | | | tires for his truck with the extra money. I could care |
| to make the rent and pay the bills. | | | | less if you are still here when I get back," and walked |
| The last thing she said as I walked out the door was | | | | out the door with a smirk on my face. |
| if I was stupid enough to gamble what we had, then | | | | |