The Live Game

  I didn't know it but my online practice would lead to wins in the real world. In the spring of that year my husband told me about a tournament that a guy at work was hosting. The buy in was $25. Using my extensive poker knowledge, at least it was compared to those I was playing, I managed to make it to the final table beating out the huge field of about 20 people. I sat down to the final table short stacked and very nervous. So nervous in, in fact, I had tunnel vision for a few moments. I remember the hand that turned it for me. I had pocket 99 and I guy raised. I called remembering his range of raising hands. I flopped my set and he flopped top pair and all the money went in. It held and several more good hands later I was heads up in my first tournament! OMG! The top prize was $400 and second was $200. Unfortunately for me this tournament had started at one in the afternoon and my boys and I had newspapers to deliver before 5pm! The guy across from me coolly let me know he had all the time in the world and 2 packs of cigarettes to boot. My inexperience at heads up play led me to make some mistakes and my time crunch forced me to shove with K9. I forget what he had but he had me beat and it held up. I left there $150 richer and floated on cloud 9 for the rest of the day and for awhile afterward. This money paid for my second deposit on Pokerstars. I didn't play another live tourney for several months but the next two would give me my nickname.