A boatload of luck at the wrong time

The obvious call after a sauna, hot tub, massage, and a fantastic dinner of Arctic Char accompanied with some phenomenal Chardonnay would be an early night, particularly when I am still way behind on sleep. But after twenty minutes twitching under the covers I don't see what would be the harm in a stroll to the tournament room just to see how a couple friends are doing. In reality, I'm not really fooling myself, particularly when I pop the safe and grab a handful of hundreds. I've already decided 1) this is Vegas after all, and 2) didn't my nickname used to be "I'll sleep when I die"?

Part of me suspects this might be a bad idea, and so as I saunter to the card room I monitor my mental acuity carefully. An awkward shuffle as I try to avoid an oncoming cocktail waitress--minus 5 points. Guessing that the person in the elevator's accent is Somalian--plus 20 points. And so on. I actually score pretty well in this little game so I put myself second on the list for a juicy 25-50 no limit hold'em game. There's nothing worse than standing around waiting for a seat in a cardroom, so before my newfound energy wanes I sit down in the only game available, a puny 2-5 no limit game near enough I can monitor my first choice. I sure hope my high-rolling friends don't see me here; they will assume I must be completely broke.

I am hit by the deck almost immediately: K K on the third hand, and Aces shortly thereafter. A set and a gutshot straight when I decline my normal continuation bet. In a span of 45 minutes I am up $1700 in the game when boredom sets in. I'm still second on the list for the 25-50 game, so I cash out and head back to the room.

This is my first win in Vegas, so you'd think I would be happy. But I'm totally irritated instead. I've been hoping for a burst of luck for two days now, preferrably in a tournament, but if not there, then in a respectably sized side game. The same lucky streak in the $25-$50 game would have been worth $17,000! I do find it somewhat amusing that I can handle busting out of the tournament earlier with AA against KK with aplomb, yet this modest win is so vexing.

The next morning I wake up in a better mood. The $1700 is enough to pay for the next tournament. More importantly, it is not only a much needed change in momentum, but will boost my trip status in the eyes of my wife Dana, who watches the bottom line as carefully as the most dour accountant.