Today I played in the WPT tournament here in Turks and Caicos. I must say this place is gorgeous! It very well could be the best beach I have ever stepped foot on. I hope they keep it on the map for next year because I’m definitely coming back.

About 2 hours into the tournament I looked down at the 8 5 off suit in the big blind. The blinds were 100 200 and the 2 hole had brought it in for 400. 2 callers behind I decided to take a flop for 200 more with the old 8 high. The raiser happened to be Lou White CEO of Pokertek. By the way, Pokertek is the company that makes the fully automated poker tables. The company is doing rather well with over 130 of their tables up and running in casinos all over the world. For those of you that have never played on them you will be surprised by their easy to use system and how incredibly efficient they are. However, those tables are only about half as cool as their “heads up” challenge tables, which will be coming soon to a bar near you. For a $2 entry you can sit at the bar and play a real heads up match on an actual WSOP edition fully automated table.

Ok, talk about going off on a tangent…back to the hand. Actually I’d rather not talk about the hand at all, lol! I NEVER WIN!!! The flop comes 3 4 7 rainbow. I have a gutter for the nuts. I didn’t think anyone really connected especially the original raiser considering he had opened in the 2 hole! He could have had an over pair but I thought to myself I could definitely get him off the over pair with that flop (maybe not on the flop bet but definitely w the turn and who knows maybe even the river). I bet 1300. Lou (2 hole) calls. Others fold. The turn is a J. I like that card. By making a decent bet here I am definitely representing 2 pair or better. I bet 3400. He calls. Now I’m thinking if there was ever a time in my life that I needed a sexy little 6, this would b that time. But we all know I’m not that guy…a tenball on the river. At this point I had put him on an over pair and just knew that he would fold if I moved in and that is exactly what I did. About 10 seconds later I heard what was maybe the two grossest words in poker (when you have an 8 high especially), “I call.” He turned over the 5 6 off suit for the second nuts and that was the end of Antonio. The river bet was 17k by the way ( a rather significant bet). Although everyone told me I was a donkey (which I probably was) I still defend my play. Unless he had a straight, which I could never put him on that he was folding almost anything but a set. oh well….that’s the end of that now I get to enjoy this incredible island.

Antonio