Last night I got invited to my first work Texas Hold 'Em poker party. I was a little nervous about attending, as I know two or three of the guys attending regularly play poker tournaments at the local casinos. I didn't go in with any intentions of winning. All I really hoped to do was make a good showing. House rules were $20 buy-in, which got you $3,000 in chips. Blinds started at $25/$50, and doubled every 15 minutes.

First hand of the night, I drew an ace/nine. On the flop we saw a pair of nines. I bet, bet again, and bet some more. The look on a couple of people's faces said, "does this guy know how to play?" When I showed the third nine after the hand, I confirmed that I did. Everybody was playing tight; I didn't see any bluffs and few bad plays.

After about ten average hands, I finally caught a good one. Jack/Four suited (diamonds). On the flop we saw two more diamonds (King and seven I think). I was close to a flush, so I bet big. The guy sitting next to me did too, and I assumed he had a pair of kings. On the turn we saw the third diamond, which gave me a flush. I bet huge; so did the guy next to me. Turns out, he was holding two diamonds as well, one of them being the ace (one of two cards that could have beat my hand). In that hand I lost about $4,000 (pretend) dollars, leaving me crippled. Two hands later I went all in on a Queen/Four suited, and got taken down by a pair of kings.

Even though I went out early, I felt like I went out on a legit hand. At least no one laughed at me like they did to a fellow co-worker, when he went out. Playing with both co-workers and strangers last night was exciting. I look forward to our next poker night, where I will be a bit more cautious.