I sat down at the table and watched the other players as I waited for my turn to be the big blind. After participating in the tournament I felt comfortable enough with the table protocol and was not intimidated by the other players.

The first twenty minutes at the table all I did was fold hand after hand. In between I just kept my eyes open and my mouth shut. I waited and finally I was rewarded with an AQ suited. I bet and was called by three other players. The flop was A74 and I bet and was called again the turn brought a King and I had one player call me all the way to the river. He turned his cards showing a king in the hole giving me my first win with a pair of aces. I have to admit to a little adrenaline rush as I scoped my first pot. I was feeling pretty good but a few hands later my over exuberance cost me some money as I chased everyone out of a pot early.

I had KQs and the flop was QQ3 I was second to act with three queens and instead of calling the bet that was made before me, I raised immediatly. This caused everyone to fold. If I had not been so impatient and just called I probably could have kept a couple players in the hand and collected a little more on the end. This was my first mistake and I filed it a way for the next time. Later in the game I was dealt pocket aces and when the third ace flopped I played it cool and collected a nice pot as a reward for patience

I played a tight game and won a couple more pots during the game. I was ahead when I made my second and more costly mistake. I was the big blind with J8 There were five callers. The flop was J87 all different suits. This is known as a "rainbow." I had two pair and bet. I was called around and the turn brought a 9. I bet and all the players folded except one who raised me. I was only looking at my two pair and called the raise without hesitation The River was a three and I checked. He bet and I called again. I was not paying as much attention to the board as I should have. He turned over his QTs. giving him a straight and leaving me wondering why I did not notice the straight possibility especially when I was raised on the turn. It was my mistake and put a little dent in my stack of chips.After a few more hands and my hour and half was up. I collected my chips and head for the cage. I cashed out with a ten dollar profit. I was a winner in my first game. I also learned a couple lessons that will stick with me as I continue with my poker education.  

If you have been following this series and are getting ready to play your first game, don't worry about the other players. You will find that most of the players in a low limit game are just average people. In fact after watching some of the starting hands that were played I would guess that a couple of them had never read a book or magazine article about Texas Hold'em. If you have taken the time to study the game you should have the knowledge you need. If you can apply the discipline to wait for the proper starting hands you will have a solid foundation to help you succeed at this game.

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Until next time, remember:
"Luck comes and goes...Knowledge stays forever."