He said, “This much”. Stretched out both hands and hollered Jackpot!

Actually that’s just what I was thinking when I hit the Jackpot at the Texas Holdem table last week in Vegas. For those Texas Hold’em fans out there, I think you might enjoy this story.

So last weekend, I’m in Vegas with my equally degenerate brother Jesse, who when I lost $200 in 2 hours at the BlackJack table told me not to worry, and to keep playing, because I would surely win it all back. His exact quote to me was, “There were times at LaCenter I would kill to be down only $200.”

Unfortunately the dealer didn’t have “win it all back” in mind and by the next evening I had stretched that $200 loss into a $400 loss and I had resigned myself to continue to drive a car with a broken muffler. (Oddly enough though, I was still having a blast. Win or Lose, I love Vegas.)

The last night, in a final act of desperation, I sit down at a Texas Hold’em table with my last $100. I’m playing okay and staying about even, when the next hand dealt to me are double Aces. I’m exstatic, and trying to hide my excitement. I’m definately winning this pot.

(I didn’t know this at the time but the guy across from me had been dealt two kings. So he’s pretty happy too. Unfortunately for him, not as happy as me.)

The flop is laid down and its an 8, and the other two Aces. So, now I’m staring at four Aces and praying to God someone else has a good hand. The guy across from me, with the two Kings, bets the max and I follow with the max. I can’t push my money out there fast enough.

The dealer lays down the next two cards and they are both Kings. So now the guy across from me has four kings, and he throws in a huge bet… and I match his bet, trying desperately not to laugh or smile.

Betting ends, and the dealer says lay down your cards. My opponent throws down his four Kings… the crowd oohs, I throw down my four Aces… and the crowd went wild. The dealer screamed Jackpot. And I started highfiving everyone at the table…

I won $400 bucks. And thought, “Wow, Jesus must love me.”

I also tipped my dealer $40. He said thanks, and mentioned that most people don’t tip that much. But I was like, “Yeah well, growing up I was taught to tithe, and since I rarely go to church, I figure the least I could do was tithe to you.”

Of course there were still several more hours left in Vegas.. so, by the time I got on the plane to fly home I was down $100 bucks for the weekend, but still…. good times…. good times….

There’s a lesson to this story… what that lesson is I couldn’t tell you, but there’s definately a lesson here somewhere.

(Oh and for those who are feeling sorry for my opponent. The $400 bucks came from the Casino, for having a hand with Four Aces. I only got like $30 off the guy with Four Kings.)