Cool hand Chris

Diddy checking out his pair

I'm no good at poker............. was the lesson I learned on Saturday night courtesy of the Diddy casino in Blyth. After spending 30 mins reading hints and tips on Texas Hold Em poker I was certain that my financial troubles were over and a beautifull career in professional gambling was about to begin.

We began by having a couple of practice rounds where we placed our cards face up so the beginners could all get the hang of the game - lady luck would have me win both of these rounds - a taster of things to come? More like a pre-emptive consolation as the remainder of the night I watched my casino credit punge into the negatives. I did manage however to win one hand after going head to head with Steven "The Chancellor" cleaning up a reasonable pot with an impressive straight.

The worm was turning, I was off the blocks, and I'd avenged the prior river card bluff that the Chancellor pulled off leaving me with enough chips to buy some space raiders. This was not a winning streak - it was a one off, a freak occurance. James Beam came to the table after midnight and the stakes doubled with our vision.