Poker News

Jennifer Matiran

Hi Jennifer,

I signed up on a poker website and one week later I paid twelve dollars and won six satellites to get my 13500.00 package. Wow, now my dream had come true to play in the WSOP.

I prayed and my prayers were answered. The closer it got to the day and I watched it on TV, the more I got scared. Finally, the day before the big dance I realized something GOD did not give me a spirit of fear but one of power, love and a sound mind.

Wow, a $13,500.00 package with only $12.00, there’s no telling what kind of adventures our lives have in store for us. I’ve studied success; I’ve studied many people’s successes that come from all walks of life. Different races, different religions, different upbringing and all of them had one thing in common? THEY BELIEVED THE IMPOSSIBLE, WAS POSSIBLE

I knew that if I played this thing with fear then I had already lost. I believe in destiny and mine is laid out for me already and if winning the WSOP is there, then my 7, 2 off suit will beat any pocket, if not then my straight flush will be beaten by the royal flush. Just like that I was ready for anyone. My goal was to build my chips up gradually and double up by the end of the 1st day. Well I did that in the first 3 hours, I was playing like a champ. I wasn’t getting any good cards but I played my cards good and I was winning. Then disaster struck I got my nut straight beaten by a flush. I then went on tilt without recognizing it.

?Without recognizing it? ouch, I smell doom because if one does not recognize they have a problem then, almost surely, that problem will be at the root of their demise, in the poker world or anywhere else.

I lost a lot of chips after that to Humberto Brenes’ brother Alex. I had no idea who this guy was until the other players were asking him questions about the time he played against Stu Unger and then he told me he has played in every WSOP since day one. Great thanks for telling me after I was trying to out play him I think it was better to not have known who this person was; I think the reason of defeat was not recovering from the ?tilt.? When one’s on tilt, their instincts are shot and they do not make good decisions because of poor judgment. The best was to shake off a tilt, it’s to take deep breaths, at least ten and to have positive self-talk, no matter how hard it might be at the moment.

I should’ve gotten the message when he told me he won five packages on the internet. Maybe, if he was dressed like a poker player, you know with the hat, the glasses, but instead he sits down with his t-shirt and barely moved or spoke. He turned out to be the most lethal player at the table. (Lesson learned: never judge a poker player by the cover) now I’m down to about 7,000 chips from the 20,000. I get a Q high flush I move all in. A guy from Waco Texas, after a long pause, calls. Bam! He trips and then rivers the full house. I lost but I was overflowing with peace and happiness, I shook his hand and walked out of the place feeling like a Champ. I wasn’t the only champ that lost on the first day, Chan, Moneymaker, Ferguson, Negraneu and many more.

I may have lost but I left a winner. I told my wife of 18 years, Weezy, that I was going to come back a brand new man and I did. GOD IS GOOD. ?Hasta la vista,

GILBERT ESQUIVEL, www.eastsidecomedy.com

?P.S. Thanks for being so kind to my wife and me at the convention. It was my pleasure. You did pretty darn great for your first WSOP? It cost you $12.00 to gain knowledge, insight, experience and faith. Best of luck to you and remember to always treat Weezy, like the queen she is.

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