(Guest SEO Post by Taylor Pratt, who made it to the final table!)

So there I was at my poker table. $150 cash waiting in my hand for the buy-in. Beautiful women are walking around serving drinks. You can hear the sound of thousands of slot machines in the background. The dealer is to my left, and Shoemoney is to my right. Vegas in its prime.

It’s no wonder I’m nervous. This is my first major poker tournament. Hell, the only high stakes poker game I ever played in consisted of a $20 buy-in for beer money back in college. Somehow I knew this was going to be different: instead of losing $20, I was going to lose $150. I meant to bring along my sunglasses. I’m not actually sure why people wear them, but it seemed like the right idea. Fortunately for me, I forgot them back at the hotel. I would have looked like such a dweeb.

I hand over my cash to the dealer, and he pushes over a stack of chips – 2,000 to be exact. No limit holdem. My hands are shaking because I’m nervous, but I hide them under the table so no one will see. I get the bright idea to start playing with my chips. I saw the pros do it on TV. I knock over my entire stack by accident. Luckily no one saw.

I look at the two cards dealt to me: two of hearts and eight of clubs. Perfect. I look around and realize – I don’t get to see what everyone else has. And what are my odds for this hand? Should I raise? Crap. This isn’t like what they show on TV at all. I quickly fold. It is a technique I learned early on, and mastered throughout the tournament.

After one hour of play I had won one hand, and folded all the rest. I was above 2,000 at least but quickly falling behind. The first player has been knocked out and I give myself a pat on the back because I’m already doing better than usual.

As time rolls on I start to realize that I only need to win a hand or two an hour in order to stay in this thing. A fellow SEO joins my table. People are just coming back to their seats after the ten minute break. He leans in and says, “Do you have any idea what you’re doing?” But I know what he really meant, “Damn, you’re one hell of a poker player.” I respond with a head nod, and begin to demonstrate my dominance of the game. Folding left and right as my opponents fade into the abyss of the casino.

The time has finally come. It’s the final table. The two tables that were left merge into one. All of the players needed a tray to carry their chips over. Not me. All I needed was one hand. Instantly I knew this was going to be a problem. I was the “short stack” at the table. Two yellows, a handful of pinks, and a couple of black chips. I wasn’t sure how much that was, but I knew it wasn’t good.

Taylor in the Baseball cap at the final table.

The top nine players in the tournament finish with money. I was the big blind and already half of my stack was gone. Luckily I’m dealt pocket queens. “Time to double up,” I thought. A gentleman a few seats over goes all in. I chuckle to myself knowing I’m about to take him out. Some poor chap calls. Now everyone is looking at me. “I’m all in.” I flip over my pocket queens and see my opponents’ cards: one guy has 2 Jacks, and the other has an Ace and a Queen off suit. Things are looking good.

Here’s the flop. Two junk cards and an Ace. Blast! Somehow the tides have turned. I’m no longer winning this hand. I wait for the turn card and there is no Queen. My tournament life all rests on the river…nothing. I’m out. 10^th place- only one finish away from money. I politely collect my things, wish good luck upon my fellow players. They got lucky, real lucky.