THANK YOU!!!.....or The End of Poker is I know it.....

Black Friday came and went, and I finished up an exciting night on FTP Friday before it all shut down on me. Enjoyed myself playing some 2-7TD (Finished 11th out of 65), followed up PotLimit Omaha (Finished 51st out of 928) for a little profit (like that matters now!), and finished up with a NL Hold 'em, (Finished 21st out of 826). A pretty good night for what was to be my last night online.

But I was still feeling good, cause I had my poker group that I play with, and we had a tournament on Saturday afternoon. I had run pretty bad during the series, and ended up having to win the 1 PM tournament (24 players) in order to get an automatic entry into the final tournament. Played good, but wasnt gettng much in the way of cards, but held on and made the right plays to keep myself alive. Then it happens.....we lose a player on another table and about to go on break. My table is still in a hand, and I look down and see AA. I raise to 2.5x blind, thinking there is no way anyone is even calling me. I get an all-in from the host. Everyone else folds, and I call. He flips of KK. Flop is 8-J-6, Turn is 2, River...... King. I am out of the tournament. I say my goodbyes and head home, happy with how I played.

But I am still feeling good, because at least I have a place to play live, that I dont have to drive forever (3 1/2 hour to Atlantic City), or play cash games (No tournaments yet to my knowledge at Charles Town Races and Slots).

On my way to Church on Sunday, and it all comes crashing down. I get a phone call from a good friend of mine, who actually plays in the poker group with me, and had made the finals. I ask him how he did, and he says "oh, I guess you didnt hear anything then". This seems bad, I asked what happened. The next 15 minutes become a complete blur, as he explains that less then 5 minutes into the final tournament, another player who I am friends with accuses a player of cheating, and all hell breaks loose. A player who had been running this game over for 4 years i assused of cheating. I won't go into the specifics, but they was video proof that he had been changing cards so that he would be getting AA, KK, QQ, and the like a much higher rate then you would normally see. He had won the points title the last 3 years running, and actually beat my wife in the final tournament 2 years ago. At this point, no one can say when he started doing it, but the proof is there, and now the group is done.

So in a period of 48 hours, I have gone from any number of possiblities of playing at a moments notice, to maybe playing a few times a year.

So for those of you who still may be reading. THANK YOU! I appreciate all of it. I enjoyed playing online with all of you, and reading about your games, and your lives. I hope to someday still get to meet some of you, while this year at the WSOP isnt likely due to family considerations, I have high hopes to get out there in 2012, and will now make sure to schedule it so I can meet some of you!!