Confidence Booster

I finished second in the latest poker tournament at Adam's place on Saturday night. This is a big improvement from my last two performances (eighth and sixth).

For those of you poker fans, here's a description of probably the most exciting hand of the night:

With four players remaining, I am on a short stack, as is Carl, the player to my immediate left. The other two players are doing fairly well. I'm on the button. Adam, the player to my right, folds. I draw a pair of nines and decide to go all-in. Carl, who has fifty cents more than me, calls without much hesitation. Loren, the player across the table also goes all-in.

I'm holding 9s-9d. Carl has Ks-Kc. Loren has Kd-Qh. This makes Carl the favorite before the flop. I'm hoping for a nine to show up.

The flop comes 5s-10c-8h. No help for anyone. The turn card is Jh. This gives Loren an inside straight draw. If a nine comes up on the river, I would have three of a kind, but his straight would beat me. Am I drawing dead?

Nope. This picture shows the table shortly after the final card was dealt. What a lucky draw for me.