how it unfolded

So Thursday marked my first attempt to play in a poker tournament.

I told everyone I would play in the ladies-only tournament at Rumors and it was basically one of those things you say while in the back of your mind you're hoping everyone will forget about it, the event will be canceled or you'll become deathly ill.

Too bad none of those things happened.

So I walked into the bar INSANELY nervous, largely because my prior poker experience consisted of an hour-long tutorial in Las Vegas and one hour of online playing.

I'll cut to the chase now -- I didn't win. These are the reasons why:

1. One of the things I forgot to study? The values of each colored chip. So half of the time I didn't raise the bets because I didn't know how much I'd be raising. Oops.

2. The game moved a lot faster than the hands-on tutorial AND the online game. Imagine that.

3. Finally, my biggest weakness was the fact that I was WAY too cautious in my playing. Which in part goes back to the fact that I had no idea how much each chip was worth.

A very intimidating experience that culminated in a lot of people giving me the concilatory, "As long as you had fun, that's all that matters." And that comment alone is enough to make an event significantly less fun.

That said, I think I'm going to play again. For real.

It's kind of like having a crush on a married guy -- the more difficult it is, the more tempting it is to pursue.

So watch out, ladies. I'll be back. And it's gonna be everything but fun.