The Last Tournament

Now and then I am approached by a reader who wants me to write a story about a certain subject. I am always open to new story ideas and always look forward to those suggestions. This poker friend came to me and said, 'Why don't you write a story about ----------------. He is playing in his last poker tournament and he is dying.'

Excuse me. Nobody is dying until they are dead.

I have seen players bounce back from the brink of death and reclaim their place in the poker world. You never give up the ship until the last cannon round has been fired.

In the case of this particular poker player, he had seen a certain amount of action and had won his share of tournaments.

A first tournament is a lot of fun. Plenty of electrifying excitement as you get plugged into the possibility of beating a field for first place. You are shooting for the moon since you are not aware of the talent of your opponents. You are running the risk of losing based on the forces against you.

Unless a person is terminally ill, there is no reason to announce any tournament as the last one. Just enter the tournament, take your chances, and realize that you are in the best of both worlds.

You are free and equal to any person in the tournament. You are also equal to all your opponents and are more than willing to face them off at the tables.

A few days after the family had asked me to write the story, they were marveling over his recovery he had made from his illness and depression.

'He is like a new man. He wishes to play many poker tournaments, not just the last one. I think he is well.'

Now that he is alive again, he must plan for the future. All the facts must be lined up and laid out for future actions.

Tournament players settle down and dream of future competitions. I knew he was popular with his family because he shared his winnings with them. They are looking forward to his future winnings because of selfish reasons.

I am on the patio and he is speaking into his phone. Yes, he knows about the tournament and yes indeed he is considering entering it. Make sure you send him the special room rates. Goodbye and thank you.

Doyle Brunson thought he was facing his last tournament when doctors misdiagnosed his condition and told him he had cancer. Doyle went into surgery, not knowing if he would recover, but the surgeons found no sign of cancer and he went on a winning tear across poker rooms that are still talked about to this day.

So when a doctor tells you, 'Sorry, Ben, this is your last poker tournament,' you can look him in the eye and say, 'Screw you, pal. Not by a long shot.' Good bye. Let the games begin.

Author: Geno Lawrenzi Jr.

(Geno Lawrenzi Jr. is an international journalist, magazine author and ghostwriter and poker player who lives in Phoenx, AZ. He has published 2,000 articles in 50 magazines and 125 newspapers. If you want to share a gambling story or book idea with him, send an email to glawrenzi@gmail.com ).