A long, long time ago, @GuiltyParties talked me into signing up to play poker at Hive's very own free poker site called @Lucksacks. I explained to Guilty that I had no idea how to play poker. I explained to him also that I did not care to learn how to play.

GuiltyParties then sweet-talked me into signing up for the first Veterans poker tournament on Lucksacks. Using the excuse that I wasn't a Veterans didn't help. I set my alarm and wrote the date on my calendar. That day started some of the best times I have had over the last few years.

The group of regulars that play at Lucksacks was very friendly to a new person just learning the game of poker. People tried to help me learn how to play. The problem with this was I just wanted to have fun. I didn't care if I won or not. It was more fun interacting with the great group of people at Lucksacks.

To this day, on my primary monitor, I have the 'what beats what' table someone sent me when I first started. When playing poker, I always have that photo open to remember that a full house beats a flush. I have lost games many times, not remembering that. Really!

I am also extremely lucky.

On February 16, 2022, at 2 PM EST, Lucksacks hosted a 100 Hive No-Limit Holdem Freeroll. @Opidia was the one to bring it to my attention. I signed up a few days early and set my phone alarm. My world has been very stressful, so I wasn't sure I would remember or be around to play.

Wednesday the sixteenth came. I had a horrible morning. My pregame alarm went off, and I opened my browser not to forget when the game started. I figured it would be a great distraction not to think about life. I needed that distraction badly.

People's names filled the login window to the Lucksacks poker site for the first time in ages. It made me smile.

The game started, and those at my table were playing very conservatively. I was okay with this because I needed the distraction. I saw the names of people I didn't know, which was nice. I also saw the names of old friends. All in all, I was ready for a good game of poker.

Halfway through the game, I popped over to the other full table to say hello to everyone there. I did notice that the other table was playing very cutthroat poker. The people there had stacks of chips in the 10K to 25K range. I looked at my 6K in chips, which was suitable for my table, and realized that would not get me very far when the tables merged.

With all this in mind, a hand came along where there was a chance I could win. The person I was playing against kept raising. I thought, well, it's now or never to get ahead on my chip count. The cards fell my way to my surprise! Now I just had to hold out for the final table and not do anything Snookish.

The last three players were @Tadas, @Yazp, and me.

Tadas and Yazp have taken more of my chips over the years than I care to admit. They are great poker players.

Long story a bit shorter, I won!

Let's say the cards were in my favor that day!!!

I want to thank @Bethalea, @Tuck-fheman, and @GuiltyParties for a GREAT afternoon!!

If you ever are looking to play poker for free and earn some Hive by playing poker, check out the post Is Playing Online Poker for HIVE at Lucksacks.com Illegal?.

The post will give you information on how to sign up to Lucksacks.com. It is a wonderful place to meet cool people and play or learn how to play poker. Plus, it is free!