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by Matt Mangham
Less than an hour into my first ever hold’em session at a casino, I got the mother of all hands, a straight flush. I remember I was holding 8s7s and the flop came with a 10s and 6s. The thought briefly went through my mind, but I never thought I’d actually get the card I needed. The turn brought that magic card, the 9s. My heart started pounding, and my hands were shaking as I rechecked my hole cards just to make sure I wasn’t imagining things. Sure enough, it was real, a straight flush.
Now I’m just waiting for the action, hoping someone will bet so I can raise. The first guy bets out, we get one caller, then I say, “I see your bet, and I raise”, as my shaky hands awkwardly push the chips forward, one stack at a time. (Remember, this is my first time to play organized poker, so I had never heard of the string bet rule.) Everyone at the table starts yelling, “String bet!”. It scared me half to death. My heart was already going 100 miles per hour, then everyone at the table starts yelling at me.
Anyway, the dealer made me pull my raise back because of the string bet. On the river, everyone checked to me (knowing I had a good hand), and I only got one caller on my bet. So I ended up costing myself a few bets by not knowing the rules/procedures, but at least I got to show my hand down. I received several “nice hand” comments from the table, which was nice to hear.
It wasn't until years later that ever got my second straight flush.
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