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Poker Jackpot...Not!

If you live in the Southwest, you are probably familiar with the Native American Reservation Casinos.  My first taste of real gambling came when I was 18 and was able to play the slots – mainly Wheel of Fortune.  I always gravitated to the rooms in the back and would stand by the rail and watch in awe at the money that was moving in the poker games, not yet ready to actually jump right in.   

Well after a few months of playing poker online and reading Mike Caro’s book of tells and Brunson’s Super System, I figured I was ready for the big time.  Remembering all that I had learned, I bought in for one rack – 100 bucks, with money that I really did not have to gamble, much less lose.  I saw all the jackpots on the wall and asked the guy sitting next to me if anyone won one lately.   Not really paying attention, I sort of deciphered that rare poker hands like a royal flush or Aces full losing to a four of a kind were jackpot hands and the winner would receive the upwards of $1,000. 

After a few hours, I became chummy with my new friend and jokingly said if I hit one of the jackpots I would give him whatever chips I had on the table, and he agreed to do the same.  An hour later, I am in a pretty big hand against Ace King of Spades, while I hold the 7 and 8 of spades to a board of 9, 10 and Jack of Spades and 2 of Diamonds and 5 of Hearts.  On the river I raise, she re-reraises, mind you this is a limit game so instead of going through this song and dance I just tell her I am all in.  She calls.  I hear her let out a pained groan and hear the dealer stop the game and call the casino manager over “Winner, Straight Flush on table 10.”  Thinking I have just hit one of the jackpots, I shove my chips to my new friend thinking - heck I can afford it.   

Getting up I head over to the manager’s area, he shakes my hand, congratulates me and I follow him to where I think my prize is located.  He leans behind the counter and asks me “Gray or White.”  Here I am thinking I’ll take all black poker chips to cash in and then suddenly think - “gray?”  I don’t remember seeing gray chips here.  He says “Well gray is the closest I got to black.”  He hands me a t-shirt that has a picture of the casino with a toilet bowl proclaiming my straight flush winner. 

“Huh??”  I look up at the wall and realize my straight flush jackpot is no where to be found on the board.  I asked him how much I won, and he looks at me and says with a laugh “You’re new here, right?”  That’s when it all sunked in.  There IS NO straight flush jackpot.  I turn around and see my new “friend” chuckling to himself stacking over $200 in chips.  Embarrassed, I head out the nearest exit and never returned.