Railbirds who do not play Texas Hold'em may wonder why players, who call the first round of betting, place an object on their hole cards. The answer is - it indicates that their hand is in action. These objects range from playing chips, gold and silver coins, to an infinite variety of personal good luck charms. For Jimmy Chu, his good luck charm on this evening was half of an ancient Chinese coin with the tail of a dragon on one side.
"Take this," his mother said earlier in the evening, pressing the half coin into his hand. "It will bring you luck tonight." The only problem was, Jimmy did not believe in luck when playing no-limit Hold'em. He believed in patience, position and aggressive play when the cards were running his way. Unfortunately tonight, the cards were not running his way and he was dangerously short stacked. What was frustrating is that he was not playing for himself, but for his grandmother. The first place money was $25,000.00. Enough to secure her entry into an assistant living facility and ease the burden on his mother and father with whom he and his grandmother shared the family's cramped apartment.
"Dealers!" the tournament director announced. "Last hand before the break."
Jimmy was on the button and watched as the dealer flip pocket cards to the players around the table. In spite of himself he rubbed his thumb over the tail of the dragon for luck, cupped his hands around and spread the corners of his two hole cards to reveal a 7 and a 9 off-suit.
"Your coin is without luck tonight, mother," he said under his breath and mucked his hand.
The hand generated heavy four way action with the lady in the fifth position eliminating two players with her all-in bet with a full house.
"She is the one to beat tonight," Jimmy said to himself as he watched her carefully stack her chips into a formidable wall in front of her.
"Fifteen minute break!" reminded the dealer.
Jimmy moved from the table and snaked his way through the money game tables to the men's room.
Pulling a paper towel from the dispenser to dry his hands, a voice next to him asked, "You have good luck tonight?" Jimmy turned and faced an elderly Chinese man in a restroom attendant's uniform. He shook his head and said, "Unfortunately no." Tossing the towel into a nearby receptacle, he reached into his pocket and handed a dollar bill to the attendant. "But that doesn't mean your luck should be bad."
The old man gave Jimmy a small bow and handed him a small object.
"What is this?" Jimmy asked. "Good luck," replied the old man grinning, exposing a gold front tooth.
Jimmy studied the old man for a moment. There was something vaguely familiar about him. Before he could ask why, he heard the Tournament Director announce, "Tournament players, you have one minute to return to your tables."
Closing his hand over the object the old man had given him, Jimmy said, "Thank you. But I must go."
Jimmy made it back to the table as the dealer began to flip the pocket cards around the table. Placing the object the old man had given him aside, he glanced at his hole cards and gave an inward sigh - they were a 3-8 off-suit.
Mucking his cards, Jimmy examined the object the restroom attendant had given him. It was half of an old Chinese coin much like the one his mother had given him. Only this half had the head of a dragon. Holding the two pieces side-by-side he could see that one of the pieces was slotted to fit the other half. Lining-up the two pieces, he snapped them together - and the dragon was whole and breathing fire. A fire that seemed to surge through Jimmy's body.
On the next hand he was dealt pocket Ace-Queen of diamonds. Placing his fire-breathing coin on his cards he said to himself, "Do your thing dragon."
The flop was 10, 7, 2 of diamonds giving him the nut flush.
The bet was checked to the lady in the fifth position. She paused for a moment and removed two pink chips from her stack and said, "Bet one thousand."
The other players folded and it was up to Jimmy. Spinning the coin on top of his cards with one hand, he pushed his remaining stack of chips into the pot with the other. "All in he said."
The lady in the fifth position smiled and said, "Call."
"Heads-up," the dealer announced. "Turn'em over."
Jimmy turned over his Ace- Queen of diamonds and the lady's smile faded as she revealed King- Jack of diamonds. The turn was the 6 of spades and the river card was the ace of clubs. Jimmy had doubled his chips.
The tournament director broke the table and directed Jimmy to the fifth position at table two. As he was leaving, the lady said to him, "See you at the final table." For the next hour and a half the dragon roared and Jimmy gradually built his own Great Wall of China of pink and black chips until he was head-to-head with the lady from the fifth position at the final table.
"So," she said. "It comes down to the two of us."
Jimmy shrugged.
"We seem to have the same amount of chips. Do you want to make a deal?"
"No," Jimmy said.
"Is it so important for you to win it all?"
"Yes. Very important."
"Then let's end it quickly with a one hand showdown."
Jimmy ran his thumb over the head of the dragon and nodded to the dealer, and said, "Deal."
Jimmy's mother was waiting up for him when he returned home. "So you won," she said looking at the pile of cash her son had spread before her.
"And what of this man who gave you the other half of the coin?"
"It was late and he was gone when I tried to find him," Jimmy said.
"What did he look like?"
"Much like father, but older and with a gold front tooth."
His mother nodded and moved to her bedroom. A few moments later she returned with a small photo.
"Was this the man?" she asked. It was a photo of the attendant when he was much younger. He was smiling proudly showing a gold front tooth.
"How do you happen to have his photo?" Jimmy asked. "He is your great uncle."
"The one who came to America before the family?"
"Yes."
"Then I must got back and invite him to our home." "That will be impossible."
"Why is that?"
"Because he passed away years ago," his mother said, bowing her head.
"But how.....?"
"Before he left he gave me half of the coin and said his spirit will unite with us in a time of need."
Taking her hand, Jimmy said softly, "And so it has mother. So it has."
