Do you ever have times when you are 100 percent sure of something that you shouldn’t possibly know? I had two instances like this in Reno.

For the first few hours of the tournament my radar was working extremely well. This particular hand I was not involved in; however, I made a ridiculous read that was right on the money. Player A made a 3x raise in 4th position. Player B and C, the small and big blinds both called. The flop was Q, 8, 3 rainbow. Check, check check. The turn was a Q. B-checked, C-checked, A-bet 1/3 of the pot, B-folded and C-called. The river was a blank. C-checked and player A bet 1/3rd of the pot, Player B called, and before A turned up his cards, I said, “Quads, no doubt”. Everyone else at the table looked stunned. Sure it was one of the possible hands that he had, but I was 100 percent sure. I wish I knew why.

And this was my last hand of the tournament … I started with about $12,000 in chips. The blinds were $300-600 with a $75 ante. I brought it in for $2,400 with AQ offsuit. The button was the only caller. The flop was A,9,8 rainbow. My initial response to this flop was that I should throw my hand face up in the muck before any action takes place. I’m serious, I really thought this. After further consideration, how could I do that? This is a pretty darn good flop for my hand. Long story short, he had pocket 9’s.

Why did I have that immediate reaction to that flop? I have been reading this book called Blink. I won’t be able to summarize it in one sentence, but here goes: Author Malcolm Gladwell believes that people have immediate, split-second reactions to things/situations that are more often correct than when they pour over data and analyze for minutes, hours or even months. He calls my reaction to that flop “intuitive repulsion.” I am now a believer.

Oh, and about pissing on the craps table. It wasn’t me, but there was this old, very drunk man playing craps for several hours right next to the Pai Gow table at which I was playing. My buddy Pat and I looked over, after being alerted by the floor person, just in time to see this guy sticking his “horn bet” back in his pants. He had just pissed on the rail and the floor. Sometimes it’s hard to get away from the table. I thought you needed to know.

I’m sure Dan will love this post showing up right above the very important gambling initiative that he is helping with in Dallas.