POKER GHOSTS AT THE RENO HILTON

POKER GHOSTS AT THE RENO HILTON

By Writer94566

This is a true story of mine that happened when I was playing in a large regional poker tournament at the Reno Hilton in Reno, NV called the Fall Pot of Gold Tournament. Today, it is the Grand Sierra Hotel and still a major player in poker tournaments.

I had experienced a really brutal bad beat in the previous evening’s tournament and had awoken with the thought that I would go for a short walk and would probably skip the morning tournament to just take a day off from poker.

On my way to enjoy a fine hand-made Cuban cigar during my morning walk, I ran into a friend of mine, Wayne Karcich, as I passed through the poker tournament area. Wayne greeted me enthusiastically and asked me if I was going to play in the tournament; I said no but Wayne encouraged me. So, I asked the sign up lady if I could have my “lucky seat’ and she asked why it was lucky. I explained that it was my wife had passed away and that her birthday was my luck seat (my wife’s date of birth, March 4th for Table 4, Seat 3); she just nodded her head and I was assigned Table 4, Seat 3. Sherry was born on March 4th, that’s the 3rd month and 4th day, so I thanked her (Today, everything is automated, so that could not happen ) and asked Wayne if he wanted to get some breakfast but he said he had to wait for Renee, his beautiful wife; we agreed to meet in 30 minutes and I went out for my talk to the poker gods while I smoked the remainder of my Partagas Series D #4; a absolutely great breakfast smoke and one of life’s little pleasures that everyone should try at least once.

During the third round of the tournament I heard my deceased wife’s (Sherry Lillian Crump Ballew) voice say to me, “Two of Hearts.” I actually spun around in my seat to look back but no one was there. I was momentarily stunned. The dealer said, “You turn, sir.” I just shook my head to try to clear the emotions and breathed a deep sigh of relief.

Then, I looked down to find the two of Spades and the two of Diamonds for a pocket pair of two’s as my hole cards. I just shook my head and thought, “What a weird coincidence.” Then I thought about being an old man in his rocking chair that was passing time watching people pass by; this old man’s best advice was “You will only regret the things that you don’t do, not the things that you actually do.” So I just smiled inwardly and took his advice as I called the bet.

A small nothing flop came up and I checked; my opponent on my immediate right bet half his chips, no one else had called his bet yet and now it was my turn. While the flop looked harmless, it was still three over cards to my low pair for me. I usually refrain from acting in a hurry, so I thought, “Did I really hear that?” I decided to make the call simply based on the theory that we usually regret the things that we do not do rather than the things that we think that we should do.

The turn brought another over card but not any paint. My opponent moved all-in and I kept thinking. The guy asked me what was taking so long and I told him that I thought that my deceased wife had told me the card that would come up and that if it did, that I would probably win the hand. He laughed in disbelief, so I called, turned over my pair of twos and told him that Sherry said I was going to get the two of hearts. No one could believe that I was that crazy to call off my chips as one smart aleck said, “That’s a first – A ‘Ghost Call’.” Several players laughed aloud while others just smiled and shook their heads.

The dealer burned a card, and then he turned over the river card – the two of Hearts!

Some of the players at the table actually said, “Good call.” I shook my head and said thanks silently to Sherry as I glanced up to Heaven where my angel was looking down, still protecting her family.

The next day, that same guy brought one of his friends over to me to have me verify the story.  I finished in fourth place in that tourney (a $20+$20 Buy-in event) out of 260 players and won $3,349.

Upon returning to my home in Pleasanton, CA I called Julie, my daughter. I found out that my daughter Julie and her husband Chris had both been laid off that week, so I drove the short distance of about 40 miles to Brentwood, CA to see her in person. Her wonderful twins were sleeping and we had some coffee. I decided to tell her my story about playing poker. I gave my daughter, Julie, the money and told her that it was a gift from her mother by telling her this story. My beautiful daughter Julie had tears in her eyes as she hugged me so hard that I knew she was thinking about her mother, Sherry.

Sherry always had a way of making me a better man and she did it this time, too. We all still miss her; still to this day her memory is alive in us.  I think of Sherry every day that I walk this earth because sherry gave me Julie and Nathan plus our loves still lives.

Family is not about “things” but rather family is about the intangibles of the soul and remembering our family members that are awaiting us in Heaven; as long as we live, Sherry will be alive in our minds and hearts. Sometimes, if we truly believe, we can actually hear them talk to us.

I still find this story incredible; but then I remember that Sherry did it for her daughter, Julie; I was just the messenger.