Treviso Poker Circuit: The Final Table.

We had our final poker night last night. The Treviso Poker Circuit at Casino Rivero...
We've been playing almost weekly for the last nine months, and all in all it's been quite a rivalry. With five seats and two wild-card positions, last night's double-header seemed the appropriate way to conclude this year's tournament.

At the final table:
Hansi "countin' cards" Raber
Guillermo "straight face" Rivero
Daniel "false idol" Hirschmann
Mark "capitán huevos" Argo (pictured)
Ann "no bluff" Poochareon
Juan "princess" Ospina
and myself, Andy "lay off the juice" Smith

Generally, the house has a distinct and suspicious advantage so going into the first game last night we all keep a keen eye on Rivero. Soon into the game, Argo dropped Poochareon on a flopped straight and Ann tossed her chips across the table before storming out of the room. Hansi soon followed losing on a poorly played high card.
Then it was Rivero, Argo, and myself (Ospina and Hirschman having a seat at the final table already). Tensions were high as it seemed Rivero had higher stacks than Argo and me. And sure enough, after trading stacks for a few hands, Rivero took me out. He went all in, and I called. Like a sucker. Like a moth to a flame Rivero pushed me out of the game.
Not long after that, however, Argo took Rivero down with a well-played two pair. The house doesn't always win.

The final table, one last game: I was very serious. I was determined. As the year's statistics read, I had a five or six game streak in the first half of the year, but couldn't seem to find it again for the rest of the year. And indeed, Argo had come up on top for most of the recent games. Yet again, Rivero had the house advantage.
Game on!
Poochareon dropped out almost immediately. And after a few hands Ospina seemed to have the highest stake while I had almost nothing. Raber took a big pot, then Argo after that. I went all in on a pair of sevens and survived. Hirschmann was the next to go, kicking a screaming after a losing a two-pair split down to the high card, which he didn't have. Chips circled the table for a while after that until Rivero and Argo went head to head. And Rivero took it.
Four remained: Raber, Ospina, Rivero, and myself.
Hansi folds on the flop and on Fourth Street Rivero goes all in. Ospina calls. I call too.
I took them down, knocked them both out, giving a significant advantage against Raber's meager stack.

Argo presented the cash prize of 70 euro and Raber and I went hand for hand, not much chip movement. Raber went all in on three different hands but each time I folded, not having the cards. The fourth time I called, and Raber took it, but I still held a bigger stack. A setback, that perhaps Raber could take advantage of? No. I went all in on the next hand, Raber called, and that was it.

I collected my winnings.

Thus concludes the Treviso Poker Circuit.