Q-10 - The Greyhound

The hand Q-10 has been making quite a name for itself lately. It won some key pots in the $10,000 buy-in world championship event at the World Series of Poker, including the winning pot at the end. It also won some key pots at Bellagio's $10,000 no-limit hold'em tournament. But did you know that this hand is known as "The Greyhound" by many people who play tournament poker in Las Vegas? It got its name because of a good no-limit hold'em tournament player I first met while playing in the daily no-limit hold'em tournaments at the Desert Inn. His name was Earl Sexton. Those of us who played in poker tournaments with Earl will never forget him or the hand he made famous, "The Greyhound." Earl loved to play in no-limit hold'em tournaments at the Desert Inn, The Orleans, and other properties. While he was playing, he always had something on the table next to him. It was called a greyhound - not the dog, the drink. He loved to drink greyhounds, which consist of vodka and grapefruit juice. Since the greyhound was his favorite drink and Q-10 was his favorite hand, it was only natural that Q-10 became known as "The Greyhound."

Earl was an excellent no-limit hold'em player in the small tournaments around Las Vegas. However, his finest moment was at the World Series of Poker a few years ago. I shall never forget the night I sweated him in a single-table satellite for a $2,500 seat in a WSOP no-limit hold'em tournament. It came down to Earl and one other player. Earl played perfectly and won the satellite. Then, the next day, he finished in 10th place in the tournament, playing against the best players in the world.

There were about 30 of us who used to play in those no-limit hold'em tournaments at the Desert Inn every afternoon. We played hard against each other, always trying to win the tournament, but enjoyed ourselves. We would cut up and carry on with each other, making jokes and talking about the bad hands someone won with. Earl and all the others played their best game, but everyone had a good time while doing it. That is important. You should want to play poker to win, but you should also want to have a good time. If you cannot have a good time playing poker, you should not play the game. I see so many players who are miserable all the time. They moan and groan about their bad luck and all the bad beats they keep getting. Here is something you should remember about bad beats: If you rarely receive a bad beat, you are probably playing in a game that you cannot beat.

After the Desert Inn closed its poker room, I still continually ran into the poker friends I made while playing poker there. I usually see many of them at the Monday night no-limit hold'em tournaments at The Orleans. I also see them at The Mirage, Bellagio, Binion's Horseshoe, and anywhere else around Las Vegas where there is a small or major poker tournament. It is still a lot of fun playing in tournaments with these players. If you have fun while playing, you will make the game more enjoyable for everyone and will make new friends, which is another positive aspect of playing poker. Play your best game and play to win, but always play with a positive, cheerful attitude. It will definitely pay off for you in the long run in more ways than one.

I am sad to say that Earl died a few years ago. He played the game well, and he played it with a cheerful attitude. It was fun to play in tournaments against him, even though he was a very tough opponent. I am sure he was looking down from heaven and smiling when he saw Q-10 win this year's World Series.