I went to Casino Niagara last night. I've played enough private poker games with friends, but never had I tried 'Holdem 1-2 No Limit at a real casino. Yesterday was the first time.

As soon as I sat down at the table, the dealer demanded $5 from me -- sessional fee for half an hour. Fine. Then I had to post $2 big blinds to get into the game right away. Fine. There are 11 players.

The cards I got in the first round were unbelievably good. Ace diamond and King diamond. Ho-ho. I immediately raised to $20. Three other guys called, including the middle-aged bearded dude wearing a cap at the other end of the table. There was one guy before me in the sequence.

Flop: 9 diamond, 4 hearts, 2 diamond. Potential flush draw. Time to start luring in the big fish. Someone raised another $15. I called. Another guy folded.

Then the bearded guy decided to go all in. He's got a mix of chips and cash lying on the table.

"How much has he got?" I asked.
"He's got a couple hundred there, and he's calling you all in," answered the dealer. Ah, so those $50 bills beneath those chips also count.

What would you have done if you were in my shoes, now that you've committed $35 into the pot already? Put in the cash and hope another diamond comes up?