Speaking of Cutting Tools...I was at the Casino the other day.

Along with my love of cutting tools - sick I know - I also have a love for Poker. (and occasionally a hate for it too) Now I am NOT another "Johnny come lately" although my name is John and well, on second thought - lets not go there. Fair enough to say that I've played poker on and off for many years.

So I'm at the Soaring Eagle Casino in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan playing $1-2 no limit Texas-Hold'em Poker. For those of you who do not know, Mt. Pleasant is the home of Central Michigan University so there are plenty of college folks sitting at every poker table. This is good and this is bad because they are good and they are bad. Some of these young men and women are really good poker players while others probably should stick to the books as it would be much less expensive. There, that was said nicely, right?

We all talk about our bad beats and I am no different. I have about $200 in my stack and am sitting in the #4 chair. I look down at pocket J's. The #2 chair raises to $45 pre-flop. I was the only caller. The flop comes down: K J 4 and its a rainbow. So I've flopped trips. #2 bets $50 into a $93 pot. Don't ask me where the button is because it doesn't matter. I go all in for the rest of my $200 and he immediately calls. Now, this guy had been playing tight while I was there and I knew he had a big hand but when he turned over pocket Kings to show me drawing just about dead, that was not a good feeling. Luckily he had fewer chips than me so I still had about $40 left after the hand. Yes, of course I lost that...did you think I was gonna get that last Jack out of the deck. That only happens against me. See, told you sometimes I hate poker.

I don't like being short stacked so I bought another $150 to get back close to $200. The very next hand I see 10-J and call a small $15 pre-flop raise. The cards come down 8 9 Q. So I flop the straight. Now, the #5 chair was a very aggressive young man and so I checked it to him. One little smooth check and I think I am a Poker Genius. So #5 bets $40 and I just smooth call. I am the MAN! The turn comes out J. Crap, thats one of my down cards, now this is not such a fun hand anymore. I led out betting $50 at him this time and I didn't move a muscle while he looked at me, talked to me and tried to get info. It was funny, he said stuff like "So, top two pair is no good eh?" and "I think you're hiding in the bushes" Too Funny. He made all the right guesses but still couldn't fold his Q J and pushed all in which I, doing my best Phil Helmuth chip push into the table, immediately called. #5 looks at me with a bit too much comfort for me and says, "I still have outs". I knew it was over at that point and I watched as, no not a Q or J came out but the 10 did and we split the pot. Man, I hate poker!

I busted on pocket nines when I called "Mr. All-In" from seat #9 with my pocket 9's that had caught Trips on the flop only to have him have flopped the straight. So, it was off to the Kiddie-Game. 3-6 limit for me. Did I mention that I hate poker?

You know its funny, at the 3-6 table I was so aggressive, I turned $60 into $240 in about 8 hands. Have you ever played $3-6? People there are calling machines. They catch a pair of 2's on the flop and call you all the way down where if they are against me, they usually catch another 2 and beat my K's with an A kicker. Thats poker. The flip side to that is when they catch it and they turn over 8-2 with a two-2's on the board and look at me and say, "Oh wow, nice hand" as I turn over the Ace high flush that I flopped. I Love Poker!

Remember: Gamle with Chips not Tools. Buy your cutting tools and inserts at www.toolinghouse.com. That's always a GOOD bet!