Friday, November 21, 2008

I owe somebody

Thursday night live game - hasn't started off great. I'm down one buy in, and my chip stack is back to my starting $40 after a rebuy. Mood is good, a bit too tired, probably - I've managed to win a few small pots and lose a couple medium ones. Cards have been mediocre. My good hands (KK twice, AK twice) have won me nothing but blinds so far).

A2o in the cutoff. Two limpers. I've had good discipline tonight - have folded some nice juicy connectors in early position, but this is
late position, and the guys behind me will probably let me see a cheap one, so I toss in the two chips. Can't play by the book every time...

I get the kind of flop you want to get when you get in cheaply with Ace-rag - Ace , 4 , 2 . Not bad. Top and bottom pair, with position. Let's see how this plays out.

Check, Check, then the player to my right bets $5. He's an average player - I've seen him go too far with top pair, even if it's a Ten. I've got him on Ace-x, and all I've got to do is hope it's and 8 and not a 4. I raise to $15. Everyone else folds, he thinks for a few seconds, then pushes all in. Uh-oh.

So let's see, a set? Maybe. He's not the "limp with Aces" type, so it would have to be twos or fours. Ace-4 is out there, as I mentioned. Would he try and push me off an Ace with something like 88? Don't think so, not this particular guy. Would he shove on a flush draw? Nah, maybe a pair and flush draw, but the Ace of the flush draw is on the board, what could he have there? 23 of clubs? Seems unlikely.

I finally decide it's between a set or an overplayed ace. Since I've seen him overplay top pair before, I call.

He turns over 89. Interesting. Someone says "aha, 2 pair vs. a flush". Don't you mean a flush draw, buddy?

Turn comes red, I still look ok.

My buddy Ed, to my left, deals the last card. He says "you're welcome" before I can see it. It's a deuce and I boat up. Odd. Why is he saying
"you're welcome", I've been ahead the whole time. Just because he didn't deal me the killer club?

We've still got the task of figuring out chip stacks - our chips we're almost dead even, so we begin stacking. Something is not right - I've got that hazy feeling of not quite understanding what's going on around me. I take one more look at the board before the cards are scooped up....

Ace , 4 , 2 ..... (!)

wait, 2 of clubs?!!? As in, there was a $%^%&* flush on the board? Sweet Zombie Jesus, I misread the board! Holy cow. I got all my money in with 2 pair on a flush board, and sucked out on the poor dude. As we're stacking up the chips, he says "nice hand" and I immediately reply, "thanks, but no it was not a nice hand. You played it much better than I".

I felt terrible for a complete round of the table. All-in-all, this horrible feeling after a suckout is a good sign for my poker career. "Don't focus on results" works both ways - you can't tilt off when someone sucks out on you, but shrug off horrible play when you luck out after getting your money in behind. In this case, way behind.

My badly botched double-up gives me enough chips to post a win for the night. For awhile, my cards stay chilly, so I fold my way through the evening. Towards the end, I play a few hands, including a pair of 5s that set up (I win a small pot on a scary 4 5 7 flop), and a nice 67 suited that I open for a raise in early position, whiff on the board, but C-Bet my way to another small pot. Final tally on the night is $63 won, over half of that on the misread board boat suckout, but solid play otherwise.