Last Hand of the Month....

I was playing the last hand of the last table of February. My other three tables were closed down. I had already checked "Sit out my BB", and I was under the gun.

I was down a buy-in this night - playing ok, but lost a few decent pots with pairs that didn't hold up. 40 big blinds with kings (ace on the turn facing a shove), eights against an aggro-donkey (I blinked), and also some moves that didn't work out (light 3bet that was cold-4-bet from the blinds).

I am dealt 5-6 of hearts on my last hand of the night. An auto-throwaway about 95% of the time from this position. Actually, check that - I just checked it out. I have seen 56s and 67s forty-seven times from early position, I have played it seven times. All 6 times before this one with an open raise.

This time, I limped with my 56s. It's not the best play, it's not +EV in any way, shape or form, but I had reason for my action in the form of a crazy 55/38 nutjob in the middle of the table, with a 19% 3bet percentage. I wanted to play this last hand of the month. If I raised and he 3bet, which he did often, I would definitely not have the odds to call and hit something, especially since this guy had just lost a big chunk of money and was down to 52 big blinds (one would correctly argue that I'm already not getting the correct implied odds to worry about stacking this short-stacked yahoo). But, crazy 3better, last hand of the month, I clicked call instead of fold or raise. I have no excuse.

Sadly, crazy 3better did something out of the ordinary and actually folded this hand. Instead, I took the flop 4 way with the blinds and one other early position player.

And a nice flop indeed. Six of clubs, Three of clubs, six of diamonds. I had trips.

The small blind came out firing with a three-quarter pot bet. He was a 16/13 with high aggression and a 100% cbet percentage. All that added up to this bet meaning nothing. He could have a three, two overs, a flush draw, a straight draw, ace high, or air. The "mantra "don't go broke in an unraised pot" flashed before my eyes as I clicked raise. Was I raising for value? Was he getting his stack in with worse than my trips, five kicker? I had visions of losing the kicker battle to king-six on my last friggin hand of the month - a fitting way to pay for playing like a donkey just this one time (even as I watch the 52/38 donkey play 100 hands and never pay for his continual donkeyness - but no, me, the "student", will play one hand a month in a fishy way and stack myself with it).

The blind called my raise. Smelled like a six, a straight draw, 2 clubs, or 45. God forbid it was 33. This player wasn't going to play a big pot with 77. (actually, he probably would have isolated my limpy ass with any pair). He had a strong hand already, or a draw to one). My head was spinning trying to figure out which one...

Until the turn came. A glorious five of clubs. I had just passed up all the other sixes. I had passed up pocket threes. I had passed up everything, as I held the immortal nuts. Furthermore, if the villain was calling my raise to hit a flush draw, then he just hit it, and was probably ready to put a bunch of money into the pot, drawing dead.

The villain checks. I make my bet - $1.30 into a $2.00 pot, hoping I get raised. My hopes are realized - he raises to 4.50, committing himself. Flush time or a big six. We get rid of the suspense and get our stacks in, and he shows eight of clubs, nine of clubs - a flush, and drawing dead.

Check that. Not drawing dead. Drawing nearly dead. A seven of clubs will give him a gutshot straight flush to the nuts, and will give me the virtual version of the same thing. I have one out to dodge...

I flinch as the river card comes, but it's a harmless eight of hearts. My session goes from down a buy-in to near-break-even. My month stats improve, and my year-to-date stats take a nice jump as well.

The donkey is rewarded.