Ice Cold Deck

It's been a crazy night for me on Pokerstars - the deck has been as cold as ice.

Backdoor flush.
I entered a 180 player MTT and was biding my time for about the first 20 minutes, when I found myself UTG with Pocket Aces. I put in a min-raise and got one caller.

Flop comes down a harmless looking 8s-7h-Qd (rainbow) and I put out a half-pot sized bet, which is immediately called. Turn comes 4d, still looks harmless and I put my opponent on either a Q or a straight draw (perhaps 9-T or T-J). So, I double my first bet, and again it is insta-called.

Now I'm thinking that he might have 7-8, or Q-7, or he's slow playing Kings (thinking I might have A-Q). The 6d on the river is a scare card, as it puts both a flush and a straight out there, so I just check the river and he also checks, turning up a backdoor diamond flush. I got away from that one relatively lightly.


Another nightmare flush.
About 5 hands later, probably still smarting from my Aces being busted by such a fish, I re-popped a pre-flop raise with A-Q off, and my opponent put me all-in.

I hesitated for about a nanosecond and called, to find myself up against Jack's. It was a classic race and the K-6-3 flop didn't do me any favours.

The turn, however, was good to me and I spiked the Q I needed to take the lead. Unfortunately it didn't last long, as the 3s on the river gave my opponent a flush, with a 4-spade board. If only I'd had the As to go with my Q. Anyway, that was the end of the tournament for me.


Aces over Aces
I also have to mention a hand that was played out earlier in the game; one I am glad to say I managed to get away from unscathed.

I was in early position with Pocket 8's. UTG flat called and I put in a standard 3xBB raise. Two seats behind me the player tripled my raise. It was folded around to the button who pushed all-in. This was quickly called by the UTG and I had no option but to lay down my measly middle pair. The player behind me called as well.

The button turns up Pocket T's, and both other players flip up Pocket Aces; boy was I glad I didn't get involved. The flop is all Hearts, as is the turn and UTG has had his Aces busted by a flush. Incredible hand and incredible bad luck for the UTG player.


Drawing dead (almost) before the flop!
After busting out of the MTT, I entered a 9-handed SNG and was sitting reasonably pretty after about 25 hands and had picked up a scalp when my Pocket 9's turned into a set against a short-stack who had pushed all-in with A-8.

I picked up AQ suited in the cut-off position. There had been a min-raise, which was doubled by the player before me. I was debating whether to re-pop or just flat-call when my internet connection died and my hand was folded. I was gutted, as the min-raiser folded and the re-raiser picked up the pot.

My next hand was Pocket 8's and I folded to an all-in from a shorter-stacked player (would have been for about half my chips) and this was followed by Pocket 4's which I laid down to a sizeable raise from an early position player.

The next hand was AK (off), from the BB. The cut-off had put in a 4xBB raise, to $200, which had been called by the SB. Worried about my internet connection again, and knowing that it was the same two players I had folded the AQ suited to, I immediately pushed all-in.

My opponents calls (both of them) could not have been any quicker and they turned up Pocket Kings and Pocket Aces respectively. I am essentially drawing dead, unless the board brings T-J-Q, or 4 clubs.
The flop does bring a J, but all spades, and the player with Aces has the As, so I am now drawing dead to runner-runner straight cards (avoiding another spade) and the 6h on the turn ends my day.

This was just another example of how cold the decks have been tonight on Pokerstars, I've never seen anything like it.

Backdoor Quad Aces

Kick the short-stack when he's down

It was a bit of a different story tonight, I was hitting hands and they were holding up every time (unlike last night where I had plenty of good starting hands and kept attracting callers who caught me up on the flop, turn or river).

I only lost two races the whole game, and both times I went in behind; unluckily for me the second one was the last hand of the game and I finished 2nd.

Earlier I was in the cut-off and it was folded around. I flat-called for $150, as the button was very short-stacked and I knew he was likely to push with any decent hand. I wouldn't normally play such a rag-ace, but felt justified as I could have been up against K-Q or K-J.

The Button only called, the SB folded and the BB checked. The flop came A-Q-J. The BB checks, as do I, and (of course) the Button sticks in his last $100. It's a relatively easy call, given the size of my stack, but I am sure that I am ahead, as if he was holding any Ace he would have pushed pre-flop.

Indeed, he's got K-2 and only a gut-shot Broadway draw. The turn and river were miraculous runner-runner Aces and I ended up with top Quads. Why can't that happen when it really matters?

The danger of slow playing

Getting too greedy

The hand illustrated below is the ultimate example of the dangers getting greedy and slow playing a monster flop.

It's early on in a Pokerstars Sit 'n Go and, from middle position, I catch pocket 9's. A standard 3xBB raise sees only 1 caller. Now, the odds of hitting a set, on the flop, from any starting pocket pair is about 7/1 (you will make a set, on the flop, one out of every 8 times you are dealt a pocket pair) - so when the flop comes A-8-9 rainbow I'm rubbing my hands and thinking, "How can I maximize this?"

I check the flop and my opponent leads out with a $200 bet. I hesitate, then call. At this stage I definitely put him on and Ace, probably with a 10 or J kicker. The turn brings another 8, and at this stage I'm slightly worried - if he's got A-8 then he's filled up his boat, bigger than mine.

Again, I check and he puts out the same $200 bet, so I'm still confident he has only Aces-up. The river is an absolute killer card; another Ace. Now, any rag ace in his hand is beating me.
Of course, he pushes the rest of his chips in and I'm facing a call for my tournament life.

I've still got $780 behind and could easily have mucked, put it down to experience - every fibre of me is telling me to fold. I had put him on the Ace early in the hand and was now 100% sure I was beat. I activated the time bank and mulled it over as best I could, and managed to convince myself that he may have been playing an 8 (something like K-8, suited) and was staking his life on 8's full of Aces; which I could beat - so I made the call.

Sure enough, A-10 (suited, of course) and my tournament was over, before it had really begun.
It's a sick way to get beat, but after reviewing the hand I know I shouldn't have been so greedy and re-raised the turn, with the board paired he could have put me on the 9's, or an 8 and laid down his pair.

The best pro's always analyse their hands afterwards and try to learn something from them. The truth of the matter is that I let my opponent catch me up. I was ahead all the way to the River - and should never have let it get there. I re-raise on the flop and the turn would have netted a nice profit and put me in a decent position to win. Lesson learned.