Aces Busted!

I was playing in a $10 SNG on Pokerstars, which was down to 6 players (from 9) and I was in 3rd position with two shorter stacks to act in front of me and the two big-stacks right behind me.

The player to my right pushes his last 900 (or so) chips in; I've got about 1,200 and AK sooooted. It's an easy call, but I'm worried about the players to act behind me, so I push everything in and cross my fingers (I got burned a while back pushing with AK only to be called by AA & KK).

The player to my left folds, but the last to act pauses for about 15 seconds and makes the call.
The cards are flipped up and, guess what, I'm up against AA again! God knows what the player behind me was thinking, calling with TJ off, for over 1/3rd of his stack, but he hits a miracle flop of 9d-Qd-8h (he must have thought he'd died and gone to heaven).

It wasn't all over, as my AK was Diamonds; I had plenty of outs - the AA player would have been crying into his keyboard by this time. The turn is another Q and this gave the AA some hope (another Q, or the case A would have filled his house).

Luckily, my saviour came on the river (doesn't it always), with the beautiful 2d. It was one thing to have busted the AA, but to come from behind and beat the flopped straight was something else.

I managed to make it to heads-up (10.5k v 3k behind) and doubled through once and took down a big pot later, to take the chip lead (5k v 8.5k). Then, with 10-8 suited I put in a big raise from the small blind, that is quickly called. The flop comes down 8-9-J and with bottom pair and an up & down straight draw I raise to about half my opponents stack. He instantly pushes and I have a decision to make. Knowing that hitting any pair heads-up is usually good I put him on a flush or straight draw and make the call.

He turns over 9-2 (how the heck did he call my initial pre-flop raise with that?). His push on the flop is legitimate, but he should never have been in the hand. My 8's are now behind to his 9' so now I need an 8 for trips or a 7/Q for my straight. 5 on the turn and 6 on the river changes nothing and now we are back to where we started; 11k v 2.5k.

Two hands later I push with K-5 suited and get called by A-9; I hit my 5, but needless to say he hits also hits his A and it's all over. Oh well, I was quite lucky to be in the money at all, so mustn't grumble.

Is it better to be lucky than good?

I haven't been playing as much poker online recently, and for a change from the standard SNG's that I usually play I decided to enter a MTT - and had one of my best results for a while.

It was a 180 player tournament on Pokerstars and it started off in the usual style, with me making some loose calls with marginal hands and not really hitting anything.

All but out!
About an hour into the tournament I had accumulated about 5,000 chips (from a starting stack of 1,500) and picked up pocket 10's in the cut-off. I put in the standard 3xBB raise and got called by the BB.

The flop came down Q-3-Q and the BB checked. Hoping my 10's were good (and he'd missed with A-J, or something) I put in a pot-sized bet and the BB immediately came over the top.

I kinda knew, deep down, that he had the Q - but I was virtually pot committed and made the call for the rest of my chips. Sure enough, he turns over J-Q and I am way behind. My tourament should have been over until the miracle 10 hit the river and I completed a full-house.


That was incredibly lucky and I felt sorry for the other guy (for about a nanosecond); but I've been on the receiving end of that kind of bad beat many times and felt I was about due.

Another miracle river
The very next hand I picked up pocket K's. The UTG made a standard raise and I doubled it. The same opponent pushed his last 300 (or so) chips into the pot and the UTG player called.

The flop was Q-4-4 and the UTG bet 1/2 the pot. I raised enough to put him all-in and he made the call.

The SB (short-stack) had paired a Q and another one came on the turn. I wasn't too worried about him, as the main pot was against the UTG. To rub salt into the wounds of the BB, I rivered another K for my second consecutive Full-House.


I was now up to just under 28,000 chips and well above average - placed about 8th with half the 180 player field gone.

Quad Jacks
I managed to knock another player out about 10 hands later when I found myself in the cut-off with pocket J's. It was folded round to me and I put in a 3xBB raise, which was called by the BB.

The flop came down J-10-Q (two diamonds); although I had made a set there were still straight and flush possibilities out there, so I couldn't be too comfortable.

The BB put in a small bet, less than half the pot, so I tripled it. He pushed over the top, all-in, and I made the call.

He turned over 10-5 of diamonds. It could have been worse, he was only on both a straight and flush draws, but didn't have any sort of made hand yet.

The turn 7 was a blank, but the J on the river gave me quads, and my opponent was gone.

I was now up to 42,000 and quite happy.

Backdoor Flush
I had been biding my time for about half another hour and a half and had built my stack to about 52,000 when I got into a hand I probably shouldn't have. We were at the final table and there was only 6 players left.

I was in the SB and flat called with 10-8 off. I had gotten into a hand with the BB very early in the tournament and lost half my stack. I congratulated my opponent at the time, only to receive a torrent of abuse and to be called a donk, as I had called his all-in. He had pocket 8's and I had K-Q suited. I was happy with the call as I had put him on some sort of pair, like 10's or J's and I liked the odds with my overcards.

So, there was some history between us, and when the flop came down 8-9-7 I had hit middle pair. I put out a 2/3 of the pot sized bet to see where I was and he immediately came over the top; all-in.

I went into the tank and used almost my entire time-clock before making the call. The bubble had passed and I was happy enough to have cashed (first time in a while). I was convinced he had overcards and a straight or flush draw (something like K-J or Q-J, maybe suited); it turned out to be much worse! He had A-9, for top-pair, top-kicker, and I thought my tournament was over.

I needed some help; another 8 or a 6 or J for a straight. I had plenty of outs, but felt my luck had finally run out. The turn was another spade; this gave me some more outs as my opponent did not have a spade.

Sure enough, another spade came on the river and I had made a backdoor flush - horrible bad-beat for my opponent, but I felt it was some sort of karma for the way he had behaved earlier in the tournament.


I was up to nearly 120,000 chips and massive tournament leader. The tournament went on for about another hour until we were down to 3-handed and I found myself totally card-dead. Hand after hand I folded and the increasing blinds and antes started to chip away. I never improved on my stack and lost 4 or 5 marginal hands.

I then blew half my stack on a semi-bluff with both straight and flush draws, only for the opponent to put me all-in. I made the call and missed. Down to less than 50,000 and with 2,000 & 4,000 blinds it was only a matter of time before I pushed with a marginal hand.

Eventually I found myself with suited J-9 and pushed my last 32,000 in. I was called by Q-10 and had to come from behind. Naturally, the Q hit the flop and I never improved.

After nearly 5 hours I finished up in 3rd place and collected a nice prize; enough to sustain my bankroll for a couple of months; but it could have been so much better.