Why, oh why, did I fold?

Anyone who's ever played poker will tell you that every so often you just get one of those feelings that you are going to connect with a hand; today I got one of those, in a big way, yet I laid it down.

If you asked 100 poker players what their favourite starting hand is, the majority will tell you Aces or Kings (mostly Aces). Big Slick (AK) would probably be one of the worst, it's the kind of hand you want to get, and you want action, but not too much - and invariably you end up getting it all-in against an underpair and bust out.

Now, ocassionally you will bust out to a complete rag hand, like 4-7 suited, played by someone who is hoping to connect in a big way, against a monster hand. I've often limped with 4-6 or 5-7 suited, prepared to lay it down to a raise, or if I don't connect.

Today I was playing in a $3 SNG, and it was the 3rd hand of the game. I picked up 4h-7h from the button and, when there was no pre-flop action, I limped. The SB immediately trebled the bet and this was min-raised by the BB. It was folded round to me and just about every fibre was telling me to push - get it all in the middle, you can't lose.

It was insane. Perhaps it was somewhat due to the fact that I was a little bit on tilt from a hand that had busted me out of a MTT 5 minutes before, but the gambler in me wanted to go to war with this hand. I convinced myself it was the 'tilt' talking and laid it down.

The SB makes the call and the flop comes down Kc-5c-8h. I smirked that I would have picked up a gut-shot, and with the flop action I most probably would have folded if I had just flat-called the pre-flop bets.

I was convinced that a 6 was going to hit the turn, and sure enough out pops the 6h. This completes my straight and gives me not only a flush draw, but a bellybuster straight flush draw.
I was now literally praying that a heart came down on the river and that one of the other players would have out-flushed me; I absolutely hate watching hands that I would have won if I'd stayed in, especially when there's lots of action.

This turned to complete disbelief when the river came down; 5h. Incredible, I would have rivered a straight-flush. I was speechless and hanging my head in dismay. How could my gut feeling have been so right.


Now, people will say that they get these feelings all the time and you have to learn to ignore them and play percentage poker. That's what I've been trying to do for the past year, with limited success. And the amount of times I've busted to someone playing this type of hand (see some of my previous blog entries), means it is sometimes a good percentage play to call big pre-flop raises with these hands, as if you connect you are going to get paid - big time.

Gott'a love those Quad Aces

Last year I played a lot on PKR, but after a run of horrendously bad beats busted my bankroll and moved on to other pastures. I've since been playing at Pokerstars, Full Tilt, Ultimatebet, Titan, Absolute and more recently Pacific 888. Each of these has been via a free $50 bankroll that can be obtained from many poker websites, such as pokerstrategy.com, yourpokercash.com and pokersource.com. It's a great way to play poker for free, and I haven't spent a penny funding any accounts for well over a year.

In fact, to date, I've received $150 from pokerstrategy ($50 for Pokerstars + $50 points bonus and $50 for Pacific), $225 from yourpokercash ($50 for Ultimate bet + $10 points bonus, $50 for Full Tilt + $15 points bonus, $50 for Titan and $50 for Ultimate) and I'm waiting on $50 from pokersource (for CD Poker). I'm also applying for another $50 from bankrollmob.com (for Mansion).

That's a total of $375 so far, and potentially another $100 pending. Why use your own money to play poker when there's sites out there that will give you it for free.

Anyway, I got an email from PKR a couple of weeks ago saying that as I was a member of their forum and had made at least 10 posts, that I was eligible for a freeroll tournament. Your starting stack was based on your number of posts, and as I had only 10 my stack would be 300 chips (the most was 20,000!). I hate these freerolls, as everyone goes mad and pushes all-in with anything as it hasn't cost them a bean (I had a horrendous beat in a freeroll at Full Tilt recently, but that's another story).

Well, there were over 1,000 entrants and the prizes were peanuts, but I hadn't played PKR for almost a year so I decided to have a go, for a laugh. In fact, it had been so long that I had to install the PKR client as I had changed my PC in the mean time.

The blinds started at 50-100, so I had to make a move early and pushed with about the 3rd hand and got incredibly lucky against 4 callers. Up to over 1,500 I'm still mega short for the tournament structure so had to push with the next decent hand - which I won and doubled through.

To cut a long story short, my luck held long enough for me to make the money and I picked up a whopping $3.50 (hey, it's all profit).

So, I decided to put the whole lot on a $3.00 6-seat STT, and finished 2nd - $5.40 return, so now I'm up to $5.90. Another 6-seat STT, again 2nd - another $5.40 and I'm up to $7.50 (I've now doubled my initial bankroll).

For the last 2 weeks I've been playing in small $1 & $3 buy-in STT's and have been cashing almost every other game, mostly 2nd's. So I decided to play some heads-up, starting at the $1 level, and won four on the bounce. I've since moved up to $3 HU, and have also won 4 straight, the last two have been at PLO, where I seem to be up against opponents with no clue (hence they are playing at the $3 level).

My 8th straight HU win was finished off with an amazing hand. I had picked up Pocket Rockets the hand before (one suited) and after my opponents min-raise, I pot raised and he folded.
I showed the AA after he folded to show it was a serious raise. The very next hand I get the rockets again, but this time not suited. My opponent min-raises again and I pot raise to $750 - this time he calls.

The flop comes 3d-10s-Ad, and my opponent checks. I push all-in, hoping he hasn't got a decent enough flush draw to call, but knowing I have the house-redraw if he gets lucky.
He waits an eternity, then calls - turning over 4d-5d-5s-9d. An incredible call really, with such a low flush draw, but I suppose the gut-shot straight-flush draw (2d) was enough to entice him.

My hand improved immesurably on the turn, as the As gave me top quads, but he still had the inside straight flush redraw, and anything can happen on PKR, so I'm not counting my chickens just yet. The river is a safe 10c, and I've won my 8th straight HU game. Previous to this I'd never won more than 3 HU games in a row, so I'm quite please; especially as my PKR bankroll now stands at $33.24.


This is turning into one of those challenges you hear the poker pro's talking about - spinning up a large amount from nothing (such as Chris 'Jesus' Ferguson did, and Daniel Negreanu is attempting - but he started with $10).

Knowing my luck, I'll hit a wall and lose 5 straight games and half my bankroll in the process, but you never know; long may the streak last.

Seriously, check out these free bankroll sites (mentioned at the top of the post) - who can say no to free money!

A Tale of Two Queens

I've received a new lease of life playing MTT 'Sniper' tournaments; two days, two cashes.

Yesterday's post chronicled my venture to 14th place from 404 runners, and tonight's tournament had 418, and I managed to last to 41st.

I had some good luck and some bad luck on the way. I was totally card dead for about 30 minutes and was about 20 places outside cashing, so I new I had to double up in order to have a chance of making the money.

The night turned (in both directions) on pocket Queens, and both times I was up against AK.

My first all-in of the night came about half-an-hour into the second session, there were a couple of short-stacks at the table and I'm sitting in the SB with the ladies. An early-position short-stack pushes and this is quickly raised two positions later. I'm reasonably happy as I have them both out-chipped, but it comes to the button and he pushes. He has me covered by a couple of hundred chips, so now I'm not so confident that my Queens will hold up against 3 opponents.

I've no choice, if I want to cash I have to call. I'm not surprised to see some ragged hands from the first two pushers, but the button turns over AK and I have a bad feeling.

The flop comes down three diamonds, and there's the Ace. The only consolation is that I have a diamond draw, and hold the top diamond at the table. I'm praying for a diamond, but the turn makes the news worse; a K - the button has made to pair, but I still have the diamond redraw. I'm not even thinking about hitting a Queen, as I know there can only be one left, as another player also has one.

Miracle of miracles, the case Queen hits the river and I'm back in the game. In the past, it would have been me all-in with the AK, getting badly outdrawn, so it's nice to suck out once in a while. I did get my money in good, and was ahead pre-flop, so I suppose there's some justice.


The money bubble passes, so I decide to take some more risks and push pre-flop with pocket 9's and everyone folds, followed by pocket KK's, same story - the blinds are big enough, but with the KK you really want a call from someone after your bounty.

I don't get so lucky next time, when I pick up pocket 10's and instead of pushing I double the BB. There's an all-in from the cut-off and it's folded round to me. I have double his stack, so it's an easy call. Unfortunately he turns over the pocket rockets and, although I moan about big stacks sucking out on short stacks, I don't get that lucky, and I'm down to about 7k and just hanging on, with the blinds at 800/1600. I know I've got to make a move soon.


Amazingly, I fold pocket 8's when a medium stack player pushes a couple of hands later - maybe a bad move, but I didn't fancy my chances and waited, hoping for a better spot.
That spot came about three hands later, when I picked up the ladies again, for the second time tonight. They've been good to me over the last two days and, as spots go, it ain't gonna get much better. It's folded round to the BB, who doubles the bet. I insta-push and he seems to tank for ages. I'm hoping he was on the steal and will lay it down, but he's got me well out-chipped and it's probably a no-brainer call to try and take me out. With my stack my range could be very wide.

Eventually he does call and turns over AK, suited. It's a classic race, and the flop is kind. Jack high, with two diamonds (he doesn't have any, so he can't suck out like the way I went out last night). I'm sweating the turn and, inevitably, out pops the King. The river is a blank and I'm gone.


It's not really a 'bad-beat' as I was a 55% favourite going in. It was a coin-flip and I lost. I was happy to cash again and, thinking back, was amazingly lucky to hit a 1-outer a lot earlier, so I can be philisophical about the way this ended.

Anyway, I'll be back tomorrow to see if I can make it three cashes in a row.

Deep in 'Sniper' MTT

I haven't played a lot of Hold'em recently (been concentrating on Omaha hi-lo, with very mixed results) and I haven't played a big MTT for ages, so I decided to enter a 'Sniper' tournament on Ultimatebet (aka Bounty Hunter, Head Hunter, etc...).

I don't usually expect to go deep in these, but the format suited me, with 12m blinds, and I picked up a couple of hands early on that held up. After the first hour the blinds started to catch up with me and, down to 9k, I was all-in with KK, and it held up against AQ - somewhat unusual for me.

I'm not an aggressive player, really, so taking bounties was not going to make me a fortune - when I did get it all-in and was called, it was always by a bigger stack (looking to take my bounty, no doubt) and incredibly my hands were holding up.

My luck changed after the 2nd break, when I limped with pocket 6's, and there were 3 callers. The 2-4-7 board didn't look too scary, so I pushed. It got through 2 players, but not the 3rd, who called and turned over Queens.

I was now down to my last 6k and found suited connectors, so had to push. Incredibly, I sucked out and hit a straight on the river and was back in action.


The very next hand, I find pocket 10's and immediately decide I am going to push - the blinds are big enough to steal. However, there was an all-in and a call ahead of me. I tanked and used up all my allowed time before deciding 'what the heck, I should have been gone on the last hand', so I pushed it in anyway.

I was delighted not to be up against an overpair, but had to dodge an Ace and a King. Incredibly I did and trebled up, taking two bounties in the process.


Of the 404 starters, I am currently 12th out of the 16 left, after my top pair on the board was beat by slow played Aces - I could have done my stack, but am still alive.

So sick, I'm out. Picked up Ah-Qh on the BB, with a min-raise from the UTG and everyone else folded. I push and he calls (not instantly). He's got Kc-Qd, so I have him dominated; just no King!!!

The flop comes down 7d-Js-3d, the hard part out of the way. The turn is the 4d, so now he's picked up the flush draw, and wouldn't you believe it, the Jd hits the river and I've busted out to a flush; insane.


The exact same thing happened earlier in the tournament and I had A-Q on that occasion, up against pocket 4's. I spiked the Ace on the flop only to lose to a runner-runner flush.

I've long believed that the deeper a tournament goes the more the table finds a way of busting out short-stacks when they are all-in against bigger stacks, and this just backs that up. There was a very noticeable pause before the river was dealt, as though the software was looking for a card that would bust me.

I suppose I did get lucky earlier in the tournament, and I cashed - for the first time in a long time, finishing 14th out of 404 runners.

How much worse can it get?

Here's a couple of examples of how bad I've been running lately.

I limp in from the BB, flop a straight, get it all-in, and my opponent hits quads on the river.


Amazingly, the exact same thing happened to me the very next day (I was too angry to take a screenshot), when I flopped broadway and my opponent calls me with a set of kings, and makes quads on the river.

I've been on the most amazing losing streak, and was down to the bare bones of my Full Tilt bankroll, so I decided to put it all on the line in a Pot Limit Omaha Hi-Lo cash table in the (vain) hope of doubling it, or more.

Hand after hand after hand I kept getting outdrawn. If I had a straight, he had a flush. If I had a flush, he had a house - no matter how much I bet I always got called and always got caught on the river.

I was down to my last $0.69 (from a $3.35 start) and limped in. I flop the straight (as above) and the guy before me bets out. I put all my chips in and he takes an eternity, but eventually makes the call. He's got 3rd pair, a gutshot (for a split) and a backdoor flush draw.

What happened next is truly beyond belief; runner-runner Aces to give him a full-house.
I'm still reeling from it as I write this; stunned into disbelief.


By my calculation that's over 270/1 (whether it be A-A, A-7 or 7-7). I know players moan about bad beats, but c'mon - be serious, I think I can be justified in feeling hard done by.