One time!

Oh, the trials and tribulations of Multi-Table tournaments.

I was playing in a 719 runner 'Sniper' (Bounty Hunter) tournament on Absolute this evening and experienced both the highs and the lows. Early on I had a piece of good fortune, and more than doubled my starting stack, when I flopped a set after calling a min-raise with pocket 2's

I had folded pocket 5's a couple of hands earlier, to an all-in, and would have made a set on the flop there - so I was set mining again, and was lucky enough to hit.

There were two other players in the pot, and I had them both covered, so I bet the pot (enough to put them both all-in), hoping one would call; both called and flipped up A-K and Q-J respectively; two-pair and an up/down straight draw - so I still had some cards to dodge.

The turn was the 4d, putting two diamonds on board, but there was no flush draw for either player, so I just had to dodge a Ten, Queen or Jack on the river. I was expecting the worst, but amazingly (one time) my set held up and I was in great shape.


I shipped half my stack a couple of hands later, when I called an all-in with pocket 7's and ran into pocket 8's. But I was patient and picked my spots and after 2 and 1/2 hours of play I had made the money (just). I'd taken 4 bounties on the way, so I'd more than covered my buy-in, but was in the bottom 10 of the tournament so would have to move quickly to be in with a chance of laddering and possibly taking down a good prize.

It was the first hand after the bubble, and the player to my left (in the BB) had announced, in the chat-box, that he was going to go all-in on this hand (not great etiquette), but there had been action before me from a very short stack who had pushed his last $5k, or so, and I had a decision to make, as I was holding pocket 3's.

I decided that I had to take a chance in order to progress, so I pushed all-in over the top, hoping that the BB had picked up rubbish and wouldn't stay true to his word. No such luck - he shipped it all-in, covering us both, so now it was in the lap of the gods. The cards were flipped up and the first player showed Ah-6C and the BB showed Kh-Qh.

I was dancing when the flop came down Ac-Kd-3s, both had hit their top pair, but I had hit my set and was in a great position to treble through and rocket into the top 10 of the tourney.

One of them was going to need runners to beat me, as any trips they might make would give me a house. Joy quickly turned to concern as the turn brought the Js, giving the BB a straight draw - now only a Ten on the river could end my tournament. There's a maximum of 4 in the deck, which makes me about a 90% favourite - but, hey, what are odds when your tournament is at stake against a bigger stack player - in my experience it's 100% that I am going to lose.

You can easily guess what's coming next - yes, the Th pops up on the river. I couldn't believe it - how freaking insane is that.


I've posted some bad beats on this blog, usually when I'm all-in with a pair against overcards, and they catch their card on the river - but to go runner-runner and make a straight after I had hit my set was just one of the sickest beats I have ever taken.

An hour has gone by since that hand, and as I write this I still can't believe it.
It's yet another one to add to my list of 'big stack gets all-in against shorter stack and sucks out' stories. If this doesn't prove my theory that it's impossible for a short-stack player to beat a bigger stack when all the chips are at stake then nothing will.

It's just so hard to take after you've played your A-game for nearly 3 hours. I got my money in good (I wasn't dominated by an overpair), so was ahead pre-flop, hit the flop, so was massively ahead, then lost to just about the only 2 running cards that could bust me.

It's going to take a long time to shake this one off.

Newsflash - P0kerJedi comes from behind to win a hand!

I know this is only a single hand of poker, but it means an incredible amount to me.

For once, I got all my money in bad and came out smelling of roses.

I've picked up pocket Jacks in mid position and put in a raise to $350 (blinds are $50-$100). It's folded all the way round to the UTG who had limped in previously - he is the only player to make the call.

Flop comes down 5s-Kc-8d and my opponent checks to me. I've got to assume he's weak, as he only limped pre-flop and only flat called my raise - so I put him on a low to mid pair.

I make my move and push all-in - he insta-calls and flips up A-K and my heart sinks. Anyone who's read through this blog will know how much I hate A-K, in fact, it's my absolute nemesis hand - and here was me about to bust out to it again.

The something very strange and unexpected happened. A Jack popped out on the turn!
I had to blink and take a second look; this kind of thing never happens to me, I got my money in bad and had come from behind, against A-K no less.


However, my luck was not to last. We had just got down to 4-handed (I had knocked out a short-stacked player the hand before holding A-4 against his Q-J), and I pick up pocket 3's in the Small Blind.

I consider all three options and was on the verge of just folding it, when I decided to limp. The BB immediately pushes all-in. I have him covered by only $600 chips, so this call is realistically for my tournament.

The 30 second clock runs down to 2 seconds and, begrudgingly, I make the call. Every fibre of me is saying "fold, goddamit fold", but I've often been too tight at the bubble of a tourney and been blinded out. I know it's a squeeze play, and he probably has an Ace of some description.

He turns over Ac-Qs, so at least I am not dominated by an overpair. But, my hope was dashed as the Ace popped out on the flop.

I've lost count of the number of times I've pushed with A-K or A-Q, been called by a small pair and it has held up. This was the other way round, and I still couldn't win.

To make things worse, the board ran out T-8-A-J-9 and he actually completed a Queen high straight.


Even if I'd called with pocket 8's, 9's, T's J's or Aces I still would have lost.

My earlier piece of good fortune with the pocket Jacks couldn't prevent me from exiting yet another game on the bubble.

This isn't funny any more

I've just busted out of a MTT to probably the worst, and luckiest, player ever.

Here's the scene: Blinds are 150/300 and I'm in the SB - it's limped around and I have Q-j, so I make up the BB and 4 of us see a J-2-3 rainbow flop.

I'm first to act and put out $490 into a pot of $600. This gets rid of two players, and (after an eternity) I get one caller.


The turn pairs the board (another 3), I consider pushing, but eventually put out a bet of $700 (into a pot of $1,580) - again, he smooth calls.


Now, I'm starting to think he might have an overpair, but if it were me I would have been re-raising by now, so perhaps he limped with A-3 and now has trips an he's trapping me.

The river comes down 6h and I'm perplexed. There were no possible flush draws or straight draws that he could have been calling me with (save 4-5), so I put him on perhaps a medium pair (7's - 10's) and he was possibly putting me on A-K or A-Q, either that or he was slow playing Aces to the max.

I decide my top pair with an over-kicker is probably good, so push my last $1,000 into the pot and it is immediately called.

Incredibly, he turns up Jc-6c. What the f**k?!?!? He called me all the way down to the river and got lucky enough to make 2-pair.


I don't mean to keep harping on about it, but this is just another example of a big stack player getting down to the river against a smaller stack and sucking out. Really, he's on a 3-outer to win the pot outright, and only an Ace or King on the river for a chop.

I know this isn't a classic 'draw' situation, where he's either up+down or on a flush, with multiple outs on the turn/river. He invested nearly $2,500 of his $4,000 chips on top pair - no kicker.

By rights, anyone who plays that bad deserves to lose all his chips, so why do these idiot keep sucking out on me?

I can't see any other way I could have played that pot - except, maybe, pushing all-in on the flop - but the idiot would probably have called with his top pair anyway, and I would still have lost.

I honestly don't know how many more of these insane bad beats I can take - poker isn't fun anymore. Every time I pick up Aces, Kings or A-K the first thing I think is "here's my opportunity to go bust", because I know I am going to get called by some idiot with a big stack, holding Q-J suited who'll make 2-pair, a straight or a flush.

Really, I could have lived with being slow played by Aces or Kings - I could hold my hands up and say "well played", but the way this hand went down is just sick.

Anyway, I'm off for more punishment - await another instalment of P0kerJedi's bad beats very soon.

And they say internet poker isn't fixed!

The debate will rage on forever as to whether internet poker is, in fact, a total fix.

Now, I don't believe that play is weighted in any single particular player (or type of player's style), but I am convinced that it is totally weighed in the favour of big stack players when all the chips are in against shorter stacks.

Check out these two hands that I've just played, and you'll see exactly what I mean.

Hand 1: Heads-Up Pot Limit Omaha

The guy has been running all over me, and I haven't seen a decent hand, in like, forever.
We both limp into this pot, and I've got about $500 behind (against his $2,500).

I flop a set of Deuces and a flush draw, so bet the pot. He raises, I go all in, he calls.
The Ah hits the turn, improving me from a set to a flush. He only has two outs in the whole deck, making him over a 20/1 shot to beat me - only one of the two remaining Queens can give him the hand, and the game.

The software pauses for, like, 5 seconds (seriously, no exaggeration) and out pops the Qs on the river.


Hand 2: 3-seat winner takes all Triple Up

We're down to two players, and my opponent has doubled up by knocking out the other player in the tournament.

I've got about $900, against his $2,700 and I pick up Qs-Th in the BB. He flat calls from the button and I push all-in. I figure his limp is quite weak and he won't call for 1/3 of his stack.

But, he does, in fact, make the call and turns up Ts-9d. I am in as dominating a position as you can be heads-up. He's only got 3 cards in the deck he can hit.

The flop is safe (I was expecting something like J-Q or 7-8). The turn pairs the board, so only the river to dodge and I'll have doubled up to about $1,800, and we'll be level in chips.

Again, the software pauses for about 5 seconds before peeling off the 9s on the river. It was about a 16/1 shot for him to hit one of the three remaining 9's - but amazingly the poker software managed to find one of them in the right place in the deck.


These two hands happened to me in two consecutive games. On both occasions we were down to the river and my opponent was behind, needing a miracle card.

By my calculations, the odds of me losing those two hands on the river is over 350/1, but time after time after time, when I get all my chips in ahead and am called by a player who has me covered, this continually happens.

It seems, the only way to play internet poker is to get your money in bad against a player with less chips and suck out on them.

Of course, if I were running one of these poker sites, I would want each and every game over in the first hand, so all the players can buy into another tournament as soon as possible. It's all about turnover. Poker rooms don't want games like this going on for any longer than is needed. Why, we could have played each of these games for another 10 minutes - 10 minutes that we could have spent buying into another game.

I only hope that one of these days I can post a hand in this blog where was all-in with less chips than my opponent and won - but don't hold your breath.

This never (almost) happens to me...

If you read through some of the posts on this blog you'll see some insane bad beats (virtually all of them against me), but tonight it was my turn to hand one out - kind of.

I'm in a 10-seat SNG and we're down to 6 players. I'm the short stack and have been waiting for a chance to make a move with a half decent hand.

I limp in UTG with a suited Ace (As-6s) and only the blinds stay in. The flop comes down 5h-Ac-9h, and the SB immediately puts $550 in the middle (enough to put me all-in). The BB, with quite a sizeable stack, gets out of the way, and I've got to decide if he's got a (slightly) bigger A, has hit 2-pair, or is on a flush draw. I tank for almost all my allowed time and decide that I've got the odds if he's on a draw (would make me a 4/6 fav), so I put myself at risk.

Sure enough, he turns over the Th-Jh and I've got to avoid a heart down the next two streets. No such luck, out pops the 6h on the turn. I'm not completely dead yet, as this has made my 2-pair, and miracle of all miracles, the 6c hits the river to complete my house.


This is the kind of insane runner, runner bad beat that I am usually on the receiving end of. Granted, I was ahead after the flop, so did get my money in good, but my opponent must have been absolutely seething at the cruel way he lost the pot.

He had me well covered, and got his revenge a couple of hands later when he got his last $400 in the middle and I called with pocket 4's. He turned over A-J and immediately hit his A on the flop.

I'd like to say that my luck has changed somewhat for the better, but I ended up going out of the tourney on the bubble when I pushed with a suited A-4 and ran into the BB with A-K (my nemesis hand, I either bust out with it, or bust out to it - countless times).

The sick thing is I had so many chances to put it all in with Q-T suited (would have hit two Q's on the flop) or J-9 off (would have flopped a straight), and I end up folding these hands until I get blinded down to a position where my all-in is easily callable by any two cards.

Crazily, at the bubble, there was a shorter stacked player who got all his chips in three times in a row, got called on each occasion, and doubled up all three times to take a massive chip lead. (he had, like, pocket K's, A-K & A-J suited).

I'm still waiting for the day when the deck hits me that hard.

What a way to go out

Following my earlier Heads-Up exploits, I entered a MTT with 81 runners.

After almost 3 hours of play we were down to 3 players, and I was the short stack at the table.
In the BB I picked up Th-3d, and the SB just limped.

The flop was 9s-4h-7d, and we both checked it. The turn brought the 8c, so now I have an up and down draw. Again, we both check.

The river turned out to be the killer - 6s. I've made my straight, and the top end of it too.
My opponent bets out $8k (from a stack of $51k), and I have $21k behind - so, of course, I move all-in. At worst I was expecting a chop, but the poker Gods were not that kind, and my opponent flips up Td-Js, for a better straight.


A double up there puts me on $47k, and makes me chip leader - instead I exit in 3rd, after my deepest MTT run for a very long time.

I really thought tonight was my night to make a breakthrough - I'd gotten my fair share of luck in earlier hands, most notably when I was all-in with the dreaded A-K, and got called by pocket 6's. I spiked my Ace on the turn and that put me in a good position to cash.

I'd also got all-in with Aces, very early on, against Jacks, and they held up. I also limped in with pocket 4's and spiked a set and doubled up against a player who'd hit 2-pair.

These are the kinds of hands I would normally be losing with, and things seemed to be going my way. On that last hand, when I completed the straight on the river I really thought that tonight was going to be my lucky night - instead, as usual, I ran into a sick hand. I can't really call it a bad beat, as I was never ahead in the hand, but this game can be so cruel sometimes.

He played it well, as he actually made his straight on the turn, and only checked it, and put a small enough bet out on the river that I had to push - so fair play. Any other card on the river and I can get away with most of my stack intact.

Oh, well - it's an improvement on recent results, so I should be thankful of a decent cash.

A chip and a chair

I've just been involved in the most insane game of Heads-Up Pot-Limit-Omaha, where my opponent literally came back from a chip and a chair with an insane run of winning hands.

After about 3 hands, I was 120 chips behind my opponent (we both started with 1500), when all the chips went in on after I had turned a straight.


I'm now massively ahead, and my opponent is down to $120. The sequence of hands that followed can only be described as miraculous.

It was quite obviously all going to go in next hand, after I flopped two pair. Of course, he hits the J he needs for a straight and has doubled up to $240


The very next hand I get dealt pocket Jacks and hit a J on the flop for a set, so in it all goes again.

Of course, he has an up and down draw and spikes the A on the turn and doubles up again, to $480.


I'm starting to get a bit annoyed that I haven't finished this guy off and fold a couple of rag hands to his pot bets.

Three hands later, he's up to $860, against my $2,140, and we both limp in. I spike 2-pair on the flop, and there's no made straight yet, so I pop it to the max and he raises. It all goes in again, and he catches the miracle 9 on the river to make a straight.


He's now doubled through and is chip leader, with $1,720, and I'm down to $1,280. I am totally flabbergasted.

The last hand (the very next hand) was the absolute cooler of a lifetime. I'm dealt pocket A's and raise pre-flop, he re-raises and I just call. I spike and Ace on the flop and, all the money ends up in the middle. He turns over pocket K' and had hit a K on the flop (alongside a harmless 4h).

I'm smiling from ear-to-ear as I've finally got him down to a one outer, the case King (or so I thought).

I hadn't even noticed his other two cards, and the board ran out 5s, 3s. No flush worries, and I was expecting all the chips to be shipped my way.

They all went in his direction and the game was over. The table closed and I was left staring at the poker lobby wondering what the hell had happened.

I had to go to the hand history to see how I'd lost. Amazingly, his other cards were 6c, 7h and he had hit a runner-runner straight.


The entire heads-up match lasted only 10 hands, of which I won 1 - the one I doubled through with the straight (hand 3). I had proceeded to lose 7 hands in a row, after all the money went into the middle on 5 of them, and on all 5 occasions I was ahead when the money went in and was insanely sucked out on.

I can't even begin to calculate the odds of that run of bad luck.

How sick is this?

How's this for losing two hands in a row, to runner runner!

I'm playing Heads-Up Pot-Limit-Omaha, and we're at about the 3rd level.
I've got a 1600 - 1400 chip lead, when this happens.

I flop the flush, and pot bet - he calls (no raise, with a bigger flush, or anything like that). Turn makes him a straght, with the 5. Again, I pot bet, he just smooth calls. River, another 5. I bet half the pot and he doubles the bet. I call, he turns over a full house. I know he was calling to hit an 8, a 6 or a 7, but to lose to a runner-runner pair is just a nightmare.

I've done about 600 chips, so the stacks are at 1800 - 1200. The very next hand (no exaggeration, I mean the very next hand), this happens.

We both check the flop, and I make my flush on the turn. So I bet half the pot, and he just flat calls. The river pairs the board (again), so I bet half the pot again. I get instantly re-raised.
My first thought is that he's bluffing and trying to get me off a small flush (which is essentially what I have), I mean, for Pete's sake, I can't have expected him to runner me again.

So, I call. Insane - he turns over another full house. Seriously, what are the odds that I would lose two hands in a row, where I made my flush, both to runner-runner turn and river paired boards.

That hand cost me half my stack, so I'm down to 600, versus 2400. No matter what hand I played I got out-drawn until I eventually got all my chips in (last 300) with top pair and a flush draw, and he sucked out with runner-runner to make a straight.

Recently I played a series of about 20 PLO heads-up on PKR and won 15 of them. So I know what I am doing and consider myself a pretty good heads-up PLO player. Over the last two days I have played 4 HU PLO games on Absolute, and lost all of them.

There's variance, and then there's variance. I won't be playing HU PLO on Absolute any more; unless I can learn to get it in with the worst hand and hope for the best.

Short-Stack all-in against chip leader - no contest.

I've often harped on about how a short-stacked player, in a SNG or MTT, who gets it all-in against a bigger stack always loses. Here's another example.

We're down to 4-handed (bubble) from a 9-handed table, and there's two massive stacks, and I have about equal chips with the 4th player. The blinds are starting to increase, so I have to make some moves, and I do so with pocket 6's, pocket 10's, Ad-Jd and A-K - on each occasion the other three players folded, so all I did was recycle the blinds.

Then, the other player with about the same chips as me doubles through the chip leader after hitting a flush on the river. Now, he was never all-in pre-flop, he played through the streets and only put it all on the line with the nuts, on the river.

So, now I am seriously in danger and have to move with anything bigger than the average hand. The next hand I pick up is As-6d, and from UTG I push. Fold, fold, call - the call is from the big blind with the biggest stack at the table. He turns over Ah-4h - so I've got him dominated, but as usual I am expecting the worst. I'm gearing myself up for the flush, when the flop comes down 3h-5s-2d, not the flush, but the next best thing, he's flopped the wheel.

It would have been bad if he'd just out-drawn me with the 4, the flush would have been just as bad, but to flop a straight when I got my money in good again is just sick.


There was a possibility of a re-draw, if a 4 had hit the turn or river. But, honestly, that was never in danger of happening. It was the only time in the whole game that I had been called when all-in, and I lost - with the better hand.

I don't know how many times I can keep saying the same thing. There are always lots of speculation about online poker being fixed. Day by day I am becoming more and more sure that it is. This kind of thing happens too often to be a coincidence.

I could live with the fact that he may have called with a better hand, and good luck to him. But to consistently get called by a worse hand and always lose, it starting to get a bit wearing.

Aces hold up, again!! A-K busted again (what's new?)

A few times a week I play in a 'Bounty Hunter' style MTT, and I've been doing reasonably well, cashing more often than not, but never getting in a position to make the final table.

Early in the tourney I had tried to pull off a bluff with T-J suited, after I completely missed the flop, and got called. I had lost half my stack, but next hand I picked up the Pocket Rockets, and min raised. I got two callers and the flop came down Kc-Qh-9d - no flush draws, but plenty of scary straight draws, so I overbet the pot, not really wanting any action, but the player behind me moved all-in; the 3rd player folded. Praying he had hit top pair, and wasn't holding T-J, I made the call (as he had me covered). He flipped up A-Q, so I was in good shape, but had recently lost to a player holding K-Q who made two-pair on the turn, so I still had to dodge another Q.

The turn was paint, but luckily the Kd. There was no possible flush, so he had a two-outer on the river and fortunately it was a brick, 7c. So I had more than doubled up and was again above my starting stack.


To cut a long story short, I made the cash (just) then, with only 6 BB's left I pushed with Kc-Jc and got no callers, but picking up the blinds and ante's was enough to bolster me for another orbit. However, I called a min raise with a small pocket pair and had to let it go on the flop, so I'd lost what I just picked up and was back to 6 BB's.

Next hand I picked up K-J again, and pushed again. This time two callers. The flop came J high, so I had to sweat it. It was checked down by the other two, and the best they could manage between them was pocket 7's, so I had tripled up to over $15k.

After the tourney break I picked up Ac-Kc and my first thought was "Here's my chance to bust out". I pushed and everyone folded; at least my $15k had some fold equity, even with the chip leader ($78k) at the table.

I wasn't so lucky a few hands later when I picked up the A-k (off) again. I bet 3xBB and got through everyone, except the BB. He waited forever before making the call. The flop came 8s-2h-9s. The pot was now more than my stack, and first to act I hd to push.

I got insta-called, and he flipped up Tc-Jc, for an open-ender. This was a serious deja-vu moment, as I had busted out of a tourney quite recently when holding pocket K's against a player with Q-T who had flopped a draw. He hit his on the turn that time, and wouldn't you just know it, out pops the 7s on the turn here, to make his straight.

I had a lifeline, in that there was now 3 spades on board, so any spade on the river makes my flush - but, hey, miracles like that just don't happen (at least when you're all in with a shorter stack than your opponent).


The Kd on the river was no consolation and, again, I've busted out after going deep in a tourney getting it all in with the best hand and getting badly out-drawn.

Crash and Burn

I followed up my PokerHeaven.com MTT with a 10-seat (pays 4) SNG.

I limped and folded a few hands, then picked up 9d-Th, and called a 3xBB raise, after there had been 3 other callers (had the odds). Flop came down Td-Tc-Ts, for flopped quads.

There was a pot-sized bet and two folds, and I flat called, then pushed on the turn and my opponent called with pocket Q's. Unlucky for him, but I think I was owed that one.


Very next hand I pick up Ah-Qh in the SB and 3x raise the BB. He flat calls and the board comes down Q high. I bet 3/4 of the pot and he instantly pushes all-in. Now, it's gonna cost me about 3/4 of my stack to call, and all the chips I just won with the quads. But I feel lucky and make the call - he turns up K-Q, so I just have to dodge a K; and I do. I'm now up to over $6k and massive chip leader.

However, I couldn't leave it alone, and got involved with 8h-Th on a flop of 8-9-Q. I flat called a min bet, and spiked a J on the turn for the straight. I bet out and am instantly put all-in. Now, I'd just folded top pair to an all-in from this player the hand before, so I thought he was bullying, and I called. Of course, he turned over K-T for a higher straight and I had lost half my stack.

I managed to build it back up to $4.5k, when it came down to 6 handed. I made a move with 9s-Ts, trying to steal the blinds, but I got a caller, then the short stack moved all-in. I made the call, only for the player behind me to call as well, for all his chips. They flip up A-Q and A-A respectively, so I am now drawing to only straights or flushes, neither of which came. Looks like I picked a bad spot!

I was now down to just over $2k, when the short stack pushes for about $1,200. I've found A-K so I make the call - he flips up pocket 4's. The flop comes down 9-T-Q, giving me a gutshot and two overs, but another Q on the turn and a brick on the river sees me now crippled.

I've gone from massive chip leader to just covering the blinds. We are on the bubble and I am UTG - with the blinds coming round I push the last of my $800 with 6c-5c, praying everyone will be tight as they want to cash. I get through 2 players, but the 3rd (who just crippled me with pocket 4's) pushes all-in to isolate. The BB folds and he turns over A-K - how insane is that.
I've just lost a massive hand holding A-K, then the very next hand that same opponent finds the same hand. The board runs out J-Q-7-9-9, without a club in sight, and I've gone out on the bubble.

There was a point at 6-handed that two players had less than a BB, and both were forced all-in and hit miracle cards to stay alive, but when I hit decent starting hands, I manage to lose with them. The two of them must have thought it was Christmas that I kept getting it all-in with monster hands and finding myself behind by the river. I literally went from chip-lead to bubble buster in about 10 hands, losing every big hand I played.

New site, same old story!

The software company I work for is partners (under a parent company umbrella) with a Poker software supplier, and they supply the software for PokerHeaven.com.

During an in-house testing phase I won some money in a freeroll and was given a €35 bankroll, and tonight decided to play with some of it. I entered a deep & steep MTT, and within a couple of hands was in action against a player who had lost about $3,000 (of $5,000) chips earlier.

I was holding Ks-Qd, called his min-raise to see a flop, heads-up. Tc-Jc-Ac hits the board, and my opponent immediately pushes all-in for his last $1,000. I credit him with a pair and perhaps a flush draw, so make the call with my broadway straight; he turns over Ad-Th, for two-pair, and no draw. Looks like I made a great call and was about to add over $2,000 chips to my stack, when the Ah hits the turn, filling his boat and leaving me drawing dead. I mean, for crying out loud, he's got 4 outs to win this hand and, with only a 15% chance.

Just once I want to make the right call and be rewarded.

A couple of hands later I pick up Qh-Td in mid position and flat call against four opponents. Flop comes down 9h-Jh-Ts, so I've got middle pair and an open ender. There's a min bet of 100, which I call and is called in one other spot. The turn brings the Kh (making someone a flush, if that's what they were after), and the first bet is $200, which is flat-called before me and I also call.

I figure there's no flush out there (yet) as they probably would have raised, so the 3c on the river is meaningless. P1 bets out $200 again, this is raised to $600, and I make the call, so does P1. Unfortunately P2 has made a bigger straight, turning over Ad-Th - there's always just one better hand than yours out there!


I'm now down to under $1,500, but pick up A-Q so push all-in. I get only 1 caller, with only $500, and my hand holds up. Things pick up when I find Ac-Jc and push my $1,900 into the middle, this time picking up two callers. I spike the A on the flop and it holds up, for a triple up. I'm now back to just under my starting stack, but way behind the average and the blinds are already $100/$200 (5 min blind action).

I muck a load of hands until I limp with Kd-Td. It's raised to $800 further round, and I make the call. Flop comes down Jd-Jh-Qd, giving me an up and down straight with the 2nd nut flush. I'm first to act and push my last €3,000. I get called by As-Th, and I'm actually a favourite. Once again, I got my money in good (albeit behind), and lost - as the 2s-7c turn-river do me no favours. So many boards tease you with four-to-the-flush, only to deceive (unless you fold, or you're up against it).


A brutal introduction to PokerHeaven - probably should never have played as the fast blinds do not suit my play.

A few hands earlier, during a period of mucking everything, I could have put myself in a great position, if only I'd limped pre-flop. There was an all-in (for $2,000) followed by a re-raise all-in to $4,500, followed by another re-raise all-in to $5,445. They turned over pocket 9's, followed by two sets of A-T. The 9's were in pretty good shape as the other two had each removed one of the other's outs.

If I'd been foolish enough to play my Kc-3s I would have seen a flop of Ks-3c-6h, followed by 4c and the Kd on the river to make a house - I would have quadrupled up.

It's always the hands you don't play that connect.

I won!!

It's been quite a long time since I actually won a table. Had plenty of 2nd's & 3rd's at SNG's, but eventually made the breakthrough tonight, largely thanks to hitting a Straight Flush, during heads-up play.

I'd made a steady start and after winning a couple of decent pots had more than doubled my starting stack and was sitting on about $3,500. There I ended up almost card dead for about 30 hands, perhaps winning one or two sets of blinds (which were still ony 30/60).

As players dropped out others chipped up and when we were down to one player was on $2,000, myself and another player were on $3,500 and the chip leader had just shy of $5,000.

4-way action lasted ages, and my stack was dwindling as the blinds crept up to 100/200. The big stack eventually bust out the shortest player to take a commanding lead; but I'd made the money and was reasonably happy.

There was a lot of folding the blinds 3-handed when I picked up AK on the button and the shortest stack of about $1,000 pushed with A3. The flop came down A-K-x, and I was almost safe. The 3 hit the turn to make things a bit nervy, but it held up. The stacks were about $7.5k v $5k, so I wasn't in bad shape.

I've played a lot of PLO heads-up recently, but was out of practice at NLH, but we battled back and forward and the stacks stayed pretty much the same. I made one move, with 5s-6s , when the board came down 5d-Xs-Xs, for middle pair and a flush draw, and got my opponent to lay down top pair.

The hand that really set me up for the win came when I limped with 6d-Td from the button and saw a flop of 4c-5h-8d. I didn't feel as confident pushing, so made a min-bet and was called. The turn was the 9d giving me a flush draw as well as an inside straight draw.

I min-bet again and was just called. The river was delightful - 7d, not just completing the straight, but the straight flush. I min-bet ($300) and my opponent min-raised to $600. I waited a few seconds before raising to $1,200, praying he had made a flush and was going to push. He only called and turned over 8s-5c, for two pair. I was left wondering if he had pushed on the turn, would I have called for my tournament life; guess we'll never know!

That hand turned the tables, and I was in a decent chip lead. I folded a couple of marginal hands when my opponent pushed all-in, but eventually all the chips ended up in the middle; me 5-5, him A-2 suited. And thankfully it held up.

It's nice to be back on top of the podium for a change.

Aces Busted

Recently I posted an amazing hand where I got all-in with Aces and they held up. Well, normal service was resumed tonight.

I was in a Bounty Hunter style MTT and had made it through the first hour with just below average chips. At the start of hour two I picked up pocket 3's and pocket 8's twice, and couldn't manage to win a pot. This was followed by about 20 hands of muck, when I picked up the Rockets.

I put in a standard 3xBB raise, to $300 and got 1 caller. Flop comes down 7c-Qh-2d and my opponent leads out for 3/4 pot - $650. I instantly push all-in, and after about 5 seconds he calls, flipping up Ks-Qd, for top pair, but crushed by my overpair.

He's got 6 outs, with two cards to come - making him about a 25% shot to catch up. However, odds like that do not matter when your playing online poker. Of course, he had me outchipped and, of course, the Kh hits the turn.


It's insane -I didn't slow play, I didn't let him catch up, I played the hand perfectly, got my money in good and still lost. It just helps solidify my firm belief that online poker is completely fixed.

I mean, what are the chances that, at a 9-handed table, the one and only caller I get would have a hand that could beat me. Every single time I get my money in good against a player with a bigger stack, they manage to find the miracle cards that they need to bust me.

I am seriously losing all faith in playing online.

One time!!!!!

My nemesis hand has always been 'Big Slick' - the good old Ace-King.

I've lost count of the number of tourney's I've busted out of either holding it and losing, or getting all in against it and busting out.

Tonight, eventually, the shoe was on the other foot.

I limped from middle position with 5s-3s and there were no raisers. The flop came down 5c-Ad-3d, giving me two-pair.

It was checked round to me and I bet half the pot. The player behind me tanked for almost all his time before pushing all-in. I had him covered by a mere few chips, so this was for my tournament.

Almost begrudgingly I made the call, expecting to see A-3 or A-5, or even pocket Aces.

Luckily, it was A-K. There was no flush draw or straight draw possible, so only the K (or runner-runner overpair) to avoid. And I did; amazingly I'd handed out one of those insane beats that always seems to happen to A-K. I did spare a momentary thought for my opponent, imagining him ranting and raving (the way I tend to do when it happens to me).


I've been on the receiving end of this type of hand many, many times, so felt I was owed this one.

Headline: Pocket Aces in 'hold up' shocker

I got dealt pocket Aces, got a customer, got all the chips in pre-flop, and they held up.

I know, hard to believe, isn't it!

I qualified for a Freeroll Pot Limit Hold'em MTT on Full Tilt (qualified via my WSOP Fantasy Team), and inside the first level must have hit about a dozen pocket pairs. Most of them low, and most didn't net me any chips. I had already had Aces once, but everyone folded to my pre-flop raise.

In the hand before this, two players went to war with KK v QQ, and a Q hit the flop. The player who double up was my opponent in the next hand. I was in early position and pot-raised. It was folded round to the SB, who pot-raised again. I instantly pot-raised again, and he tanked - eventually raising enough to put me all-in; of course, I instantly called.

He turned over pocket Jacks (he must have thought it was Christmas, hitting Jacks immediately after Queens), and had just sucked out against an overpair in the previous hand, so I was not counting my chickens. In fact, I was expecting either a J on the flop, or some sort of sick draw, like 8-9-T. But the board ran out relatively uneventfully and, amazingly, I had doubled up.


Doesn't happen very often, so I am thankful.

Update: Busted!

Managed to make it through the bubble, and a couple of hands later picked up pocket K's. I pot raised to $1,050 and amazingly picked up 3 callers.

Flop came down Qh-Th-2h. I was first to act and had no option but to push, as my remaining stack was about the size of the pot. The player to my left insta-calls and the other two fold; he turns up Kh-9s, for a gut-shot straight draw and a flush draw.

You guessed it, Jc on the turn made his straight (isn't that incredible?!?). I had the Ace redraw (or a 9 for a chop), and was half expecting the Ah (or even the 9h) on the river, just to rub it in, but it was an innocuous 2c.


I've said it before, and I'll continue to say it. Poker rooms are rigged so that shorter stacked players, when they get all their chips in against a larger stacked player, will always lose - ALWAYS!! It's just a fact. The cards find a way of delivering exactly what the other player needs to bust even your biggest hands.

I mean, what was the guy doing calling such a big raise with K9-off? And how come the flop was so good to him. And even when he calls, still behind, and only on a draw, does he hit the miracle card he needs? I mean, he snap called, without even a second's hesitation, most likely in the full knowledge that his hand was destined to connect.

I honestly can't remember the last time I got into a situation like this and my hand held up. In the hand above I should be a 90% favourite pre-flop, and should win this hand 9/10 times. So why is it that I ALWAYS lose - I don't even win 1/10 times, I lose every time. Statistically that is an anomaly that can only be explained by card rooms being rigged.

Why can't a hand ever hold up?

I joined a new site recently, CD Poker. Basically a re-skin of the Party Poker site, and decided to play in a low-stake MTT: $1 Pot-Limit Omaha.

There were 149 entrants, and I called a couple of hands early on to see some flops, but never over commited. I managed to find a spot where I flopped a flush and got two other players all-in, so nearly trebled up. A dozen, or so, hands later I made a boat against a short-stack who'd pushed with pocket AA.

About 5 hands later I pick up 3d-Qh-Th-Qc and limp from the button.

The flop comes down Qd-6c-Kh. The SB puts in a pot-sized bet and it's folded round to me. I decide to triple the bet to $720 (the blinds are only $30-$60 at this stage and I'm sitting with over $4,800).

The SB immediately doubles this, and I have to think for a second does she have KK in the hole. I decide no, it's probably 2-pair or a set of 3's, or top pair with a straight-draw, so I push all-in. It's insane, 'cos she's the only player at the table with more chips than me, by about $400.

She calls, and turns over Kd-Qs-Xx-Xx (I didn't notice the other cards initially), for two pair (exactly as I thought). I'm delighted as I've got her dead to a K (or so I thought).

Turn comes 7c - I now look and see that her other two cards are Jc-4c, so now she's picked up a flush draw. My heart sank, as I just knew what was coming - Ac on the river (isn't it always the same, Ace on the river!). It wasn't the Ace, per-se, that really did the damage, it was the fact that it was a club, and she'd back-doored a flush with her freakin' side-cards.


Am I too much of a rock? Am I too solid a player? Do I experience more bad-beats because I always get my money in good and it's the donks that catch up?

Why can't I, just for once, get in with the best of it, when my tourney is on the line, and it hold up!