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.