Avoiding cold-deck situations

Hand 17:

I wasn't involved in this hand for very long, but thought I would post it as an example of the kind of 'ice' cold decks that can occur on Full Tilt, especially in Rush.

I raise to $0.15, UTG+1, with pocket Tens. This is 3-bet to $0.45 at +2 and flatted by the Button, so I make the call hoping that if I hit a set I could be golden. Flop [9d 7h 2h] and I am first to act. I check and +2 bets the pot, $1.42, the Button instantly shoves for $2.24 and it's pretty obvious that even though I have an overpair, I am in bad shape, so I fold. +2 takes no time to call for the extra $0.82. It's AA v QQ and I am breathing a sigh of relief that I got out of dodge.

These are the kind of pitfalls you have to avoid if you don't want to go constantly broke. It's easy to fold the Tens if there are a couple of overcards, but when you have an overpair you have to know that with a raise and re-raise that you are up against a bigger pair, or a set.

Hand 71:

This is an example of how sick this game can be. I pick up pocket 9's in the cut-off and there is only one limper pre-flop. Flop [Qh 7s 8c] and it goes check-check. Turn [9s] completes my set, but puts a potential straight out there, It's checked to me and bet $0.10 and get quickly called. The river [Tc] also adds potential flushes to the equation. He only has $0.19 left and shoves it into the middle. I am convinced I am beat, but for only $0.19 I make the call just to see how bad a beat it is and he turns up Kc 6c to win the hand with the idiot end of the straight.

Hand 81:

This is an example of how flops and boards can completely kill the action and even having hit a set on the river I cannot even bet for value.


Hand 144:

Another 'cold deck' scenario that I managed to extricate myself from, post flop. I'd been dealt AK several times in this session, and on each occasion I had raised pre-flop and everyone had folded. This it was in the BB and there had been a raise and two calls before I flatted. The flop [8s Tc 6c] brought a pot sized bet ($0.68) and a call before it got to me. I smelled something fishy, and with only overcards and no draw I gave up the hand. The initial raiser on flat called to see a 7h on the turn. This was now 4 to a straight and with two clubs already on board, it was looking a bit scary.
The initial raiser then shoves his remaining stack ($1.86) into the middle and it goes fold-call with them turning up Ah-Ad and Ac-4c respectively. It's amazing that people will get it in so far behind on the turn, and even more frustrating that I watched the Aces hold up (Js on the river), when normally if I am in that situation the club always comes on the river.


Hand 194:

I'd been dealt 10's more than my fair share of times this evening, and it seemed like every time I did there was a bigger hand out there (such as in hand 17, earlier). Again, there was a sizeable raise before it got to me and I made the call and the blinds also come along. This time I hit the set on the flop [Tc 7c Kh], however you can never be sure of even being ahead at this stage - all I can think is he's got pocket Kings. He bets out $0.35, just under the pot size, and normally my conservative play tells me to flat call - but I decided to throw caution to the wind and raise it to $1.10, especially as there are still 2 players to act behind me. The both fold and it comes back to the initial raiser - who now makes it $3.98, putting me all-in. At worst, I think he has AK possibly of Clubs, but he actually turns up Kd-Qh. I am delighted not to be up against the flush draw, or 2-pair, so any beat will have to be runner-runner. The Jd on the turn is a sweat card and he now has any 9 or any Ace to make a straight. Surely it cannot happen! It doesn't, the river is 5h and I've doubled up. It's been a very frustrating evening up 'til then.

Hand 288:

I only include this hand because it is a direct opposite of how I normally play. I had AK (again) in late position (hijack) and made my standard raise $0.15, this is 3-bet to $0.45 by the SB. Now, the SB is probably the worst position in poker - you are out of position against every other spot on the table, so 3-betting from the SB usually means a pretty decent hand, or a pretty poor player. Normally I would flat call and use my position to try and win post-flop, but this time I decided that I'd been on a decent run and he could be doing this with a medium pair, or even A-Q, so since he only had about $1.60 behind I decide to set him all-in and take my chances.
He calls and shows Qc-Qd and it is the classic race. The board runs out [7h 5c 5d] followed by [6d] on the turn, and I sigh at the prospect of losing another race (every time I have KK or QQ and all the money ends up in the middle it's against an Ace, and there's always one on the flop). However, the saviour comes on the river - [Ah]. Not an elegant way of making money, but after some of the reverses I've suffered recently I will happily take it.

Flattered, only to deceive

Oh, it all started off so well, then inevitably the run of bad beats, out-draws and missed opportunities materialised.

Hand 53:

I hadn't been sitting down long, and my initial $5.00 had swelled to over $6.50 when I picked up pocket 5's UTG. I limped and +1 raised to $0.22. It folds round to the BB who shoves for $2.27. I've got no option, really, but to fold. +1 makes the call and I am expecting to see AA v KK or AK v QQ. Actually, it's AK (+1, suited) v AQ. The Ace arrives on the flop and I am glad I got out of harms way, until the turn, which is the 5s. Isn't it always the hands you fold?!? If I'd been in the hand I still would have been sweating the river, as +1 had the nut flush draw. Th 3c secured the hand for +1, with AK, but I was ruing a missed opportunity - but, honestly, the fold was the right decision.

Hand 117:

Things had gone pretty well over the next 60 hands and my stack was now $8.72, when this happened. I pick up pocket 6's in the cut-off and, again, limp. It's not raised and we are 3-handed to the flop, 6c kc Ah. So, I've made a set on a very scary board. There's only $0.17 in the pot and when it's folded to me I overbet $0.20. This gets a fold and a call. So, now I put my remaining opponent either on a weak Ace or a flush draw (or, perhaps a King). The turn is the 2s, It's checked to me and, with a pot of $0.57, I make it $0.50, so a flush draw is only getting even money on a call, when actual odds are 5/2 - but he makes the call.

The worst card arrives on the river, Tc. So, now any flush draw has just got there - he checks to me and I cannot bet, I'm only getting called by a better hand, so I check - he turns up Qh-Jd, for a rivered broadway. Please tell me how such bad play gets rewarded. He didn't even have the flush draw, so he was on a 4-outer on the river, about 9% (10/1) and he calls a pot-sized bet?


Little did I know that was the beginning of the slippery slope (mostly).

Hand 237:

Over the next 120 hands I leaked chips down from $7.97 to $5.56, simply playing hands and constantly losing - nothing major, just a few chips here and there, without winning a hand of note. The I picked up the Cowboys, UTG, and make my standard raise to $0.15. The Button flat-calls followed by the BB raising to $0.62. It looks like a classic squeeze play (early position raiser and late position flat-call) and a stealing opportunity. The BB has $1.86 behind, so I decide to set him all-in. The Button gets out of the way and the BB quickly calls - I'm expecting either AA or AK, but he turns up Ac-Tc (wow, all-in with a suited Ace, great play!).

The flop comes down 6c-Kc-Ad - he'd hit his Ace, but I'd made a set - however, he did have the flush draw, so I am sweating. The 7d arrives on the turn, so now he's down to 8 clubs (7c is no good) he's 18% (or 9/2), you would think with the odds being heavily in my favour that this is going to hold up, just once - but no, the Jc duly arrives on the river. Again, idiotic pre-flop play has been rewarded. Seriously, why is it that getting your money in good is so seldom rewarded - it's scant consolation to be consoled by the knowledge that 4 out of 5 times I should win this hand, before the river, if the one time it happens I lose.

After that hand I am now down to just over $3.00, so I load up to the max and plough on.

Hand 240:

Three hands later I'm in early position with a suited Ace. I like to limp and see if a flush draw materializes. There's another couple of limpers and the flop comes down Ad-9s-5c. Now, this is the trouble that playing a rag-Ace gets you into. I've hit the flop, but have no idea where I am.

I check, it's checked behind and the Button bets $0.05. It looks like a weak bet and an attempt to just take down the pot, so I have to call, and the other player folds. The turn is the Qc. I check and now the Button bets out $0.25, so I am thinking he's either hit a Queen or is now on a flush draw, so I call. The river is the 3d, making me 2-pair. I check, with the intention of flat-calling any bet - he makes it $0.45 and I make the call. He turns over Ah 5d, for a better 2-pair.


Now, I don't consider this unlucky, or a bad-beat - it was purely bad play on my part. I was out of position with a weak Ace and should have raised on the flop to see where I was - flat-calling to the river cost me $0.75, when a raise to $0.20 on the flop would have most likely gotten a re-raise and I could have laid it down. However, what I did curse was hitting 2-pair on the river, the worst card I could have hit and that cost me the river call. Lesson learned.

Hand 247:

The one ray of light came only 7 hands later. I've got As-Ah UTG and make my standard $0.15 raise. +2 open shoves for $2.38 and it's folded back round, where I insta-call. He turns up pocket-Jacks. I should be delighted, but after the monotonous series of beats I am expecting some funky straight or 4-flush, or at worst, a Jack on the flop. Thankfully the board runs out 6c-8c-8h-9d-6d and my aces hold up (for once).


Hand 443:

The next 200 (or so) hands are up/down/up/down and I'm about $1 lighter than before. I pick up Kh-Kc in +3. The UTG flat-calls and I pop it to $0.20. It's folded round and he calls. The flop comes down 4s-4d-4c and I am sitting with a full-house. It goes check-check and the turn is the 6c. He bets $0.15 and I flat call. The river is the worst possible card, Ac. He instantly shoves all-in for $5.53 (the pot was only $0.77 at this stage) and I find myself with no option but to fold.

I lay it down, and the pot has only cost me $0.35, but I am cursing the river. Perhaps I was in horrendous shape and he had A-4, for flopped quads, but I simply cannot believe that. In the position he was in, there are only he either had a 4 or an Ace - he couldn't have shoved with anything else. Perhaps the Ace saved me, if it hadn't come I was calling the shove. Maybe it was an outrageous bluff, knowing no-one can call without the case 4, but would you shove your entire stack in, on that board, to win a $0.77c pot?

That was enough for me, and I called it a night. Started with $5.00, got it up to $8.97 at one point, was chipped down to $3.00 later, added another $1.50 and ended the night with $4.90, for a small loss of $1.60. I am seriously wondering whether it is possible to make a profit on these tables?

Crazy, up and down (then up) night

I won't say too much about this evening, I'll let the hands do the talking:

Hand 466:

Things went pretty much by the book for the first 465 hands. I picked up AA three times, twice in the BB (when I got a walk, both times) and another where I raised and everyone folded. I laid down Kings, twice, when on both occasions an Ace fell on the flop and I was faced with sizeable bets. I had to lay down Queens on an all undercard board with 4 diamonds when faced with an all-in from my opponent. However, I was still in profit when it came to this hand.

I limped in with Kh-Qh and the Button, SB and BB come along. The flop comes down Jh-7h-10h, for the first time in I don't know how long I've flopped a flush - and the 2nd nuts, at that (well, 3rd).

The blinds check to me and I lead out for half the pot and get quickly called by the Button. The blinds get out of the way and the turn is the 5d. Again, I bet about 3/4 pot (not wanting to see another heart, as he could have the Ace). Again, he flat calls. The river is another brick (4c) and I am now value betting. I bet about 1/3 pot (50c) and he instantly raises to $1.50.

I simply cannot believe that he has the Ace high flush and he must be bluffing - so I call. He turns up 9h-8h, for a flopped Straight Flush. This is simply another case of how bad I am running - I am just glad I didn't have the Ace, or I'd have shoved the rest of my stack in and been broke.

So, shrugging that off and with my stack down to just over $2, I reload to the max and work on getting it back.

Hand 531:

Over the next 80, or so, hands I've only increased my stack by about $1.00 when pick up Ah-Jh in the small blind. There's a min-raise from the button and I make the call. The flop is Jd-10h-Kh, so I have 2nd pair with top kicker and the nut flush draw. I check and he bets 20c, I call. The turn is a brick (2s), so I check again and bets about 30c, again I call. The flush doesn't materialise on the river (6c) and I check. Now, he pushes his last $1.30 into the middle, a massive overbet. I assume he believes I've missed any draws I was chasing and will not call, but I've still got 2nd pair - so I make the call (maybe a bit of a hero call), and he flips up Ac-Qc for a flopped Broadway.

Hand 594:

The next 60 hands fly past without any drama when I pick up pocket 10's in mid-position. It's raised ahead of me and I make the call. The flop is 2h-2c-6h and my opponent checks - I bet about 3/4 pot (about 30c) and he re-raises to 70c. With my overpair I make the call and hit the dream card on the turn, 10c. With the paired board I now have the nuts - he checks and I check back. The 8c lands on the river and he waits until the last second before betting out $1.20. Too many times in the past I've had the nuts and not got any value, so I am praying he has made a flush, or even has AA or KK. So, with only $3.00 left I push it into the middle; he tanks for half the clock and eventually calls - Ac-Qc for the nut flush, but not good enough. Hallelujah! At long, long last I've managed to find an opponent with the 2nd best hand who is prepared to double me up. Things are back on track.

Hand 683:

It's about 90 hands later, and nothing much has happened. I pick up the Cowboys in mid-position and make my standard raise to $0.15. The player immediately behind me raises this up to $0.50 and he only has $1.25 behind, so I decide to put him all-in. He makes the call and turns up Ah-Jh. The last 3 times I've had KK tonight there has been an Ace on the flop and I fully expect to see it again. However, the board runs out 4c-6h-9c-8c-2c (lucky he didn't have clubs!) and my Kings have held up. I'm now in profit for the evening, having got back everything I'd lost in the Straight Flush and Broadway hands.


Hand 711:

I almost decided to quit, having got myself back to level for the evening, but decided that I was on a decent run and should try and maximize it. And, about 30 hands later I pick up the Rockets in the cut-off. I never slow play, even though it was folded round to me, and I make the standard raise to $0.15. The SB makes this $0.45, with about $1.30 behind. Rather than just flat-call I decided to put him all-in and hope his re-raise is with a big enough hand to call - it is, he commits his stack and turns up Kings. It's all but over on the flop - 9d-8c-Ah. I don't even have to sweat the turn and river and my good run has continued.

I decided not to chance my luck any further and get out with a reasonable profit on the evening - not as good as it could have been, but at least it wasn't a loss.

This simply isn't right

I've been cursing my luck a lot lately, and with just cause. Last night I played over 500 hands and having been dealt my fair share of pocket pairs I only hit one single set on the flop (in fact, it was a full house).

Tonight couldn't have been any more different. I seemed to pick up pocket pairs every 4-5 hands and hit sets on about every other time I saw a flop. Problem was I couldn't find an opponent with enough of a hand to challenge me and I made little more than a pittance from each of those hands.

On hand 178 I got my wish:

I pick up pocket 5's in mid position and just limp for $0.05. The SB raises it to $0.20 and I make the call. Bingo, 4h-Ac-5d on the flop and I've made another set. This time, though, there's an Ace and potentially something for my opponent to latch onto.

He checks and I lead out for $0.25, he immediately raises it to $1.25 (I think for a half-second that he may have Aces, but put him on either a big Ace (A-K) or 2-pair). After that size bet there's no way he's folding to a shove - I push, he calls and turns up A-5.

I have him drawing to a 2-outer. The 2d lands on the turn and I start to get a bad feeling - several times when I've got all the money in good the board has run out a straight and I've had to chop. I am now fully expecting to see a 3 on the river - but no, it was much worse than that - Ah. Holy f**king hell - a friggin' 2-outer, a friggin' 19/1 shot - this is a friggin' disgrace.


About 3 years ago I went through a spell like this on Full Tilt. I'd opened my account and put a few quid in. I played for a few months and picked up my first-deposit bonus. I was quite comfortably ahead at the time. Then, all of a sudden it changed. Things like the hand above started happening, I mean seriously improbably hands that were astronomically unlikely. Every time I had Kings, someone else had Aces. If I had aces they'd hit runner-runner straights or flushes. No matter how far ahead I was and what hand I was against the board would find a way of defeating me.

This is happening again now. A few months back I had $5 in my account and playing Rush poker, at exactly the same level, I managed to spin this up to $55. I wasn't getting wildly lucky or sucking out in big hands, I was playing the same way I am now, it was just that whenever I got it in good, it would hold up according to statistically how probable it was. Of course, there were some bad beats and cold-decks, but I played ABC poker and was able to turn a profit in virtually every session.

Now, I can't win a decent hand. Any time I have the nuts I have no action. Every time I get it in ahead, I get caught. I can't remember the last time I was in an all-in situation with Aces and they held-up. I've had Aces cracked more times than I can remember, or else everyone folds pre-flop.

Take this other hand from this evening, for example - Hand 95:

I limp pre-flop with Ac-4c and it is min-raised by the button. I call and the flop comes down 3c-5c-6s. So, I've got an up/down straight and nut flush, as well as straight-flush draw (still only a draw, remember, no made hand yet). I check and he checks back. The 9h on the turn is a blank, as far as I am concerned, so I check again - he checks back.

The 2c hits the river, giving me the Steel Wheel. I put out a small 10c bet and he quickly folds. The best hand I've had in months and the pot size was a whopping $0.38.

I've now done half my Full-Tilt bankroll in just over 2 weeks. After going on a steady $50 profit rise over 2 months, I've shipped $25 in two weeks. And I can safely track 90% of that down to cold-decks and bad beats - this is not bad play.

Poker professionals talk about variance, well if this is it then it better turn around ASAP or my time on Full Tilt will be coming to an end very shortly.

Seriously, this is starting to get annoying.

It's times like these that severely try your patience. In fact, last night's session almost drove me to a violent outburst, but I stopped myself just before I broke my foot on the fridge.

Hand 18:

I pick up pocket Queens in middle position and make the standard 3xBB raise, to $0.15 - I get 2 callers. The flop of 9s-5h-6c is pretty innocuous, so I lead out trying to make it look like a c-bet. The player behind me shoves all-in for about $1.20 and I snap-call. His pocket 6's had turned into a flopped set.


O.K. It's early doors and I at least I haven't gone broke!

Hand 62:

I manage to see a free flop from the BB, with 8-10, off. There's a couple of other limpers, but no action. I flop top pair on a flushy-straighty 5d-8d-6c board so I check and it is checked around. The 8s on the turn gives me trips, so I put out a small bet that gets only one caller. The 8h on the river gives me quads. I bet the pot, hoping to make it look like I'm stealing and he insta-folds. Got the nuts, can't get paid.


Hand 64:

Two hands later I pick up the Rockets. I raise 3xBB from the hijack and the cut-off and BB make the call. Qc-2s-5s hit the flop - given the two spades I lead out with a pot-sized bet and the cut-off pushes all-in for about $5.00. The BB tanks and also makes the call, but he only had about $2.00 left. I am praying the cut-off has A-Q or pocket Kings and I make the call, for my entire stack. He flips up pocket 5's for a flopped set.


That's twice, early on in the session, that I've had a big pocket pair and been called by a small pair that has hit a set on the flop. It's enough to give someone a persecution complex (it was at this point that my foot almost came into swift contact with the fridge as I lashed out in frustration.

Hand 69:

I reloaded and rejoined the game, where I instantly picked up Big Slick from the hijack seat. Again I make the standard 3xBB raise and get two callers. The flop is 3c-6h-8c and I decide to check. It's checked around and the Ks lands on the turn. I lead out for about 2/3 pot, now believing my hand to be the best. The button shoves for about $1.70 and the UTG player makes the call. I have no choice, really, the pot is such that I have to commit the other $1.20. The button shows pocket 8's for yet another flopped set and the UTG has Kc-Qc for top pair and a flush draw.


Having stacked off in the previous hand (for $4.80), I've just offloaded another $2.07 in the very next hand - so down nearly $7.00 in a very short space of time.

Hand 181:

The next 100 or so hands were pretty uneventful (at no point was my entire stack at risk). I eventually won I called a raise with A-J and hit top pair on the flop. My opponent was short-stacked and shoved his last $1.20 into the middle which I called, and it held up. It had taken me 181 hands to win any kind of decent sized pot.


Hand 379:

Yep, that's right, almost 200 hands went by and I had managed to grind my way up to over $6.00. I hadn't seen a premium hand in nearly an hour. Many pocket pairs had come and gone and not a single one had hit a set. I picked up pocket 9's in the hijack seat and called a $0.15 raise from early position. The flop was low (6h-8s-4d) and I have to figure my overpair is good. It goes check-check to me and I lead out for half the pot ($0.30). This is called by the SB, then the early position initial raised re-raises to $1.20, enough to pot the SB all-in. I've got a bad feeling and lay down the 9's quite quickly. SB calls and flips up pocket 5's - however he is no match for the Cowboys his opponent is holding.


That would have been a fantastic spot to have flopped a set.

Hand 522:

Another 150 reasonably uneventful hands go by. I'm dealt several pocket pairs, but no sets materialise. Then, in early position I pick up pocket Queens. I min-raise and get one caller. The flop is Qh-7c-7d - not only is it a set, it's a house. It goes check-check on the flop and the 2c hits the turn. I put out a small bet, perhaps making it look like I'm on a flush draw and this is called. The As hits the river and I am hoping that this has, in some way, hit my opponent. I bet just over 1/2 pot and he insta-folds.


Typical - I've waited 522 hands to be dealt a pair that hits a set on the flop and I can't make a single penny out of it - I mean, I won the absolute minimum. Where's the justice?

Overall, on the night, my buy-ins amounted to a total of $13.00 and I eventually cashed out with $5.38. That's a loss of $7.62 - $7.07 of that can be attributed to 3 hands - 18, 64 & 69.