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?