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.