Trust the Russian?
A brief example of how I continue to run bad at the tables: Saturday playing 1/2. Within the first hour of a ten-hour session I am dealt a set three times, one straight, and quads. Pretty sweet, huh? Good start. Should be up - Something. Except I am down $160! Don't ask.
Much later in this roller coaster session, where after hours of playing tight, tight, tight - I finally claw myself back to even when this hand comes up. In middle position I limp in with 8, 7 (but it was SUITED). Three of us see an un-raised flop that comes 7, 7, Q rainbow. Check, check, I bet $20 - and get one caller. I'm thinking, nice. A, Q, maybe. Turn is a 2. I reach for chips and the young Russian (or Eastern European - hard to tell - they all sound the same, and are starting to menace the tables with their tough-as-nails play) whispers to me, don't do it. But I do. I toss in another $20. He calls.
Back story - this same whispering Russian-Eastern-European-whatever, has been caught running three fairly big bluffs. He has been heard to say, okay, no more bluffing. The river is an A. There are no straight or flush draws. If indeed he had A, Q, he just made two pair. As I reach for chips, I hear his voice in my head, don't do it. But there is exactly one hand that beats mine - and come on, this is Poker - I'm supposed to trust a whispering Russian-whatever is looking out for my best interest and is warning me I'm beat by the only possible hand that can beat mine? That he doesn't want all my chips? Right. And when in an unsure voice I say, same bet his reply is, of course, all-in. Whatever. I push in the last of my stack. He turns over pocket Q's. Nice hand, sir.
On a semi-cheerier note: The next day I had a free-roll into the Poker Stars $200,000 Sunday Guarantee. There were only 29,000 entries. They paid out to 4270. By a miracle , I survive to the money. We get down to 3120 players. I have an average stack. It's become shove-city when I wake up with A, A. The blinds are 2400, 1200 and I make it 10,000 and the BB shoves. I get it in great against his A, J until he runs down a straight. Still, I cashed - survived 26,000 players. Whatever.
ed. note: the author is aware that 7, big would also be a winning or chopping hand against his, but the case 7 was inadvertently mucked face-up pre-flop. the author regrets the omission.
Much later in this roller coaster session, where after hours of playing tight, tight, tight - I finally claw myself back to even when this hand comes up. In middle position I limp in with 8, 7 (but it was SUITED). Three of us see an un-raised flop that comes 7, 7, Q rainbow. Check, check, I bet $20 - and get one caller. I'm thinking, nice. A, Q, maybe. Turn is a 2. I reach for chips and the young Russian (or Eastern European - hard to tell - they all sound the same, and are starting to menace the tables with their tough-as-nails play) whispers to me, don't do it. But I do. I toss in another $20. He calls.
Back story - this same whispering Russian-Eastern-European-whatever, has been caught running three fairly big bluffs. He has been heard to say, okay, no more bluffing. The river is an A. There are no straight or flush draws. If indeed he had A, Q, he just made two pair. As I reach for chips, I hear his voice in my head, don't do it. But there is exactly one hand that beats mine - and come on, this is Poker - I'm supposed to trust a whispering Russian-whatever is looking out for my best interest and is warning me I'm beat by the only possible hand that can beat mine? That he doesn't want all my chips? Right. And when in an unsure voice I say, same bet his reply is, of course, all-in. Whatever. I push in the last of my stack. He turns over pocket Q's. Nice hand, sir.
On a semi-cheerier note: The next day I had a free-roll into the Poker Stars $200,000 Sunday Guarantee. There were only 29,000 entries. They paid out to 4270. By a miracle , I survive to the money. We get down to 3120 players. I have an average stack. It's become shove-city when I wake up with A, A. The blinds are 2400, 1200 and I make it 10,000 and the BB shoves. I get it in great against his A, J until he runs down a straight. Still, I cashed - survived 26,000 players. Whatever.
ed. note: the author is aware that 7, big would also be a winning or chopping hand against his, but the case 7 was inadvertently mucked face-up pre-flop. the author regrets the omission.
posted by Philip Dean Brown at 10:52 AM
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