Returning the Favor and other Slices of Life

Returning the Favor
Returning the Favor
Now Available on Smashwords for Kindle and other ebook readers!

Wednesday, June 21, 2006

This is not a bad beat story

So I’ve been working very hard at not going broke with an overpair, or just one pair on a scary board. I didn’t, but maybe should have been a little more willing to push chips around. This is me taking a stab at a level one step higher than I usually play, which may have contributed to the timidity. I’d love critique from folks who would have played this differently.

Here’s my thought processes in italics as we go through the hand.

PokerStars Game #5323221515: Hold'em No Limit ($0.50/$1.00) - 2006/06/21 - 18:43:23 (ET)

Table 'Hamal II' 9-max Seat #8 is the button

Seat 1: Jhartness ($93.65 in chips)

Seat 2: H-BOMB151 ($187.20 in chips)

Seat 3: jjf3851 ($25.50 in chips)

Seat 4: W F S ($89.45 in chips)

Seat 5: VampireFox ($29.85 in chips)

Seat 6: TeacherB ($51.60 in chips)

Seat 7: jameskeene ($63.90 in chips)

Seat 8: wjpower77 ($49.65 in chips)

Seat 9: ovalgood ($26.25 in chips)

ovalgood: posts small blind $0.50

Jhartness: posts big blind $1

*** HOLE CARDS ***

Dealt to Jhartness [Qc Qd]

Yippee, Queens. Fuck. Queens. Tables running very tight, routinely folding to 4xBB, let’s put in $3 and see if we can get 1-2 callers.

H-BOMB151: folds

jjf3851: folds

W F S: calls $1

VampireFox: folds

TeacherB: folds

jameskeene: calls $1

wjpower77: folds

ovalgood: calls $0.50

Jhartness: raises $2 to $3

W F S: calls $2

jameskeene: calls $2

ovalgood: calls $2


Hmmm. Expected jameskeene to call, he wants to see every flop, and expected WFS to call, too, he defends his blinds. Didn’t expect the third guy. Hmmmm.


*** FLOP *** [2s 9h Js]


Brilliant! My overpair is solid, but there are flush draws out there. Lets go about ¾ pot to make them think first before they chase the flush.


ovalgood: checks

Jhartness: bets $8

W F S: calls $8

jameskeene: folds

ovalgood: folds


Hmmm. OK. That went well, except he’s the best of the three. Still on the flush draw, with the As, maybe?


*** TURN *** [2s 9h Js] [4s]

Jhartness: bets $10


Fuck. Spade. Where am I?


W F S: raises $15 to $25


Fuck. Really? Was he chasing that whole time? Is he jamming me with some straight draw, trying to make a move? For $15 I feel like I need to see the river.


Jhartness: calls $15

*** RIVER *** [2s 9h Js 4s] [Tc]


Now WTF do I do?


Jhartness: checks

W F S: bets $35


Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I went into the tank for a while, using up most of my time bank. Two Pair makes the most sense. A flush draw would have been a stupid call on the flop. Maybe a set of 9s. I am not going broke with just a big pair right here.


Jhartness: folds

W F S collected $75 from pot

W F S: shows [Qh Jc] (a pair of Jacks)


Well. Nice of him to show me how badly I got outplayed. Nicely done, dude. Excuse me while I sit out to go smash my keyboard in the carport like that dude on the FSP video on YouTube.

2 comments:

Joaquin "The Rooster" Ochoa said...

Tough to be honest, but I might have checked on the turn, then come over the top...but you would have to be committed to a strong bet on the river.

Unknown said...

BOOOOOOOOOOOM HEADSHOT!!!

Cracks me up everytime.

Check-raise on the turn would probably tell you more if you were beat.