Sick Beat Central

I look around the room now, eyes shifting, for I know not where the next horror will come from.

That's the state of my game right now.

In poker, all you can do is get your chips in the middle with the best hand--if you get in behind, then you made an incorrect decision.

7 player game at my place Sunday evening, and didn't really get too mixed up in a lot of hands, but here are 2 biggies-1 that forced me to the rebuy, and the other that forced me out. 2 very big differences in them.

The Rebuy:

I am in SB with 9-6 offsuit. No raises to me, so I limp in for the discount...BB checks. There is one other caller in the hand.

Flop:
9 high, rainbow. SB checks, Other player check, I bet (minimum bet with is 1/3 of the pot. BB calls, other player folds.

Turn:
Q
SB checks, I check.

River:
9--Giving me a set of 9's.

I check, BB bets 600 (about the pot--may have been the pot). I re-raise all in, he snap calls and turns over QQ (for a Queens full of 9's boat). Into my wallet I go. Ack.

On that hand, I simply got outplayed, but he also got lucky his gin card hit on the turn. I hate limping or checking on big pocket pairs. When it works out, you look like a genius, but when it blows up on you, you feel like an idiot. If the Q doesn't fall on turn, and I hit the 3rd 9 on the river, his nice juicy pocket pair of QQ goes for naught. Once the Q hit the turn, I got played big time. Nice hand, sir.

The hand that busted me:

I am under the gun with about 1900 chips, blinds 100-200, 25 ante.

I have AQ and am first to act--I raise it to 800.

2 callers, 1 in mid position, and the button.

Flop:
3-7-Q

I push all in for 1050 more (there is about 3K in the middle), mid position folds, and button says out loud, "I just got these chips," after raking a big pot 2 hands earlier. I say, "then fold, because you are trailing right now."

He calls and shows 10-10.

So here is the situation--I have top pair with top kicker, suffice to say, a large lead. He is drawing to 2 outs in the deck to take the lead (and turns out it was only 1 out since 1 of his 10's was folded preflop). Mathematically, I am a LARGE favorite to double my stack and then some.

Turn:
10

I didn't even see the river, because all I saw was red.

On that hand, I played it as well as I could, got my chips in with the best of it, and got outdraw. At some point, people need to learn to fold hands--I am not saying that because I knew I had the lead, and he would need a miracle to win it. I, and a couple other players in the league know when their pocket JJ or 10-10 is beaten after the flop. It's not a crime to lay down a nice looking hand that doesn't improve on the flop--it's actually a sign of a good player to lay down a big hand when they think it might not be best. I don't know how many times I have mucked a pocket pair of 9's, 10's even Jacks after the flop. You can't be married to a pocket pair when the board completely misses you.

No cards for me live for the next week, as I have work duties this weekend. Saturday calling play-by-play for a football game, Sunday working the NFL game. Next Saturday is our December league event, followed by another NFL Sunday.

Things will slow down a little for me around the holidays, which looks like a welcomed break.

Good luck and good cards,
~M