Bad Beat

Look up the term "bad beat". There should be a picture of me next to it.

Poker on Saturday night sucked for me! This was the $100 buy-in night (as opposed to the normal $20-$60 buy-in), too! I was excited to go - I'd done well the last couple of times, so I was hoping to get at least a third place finish.

Not even close.

There were 11 of us. There was a small table set up outside (so our host could smoke his cigar!), and the regular table inside. Dave and I both sat at the outside table first. I mistakenly assumed that with the $100 buy-in people would be playing tight. It was quite the opposite. At the table inside, I was hearing that their pots were around $10. Our individual bets were $10!! These people were playing psycho! I picked the motherfucking wrong table, let me tell you!

Things started going downhill for me when I put a $15 bet on a full boat - kings over queens. Wouldn't you know the little fucker that beat me had 4 Kings. I just didn't peg him for it. And I wasn't about to lay down my hand.

That full house was the best hand I had all night. Our host was the first one out, then we moved inside. I thought I was starting to make a comeback when I was on the big blind and got pocket queens. Everyone at the table put in a bet, and so I went all-in with the measly $23 I had left. Everyone folded, which was perfectly ok with me. I was a little afraid I'd get outdrawn on the flop, given the luck I'd been having all night. So I just about doubled up there.

I kept limping along, and right before our 9:00 "intermission" (read: "get up and walk around so your ass doesn't go numb"), I got a pocket pair of 6s. And I made a mistake. I only called the blind, hoping to make three of a kind on the flop. I should have gone all-in instead of just calling. So there was an Ace on the flop, so I went all-in then, hoping to make people think I had pocket aces. Well, I got called. By someone with an A-7. He had a pair of aces, I had sixes. I LOST. Dammit! I was the second one out. What a letdown.

Dave, on the other hand, kicked some royal ass. At 4:30 Sunday morning, he was declared the winner. He got a nice $650 first prize. I'm totally happy for him, but I think he perpetuated the loose, aggressive play at the table. He was making pretty brazen bets, but hey, they were working for him! I personally wouldn't have had the balls to make half the bets or calls he did. Whatever works, right?

I'm going to have to change gears for next month. And maybe grow a set of balls.