Poker Bloggin
So, first, any readers play poker? Secondly, ya’ll gonna bitch if I start blogging about it? The local bar has two free tournaments each week. I suck at tournaments and was much more adept to cash games until the Republicans decided that poker is a threat to national security. But, I still like to play and there was a game.
This hand bugged me. First hand of the night, no reads on anyone:
Eight handed, I’m in fifth position. Blinds are 25/50. Full stack of 4,000. My hand:
J♠ J♣
Sweet. Every body limps in. To me, the pot is 275 I raise 275. Jacks are good but they’re probably only good now. I don’t want over cards flopping. Dealer calls. Everyone else folds. The pot is now 550. I put dealer on either a smaller pocket pair or over cards.
Flop: 3♥2♦7♠
I figure I’m still the best hand. Bet 550 in case he’s on a draw. Called.
Turn. 4♥. I stick with my original feeling that he has a worse pocket pair. Bet 1,500. Called. Groan.
River: Forgot but it was a blank. It didn’t scare me. All-in.
He calls. Flips over 2♠ 3♣
Two pair. I, sarcastically, said: nice hand
Him: Thanks.
Me: I didn’t mean it.
Who calls a pot sized bet with 2♠ 3♣?
Two things: 1) I suck at tournaments and should have stopped betting after the flop. 2) Only in a tournament will someone call you with a 2♠ 3♣.
Thankfully, I got an additional 1,500 in chips for buying an adult beverage. I made quite a come back and placed 9th of roughly 30ish.
This hand bugged both because I played it badly after the river, over bet the flop, and because I was beaten by bad play.
Update: Too late, done added a poker category.
March 2nd, 2007 at 12:23 pm
I play poker some, and I think it would be good if you start blogging about it.
March 2nd, 2007 at 2:10 pm
I like some poker bloggin’s.
Been playing pretty fervently for the last 5 years myself.
Pocket jacks suck – no two ways about it. You raised, all but the button folded, you have no reason o put him on 32, 37, or 27 here, all that has you beat are 22, 33, or 77. Bet pot size and see where youre at here. No raise? I’m thinking im good, unless he has shown a penchant for trickyish play. I push on the turn – If I go broke, I go broke, but I played it rights.
He is an idiot for calling with 23o, even if he was on the button.
“Nice call man! And by call, I mean catch, and by man, I mean donkey”
March 2nd, 2007 at 6:24 pm
Playing in a tourney this weekend.
March 2nd, 2007 at 6:49 pm
You clearly need a refresher course:
How to Write Bad Beat Stories
March 2nd, 2007 at 11:29 pm
The problem isn’t you. Free poker is hidious. It’s not real money, so why not play a 2-3 off suit every hand? I play in free tournaments and I feel like clubbing at least one player like a baby seal every time. I’m in a pretty good low-stakes real money game this weekend, tho, if you’re interested
March 3rd, 2007 at 1:06 am
First Wednesday of every month here in the M town. About twenty or so of us show up. If you are around look me up. I love dead money!
March 3rd, 2007 at 1:08 am
Ditto on the free poker, it sucks and will kill your game.
Try sit and gos on bodog.com. I usually play in one a month or so. As far as getting my money goes, they love to mail me a check. Hell, if I win big enough they will courier it to my office. I have not, however, had this happen as of yet.
March 3rd, 2007 at 12:47 pm
I play low dollar Texas with some friends every month or so and that is typical. Nice to know that it isn’t just us that the laws of physics get bent to screw over. We had to start putting money on the pot just to end some of that crap, but when you see that you could have won 15% of the hands with crap, even with money on the table, anyone will become the idiot.
March 5th, 2007 at 1:31 pm
Hmmm… first warning about poker blogging, go for it!!. Once you get rolling, you’ll have to cut down on bad beat stories 😉
As far as your play goes, not much else you could do. I’d say that once you bet the 1500 on the turn and get called, there’s enough of a chance you were behind that perhaps you should have just checked the river to see if you could get out of the hand with half your stack. I likely go broke there, too. That’s just poker.
The turn gave you a chance to get away from the hand when it put three to a straight on the board. That meant 56, A5 were good and if he was playing suited connectors (which some players love) then 23 and 34 were good, too. Finally, 22, 33, 44 and 77 were good… all those are reasonably holdings.
In the end, a donkey got lucky on the flop. However, he had the better hand when most of the money went into the pot. Sometimes people call big preflop bets (that they see as overbets) because they know their up against a big pair and if they hit their hand, they’ll get paid off.