My Last Poker Hand

[FourAces]

I'm really depressed tonight and just typing this to type not looking for sympathy or anything else. In fact, this will be a long and boring post.

 

I realized that I have made a reasonable amount of money playing poker over the years. I actually became reasonably good at the game. It's hard work when playing a high stakes game. I know to some that sounds silly but poker does have some skill involved and mentally it can be very exhausting.

 

Most nights I play at Palms and on the "other" nights I usually end up at Belliago or Rio. Each room has its regular players and has its own culture. Strange to say a poker room has culture but trust me on this it does. LOL I just asked anyone reading this to trust a poker layer, I guess it will be a while before I can get away from that mindset.

 

Anyway, I've been on a losing streek for about the past 30 days. A few small wins and a few giant losses. I never play past my budget well at least till tonight. That is what concerns me and that is why I'm stopping.

 

In the 12 years I've lived and played out here I always maintained poker was something extra. I always enjoyed playing and could make money doing. In my early days I did go a little wild I think most players do. But I quickly realized to be successful I have to be smart about money management. So that is what I did I became a smart money manager. As an exmaple I would budget X amount of money each month and if I lost that money the first night of the month I wouldn't play another hand till the following month. Discipline is so important in this game.

 

Well, I far exceeded my budget this month. I actually went into my "own" money. Just thinking about it scares me a little because it could have really been worse than it turned out. I truly could have lost everything as I have seen so many do over the years.

 

Well, enough of my crying and rambling. Here was my last hand of No Limit Hold Em.

 

I'm in the small blind and look down to see two red aces, wow fireworks were going off in my mind. As the players bet or folded around the table someone raised. A pretty loose player made it $150. Now with the fireworks I have a marching band playing, Happy Days Are Here Again. One caller (Very cool) now my turn.....

 

I make it $500. a solid bet representing I have a very solid hand. To my shock the big blind called me and so did the player under the gun. The original raiser also called.

 

The flop is: K-10-9 all diamonds. I'm not crazy about the flop as someone could have pocket Kings. That wouldn't be out of the question becasue I did have 3 callers to my $350. pre-flop raise.

 

Slow playing usually equals death in No Limit. The diamonds didn't concern me as much as the King. After all I had the Ace of diamonds so I felt no worry there. But how much to bet? I'm acting first and am subjected to one of these callers coming over the top of me. There is about $1,800. in the pot so I bet $2,500.

 

The bet is considered large because I'm overbetting the pot. Once again representing a very solid hand. The big blind quickly folds. Now it's up to the guy under the gun. He goes to the think tank for a while then pushes all in, $6,800. The other guy quickly fold.

 

Now I go to the tank. What does he have? If he is playing Queen - Jack he flopped a straight. If they're diamonds he has a straight flush and there is no way I can win. I would be drawing dead, meaning no cards in the deck can improve my hand to win the pot. Could he be on the second nut flush draw, flop a set, does he think I'm bluffing ... it will cost me $3,300. more to call. I'm already in the game for $10,000 of out of budget money. But if my Aces are good I'm ahead for the night.

 

I cannot put him on a hand meaning I think he has nothing. Therefore, I call. The turn is a 4 clubs and the river is a 10 hearts. I lose ;(

 

Ironically my call was correct I was way ahead he had nothing. But no matter how skilled a player there is still the luck factor and that can't be controlled. He called me with basically nothing. He had a black Queen and a black Ten, he caught the Ten on the river to give him 3 Tens which beat my Aces.

 

I keep replaying the hand in my head but more importanly I keep replaying how I went into savings to even play tonight. Like we say when we see a bogus review, it sends up a red flag; well tonight was my poker red flag and now I wave the white one.

 

The end.

 

RT

[bigguyinpasadena]

Four Aces you ,my friend, are a rare breed.As a card player you KNOW in your heart of hearts that this day was bound to happen.You have been riding a very good wave of good fortune-but now the tide has turned.

Many say Poker and Sport/Horse betting are different than other games of chance.And I agree that skill,knowledge,and technique do play a greater part in the long run than in the other games offered in the casino-but it is still gambling and you and I both know someone has to lose in every round of cards.This time it was you(unfortunatly)who got the bad hand.

You are wise to sit it out for awhile,recoup your losses and build your bankroll up again.Also a break refocuses your attention to other matters in life that might need some attention.

Dostoyevsky wrote about a gambler-in this case "The Grandmother"

"pitch’s calculations, the Grandmother lost, that day, a total of ninety thousand roubles, in addition to the money which she had lost the day before. Every paper security which she had brought with her — five percent bonds, internal loan scrip, and what not — she had changed into cash. Also, I could not but marvel at the way in which, for seven or eight hours at a stretch, she sat in that chair of hers, almost never leaving the table. Again, Potapitch told me that there were three occasions on which she really began to win; but that, led on by false hopes, she was unable to tear herself away at the right moment. Every gambler knows how a person may sit a day and a night at cards without ever casting a glance to right or to left."

So you got out while still having your job and some security.And the ability to return to the tables another day.

And thus endeth the lesson!

[+ Lucky]

Lucky you to quit when you can!

[BB Pro]

Four Aces -

Great Play! Not only on how you played the hand but the fact you had balls to do it. You can't go through life with a safety net under your ass all the time. You got to go beyond your limits at times. No I am not advocating everyone go out and gamble irresponsibly… .. but every once in a while you gotta say "what the fuck"! Congratulations for saying "what the fuck".

BB

[taylorky]

>Four Aces -

>Great Play! Not only on how you played the hand but the fact

>you had balls to do it. You can't go through life with a

>safety net under your ass all the time. You got to go beyond

>your limits at times. No I am not advocating everyone go out

>and gamble irresponsibly… .. but every once in a while you

>gotta say "what the fuck"! Congratulations for saying "what

>the fuck".

>BB

 

 

 

ahhhhhhhh from the one that disables his/her profile.

[FourAces]

Thanks guys for the nice comments.

 

RT

[PacNW]

I'm hoping you've got some other interests/activites on tap to distract you from that hole that's going to crop up in your life. This isn't a judgment on the addictive aspect of things, but if you've spent that much time pursuing something like that, you're going to be missing all the old familiar places and all the old familiar faces. There's going to be a big gap in your social life but don't dwell on what's past. Consider this a well-meaning nudge to get out and do other things.