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EXPERT VIEW - Two Amazing Hands
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03 May 2006
I`m not referring to what some have murmured appreciatively following exposure to my magical massage technique, but to a couple of poker hands, one that I watched as a spectator and the other I participated in.
I`ll start with my hand since it was far less remarkable, although it mattered more to me since I was involved. Tonight was the first online poker I`d played for over a week. It does help to take a break when you`re running cold and not playing at your best, because although you`re tempted to play it`s a recipe to bleed cash.
I played in a $200 + $15 SNG, single table with 9 pretty tough foes. I recognized a few of the names and settled in for a long struggle. I was short-stacked from the outset after losing the first hand of the tournament. I held 77 and called a raise of 100 chips in middle position (iffy, but I like to do this early on). There were two more callers behind me so the pot was substantial for the first hand. The flop came 5-6-8 and I bet 200 chips as the first post-flop action. The button raised it to 500 and the other two folded. I thought about this for a long time and then called him. The turn was a 6, which I later realized must have scared the bejeesus out of him. I checked that and he checked as well. The river was a Queen. I checked and he checked to show 5-8 and take down 600 of my chips.
That wasn`t the hand though, that was just a preamble. The amazing hand was when there were 6 players left and I was running 6th. The blinds were 200/400 and I had 1600 chips and was lingering. I was in horrible position but had A8 in front of me and felt like I needed to steal those blinds. I was immediately called by the player on my left and knew I was dead when he moved all-in for his full 3000 odd chips. Then the button also went all-in for his stack of 4000+ chips!
I could only imagine this carnage. They flipped over AJ and AK, two real hands. My A8 was so sad by comparison. Actually it was sad to begin with, but I had no options here people. Anyway I flopped an 8, it held up, and I went on to win the whole tournament and feel much better about myself.
The rest of that tournament saw nothing but solid play from me, and yet the whole thing hinged on a single stroke of pure luck...
No wonder Doyle Brunson is super religious. I would be too if I had to do this for a living for 50 years and thrived in the process.
Now let`s look at this hand from the Speed Poker Championships, which was sponsored by Mansion Poker and shown on FOX Sports while I was cycling my way nowhere fast at the gym.
There is nothing more soothing than watching poker on TV while you work out. Try it. The time melts away. So anyway, there are six guys left in the event at this stage.
The first guy to act under the gun looks at his hole cards...KK, and makes a decent bet.
The second guy folds. The third guy looks at his hole cards...KK as well! He re-raises.
The fourth guy now looks down at...AA. I`m not making this up. A short-handed table and the three guys who play have KK/KK/AA.
Needless to say the guys who held KK looked pretty bummed after all three were all-in and the cards were turned over. Fortunately for them the AA was the short-stack so when his hand held up (99% to do so before the flop) they were all still in it.
If this ever happened at an online poker room their credibility would be shot, or at least questioned by railbirds and players alike. Just goes to show you that anything can happen in poker, and there doesn`t have to be a conspiracy theory behind it.
Posted by: Marc Weinberg at 10:32
0 Comments
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> EXPERT VIEW - Playing Online For $1 Million
> EXPERT VIEW - Betting First In No-Limit Hold`em
> EXPERT VIEW - Layne Flack, Huck Seed, and Bluffing
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