Three in a Row (tourney)

DEFINITION/GOOD BEAT

I've noticed that to get far in a tournament, you need to get lucky. And there's nothing like getting a rush of cards to help you on your way. I don't remember ever getting a rush of cards like this. I got them all in a row.

Give and Take (cash)

QUIZ/GOOD PLAY/BAD PLAY

With AJ in early position, I tend to play conservatively. However, I had position in this hand since it was a blind versus blind scenario. What would you do?



Here's what actually happened.



Later in that session, I came upon this hand against the same player. What would you do?



Here's what I did.

Aces Cracked Revisited (cash)

BAD BEAT

This time my aces were cracked with a flush on the river. I think the hand that's been cracked the most is pocket aces, at least for me.

A 10-to-1 Overbet (cash)

QUIZ/DEFINITION

You are the Hero. You raise with AQ and the blinds call. There is $0.75 in the pot. You flop top pair and the big blind moves all-in for $10.00. What do you do?



The big blind, or Player 1, has made an overbet. He has bet $10.00 to win just $0.75. Unfortunately, you have not been on the table long enough to know what type of player he is. To see what Player 1 had, view the replay below.

Dominated But Short Stacked (tourney)

GOOD BEAT

I was dominated but I had to make some kind of move with so few chips. At this stage, you just hope for the best and make a wish that Lady Luck will find you.

Aces Cracked Once More (cash)

BAD BEAT

Even if I had bet on the turn, I don't think my opponent would have folded. But you never know . . .

Multi-way Limped Pot (cash)

QUIZ

What would you do on the turn?



Here's what actually transpired.

Semi-bluffing from Early Position (cash)

DEFINITION

Since it was a limped pot, I decided this was a good time for a semi-bluff. I had an open-ended straight draw and figured my opponent didn't have an ace. For your bluff to work, you have to tell a believable story. My story told my opponent that I had an ace with a weak kicker since I checked on the big blind, and check-raised the flop. I also led out on the turn pretending to protect my hand from a possible flush.

Usual Two Pair v Flopped Straight (tourney/cash)

BAD BEAT/BAD PLAY

Not much of a bad beat, but when you get a lot of cards that flop a possible straight, you should be more cautious than I was. However, it's always tough to get rid of a flopped two pair and it seems like someone will always lose money in this kind of situation.

Flopped Flush v Flopped Set (tourney)

GOOD BEAT

I might have been on the other side of a hand like this at one point or another. To gain chips on a flopped flush, your opponent usually needs to have a pretty big hand.

Good Laydown, Better Flop (tourney)

I felt I had a losing hand when the pair of kings raised. It wasn't much of a raise, but I suspected I was in trouble. When the flop hit, I thought I should have gambled, but then realized it was a good thing that I didn't.

Top Pair Fold (cash)

BAD PLAY

I think a good play here would have been the check-raise. It would have challenged my opponent on the button and probably would have made the player to my left fold. However, against an aggressive player, I could get re-raised and be forced to make a tough decision. My general rule is not to play KQ upfront unless I flop a big hand.

Unlucky Run (tourney)

BAD BEAT/DEFINITION

I have the feeling that when you get a bad beat in a tournament, you tend to get more of them later. It's kind of like the opposite of a rush. Sometimes you'll win a bunch of hands in a short period of time, and sometimes you'll lose a bunch of hands in a short period of time.

Wimpy Fold (cash)

BAD PLAY

Scared poker is losing poker. I should have called the river bet.

Flopped Nut Flush (cash)

GOOD BEAT

Not only was I lucky flopping the nut flush, I was lucky because other players also flopped good hands. Multi-way pots are so satisfying to win.

Possible Flush Flop (tourney)

BAD PLAY

When someone calls your bet with a board that is suited, either they have it or they don't. I was hoping my opponent did not have it and that's why I moved-in on the turn. Turns out I was wrong. I should have played the hand more carefully and been willing to let the hand go.

Great Slow Play (cash)

DEFINITION

Here's a great example of a slow-play. Unfortunately, I was the one who fell into the trap.

Runner Flush for Me (tourney)

GOOD BEAT

I didn't even know how I won when I first saw this. Once again, sometimes you give and sometimes you receive. But like they say, it's better to give than receive.

Aces Cracked Once Again (tourney)

BAD BEAT

Just another case where the big stack cracks the poor and lowly lower stack.

Flush Draw v Set (tourney)

GOOD BEAT

My opponent made a pot bet on the flop which gave me 2 to 1 odds to call. Interestingly, I was getting correct odds to make the call since I was a 33% underdog at that point. Since the call would mean nearly my entire stack (and there was no way I was folding on the turn), I pushed it all-in.

Domination Kharma (tourney)

GOOD BEAT

Sometimes you get a bad beat, and sometimes you'll be the one giving the bad beat. I was dominated, but got lucky when my queen hit the flop. This lucky break allowed me to go further in the tourney than I expected.

Ace Jack Early (cash)

LAYDOWN

I played scared with AJs in early position, but I should have called since these players were playing very loose. Still, I figured I would wait for a better hand and better position against these players.

Slow Played Aces (tourney)

BAD BEAT

I slow played my aces and got burned. I had a feeling I was in trouble when I was re-raised, but I had so much money in the pot, I figured I had a chance.

Queen of Hearts Flush (tourney)

GOOD BEAT

I finally got the big, lucky break I'd been waiting for. I'd been beaten with runner runner flushes before and it sure feels a lot better on the other side. Winning this big pot allowed me to place 12th in this tournament.