I Finally Hit Runner Runner Straight - Twice! (tourney)

GOOD BEAT

At the final table with only three players left, I decided I had to gamble to stay alive. I was in trouble, especially on the flop. I was just a 4.75% dog on the flop. I improved to 18.18% on the turn.




Later, I was the dog again. I was a 25.66% dog on the flop. I went down just a little to 22.73% on the turn. But Lady Luck finally heard my call and allowed me to win when I was behind. These hands helped me come in 2nd place.

Three Hands of Horror (cash)

BAD BEAT

These three hands depict the kind of hell I'm going through in limit poker and in this series, it's against the same player. I've been on a very steep losing streak, seemingly unable to grind out any kind of win. Is it all bad luck or am I playing badly? I think it's the former because when you look at these percentages, you'll see why I feel that way. All percentages reflect my chance of winning.

Flop: 62%
Turn: 80%



Flop: 69%
Turn: 68%



Flop: 24%
Turn: 43%
26s: 8%

One Outer Madness (tourney)

BAD BEAT

My opponent had one out and Lady Luck gave it to him. Why Lady Luck? Why have you forsaken me?

Lady Luck Hates Me (cash)

Sure, I was behind on a draw when my opponent flopped a set. But I had outs. Any club except for the 3 of clubs would give me a flush and put me in the lead. The only club that would break me was the 3 of clubs. So what does Lady Luck do? What else? She gives it to me. That's what's so sick about this hand.

Unbelievable Bad Luck (tourney)

BAD BEAT

The second hand isn't really a bad beat, but more like bad luck. The first hand is definitely bad luck. Coincidentally, I was knocked out in separate tournaments with the same hand. But Lady Luck wasn't cruel just to me, she was also cruel to the person who had aces that were cracked!

Limit Session of Hell (cash)

BAD BEAT

Here are a few hands from my limit session that make me want to quit. These things happen, but when they happen continuously, you begin to wonder if you're just doomed to have bad luck.

When I sat down, I was dealt pocket aces. They were cracked. On the next hand, the same player that cracked my hand, cracked aces again. I should have known this was an omen. The next graphic had me flopping a boat, only to lose to a higher boat on the turn. Finally, my AK top pair was killed by someone who flopped a set.

Getting Caught in a Rush (tourney)

BAD BEAT

The two hands prior to my hand indicated the usual big stack superiority and dominance. Sure, maybe it was a lucky rush, but three hands in a row? It just doesn't make sense and I can't help but wonder if there really is some kind of programming issue in the software.

In this first hand, the chip leader was a 29% dog pre-flop and 23% on the flop.


In this second hand, the chip leader was a 28% dog pre-flop and 14% on the flop.


In my hand, I felt a sense of doom when the villain flopped a pair. He was just an 18% dog on the flop and 19% on the flop.

Should You Laydown Kings? (cash)

QUIZ

Here's a hand I had playing a limit game. You raise in the big blind after several players limp-in. What would you do with pocket kings in this situation?



Here's how how the hand played out.

I Cracked Aces When Forced (tourney)

GOOD BEAT

When the blinds get high, you have to make a move. Normally, I like at least K9, but any king was good enough for me in this situation. I was a 10% dog, 96s was 18% and the aces were 72% pre-flop. The flop was good to me and I improved to 17% versus 80% for the aces. The rest (or perhaps the turn in this case), as they say, is history.

Stolen Pot with Boat on River (cash)

GOOD BEAT

I've always wanted to steal a pot when someone flops a monster. I did exactly that when one of my opponents flopped a straight. Since an AK high straight was a possibility, my opponent didn't get too aggressive. I was just a 20% dog on the turn. I've felt this type of pain though. You have a made straight with a straight flush possibility, yet the river takes the pot away from you. As usual, there's nothing you can do but move on to the next hand.

One of Those Bad Tourneys (tourney)

BAD BEAT

Sometimes you get into a tournament and you're simply unlucky. No matter what you do, you can't get a break because Lady Luck just doesn't want to give you one.

First my aces got cracked. What's so sick about this hand is that the villain was just a 6% dog pre-flop. However, he improved on the turn to 19% and that's all she wrote.



Then, even though I managed to accumulate some chips and had my opponent dominated, it just wasn't meant to be. To add insult to injury, Lady Luck endowed him with a four-of-a-kind.

Ripped on the Turn (cash)

BAD BEAT

I felt like I did the right thing and just got unlucky. My opponent raised on the flop and Lady Luck gave him her blessings with a miracle turn card. I smelled something fishy and just called all the way down to the river.

Dominated? What Me Worry? (tourney)

GOOD BEAT

Lady Luck was finally on my side as these hands will show you. You can get far in a tournament with solid play, but it sure helps to get lucky too. These big hands helped secure a third place finish for me.

This first hand had me dominated when my opponent moved all-in and I called. I had a lot of chips, and as the bigger stack, I felt confident my opponent had a small pair or a smaller kicker. Obviously I was wrong, but the bit stack always seems to have a big advantage. I was just a 10% dog on the flop, but with a 20% chance to tie. The turn made it worse and made me a 7% dog, but a 23% chance to tie.



In the hand below, my opponent checked on the flop to get me to bet. I took the bait and was drawing nearly dead at just 10% on the flop. The miracle turn card had him drawing dead.

Kings Cracked by Runner Runner Straight (tourney)

BAD BEAT

I was a 93% favorite on the flop. Interestingly, the turn card kept the percentage exactly the same. Only a non-heart ace or a non-heart 3 would allow my opponent to steal the hand away from me. That's right - you guessed it. That's exactly what happened.

Split Pot From Runner Runner Flush

BAD BEAT

Even though we tied, I still consider this a bad beat. Pre-flop, I was an 85% favorite against just the one opponent. On the flop, I only went down to 80%, although there was a slight chance for a tie. The tie possibility increased on the turn, and we all know how it ended. I guess I can't blame this guy for going all-in with top pair on the flop, but I just can't understand why Lady Luck has to do me this way sometimes.