Runner Runner Two-in-a-Row (cash)

GOOD BEAT

Not only did I manage to hit a ridiculous runner runner against pocket kings once, I did it twice - on the very next hand!! Lady Luck was in love with me tonight for some reason. It was like she let me hit it, then said, "hit me baby, one more time" just like Britney. I was still in disbelief when it happened the first time, then even more incredulous when it happened the second time.

Kings vs 33s pre-flop is the standard 80%/20% domination. The kings went up after the flop to 87%. Why didn't I fold? Well, simply put, I was probably on tilt. I had been up early in the session but wanted to play some more on what seemed like such a good table. But a bad turn of cards ended up pushing me down in the session. I was definitely steaming at this point. Also, since I was heads-up, I figured my opponent probably didn't hit anything on the flop. Boy was I dead wrong. The turn helped by giving me an open-ended straight draw, but the kings were still a 77% favorite. To add insult to injury, I raised the poor chap on the river.



Then, on the very next hand, I limped and called a raise with A5s. This time, I wasn't that far behind. The kings were a 57% favorite pre-flop, while I was a 30% dog. They say that in limit hold 'em, you should rarely slowplay a good hand. You need to get your bets in because you've got to limit your opponents by betting or punish them for calling. Lucky for me, the kings checked. However, it probably wasn't a mistake to check and this was one of those times you could actually slowplay a hand because the kings were a 95% favorite on the flop. But another club turned, giving me the nut flush draw. The kings knew it, so he bet. But even with the draw, the kings were an 83% favorite while I was down to 17%. I knew I wasn't getting the correct odds to call, but my implied odds were decent. So when I hit my flush, I check-raised the poor bastard.

Lady Luck was damned good to me and I'm quite certain she's going to punish me down the line and say, "it's payback time."

Kings Over Queens Roller Coaster (cash)

GOOD BEAT

Pre-flop, I was a huge favorite, about 75% against my two opponents. Surprisingly, in this multi-way pot, no one held an ace even after the bets were capped. That worked in my favor because that meant I led on the flop. I worried a little about a flush draw, but again, no one held two hearts either. I was almost certain the villain who had capped the betting held an ace. Little did I know he had a pair of queens.

However, even though there were three hearts by the time the turn came around, the capper was all-in with just about the small blind. I figured I had to call since there was so much in the pot already. Lucky for me the capper didn't have much left because if he had a lot of chips, I may have folded on a turn bet. The question is, would he have bet the turn with queens?

Anyway, I went from being a 90% favorite on the turn, to being a 20% dog when the queen hit. It gave the villain a set, but I had outs since I could hit any heart or the case king. Lady Luck was on my side this time around, and even though she didn't give me a heart, the case king was good enough for me.

I Take All The Chips (tourney)

GOOD BEAT

After a pot is raised, then re-raised, AK suited is really not that strong of a hand. But one thing that is often forgotten is the context of the situation. What were the raisers doing prior to the current hand? What style of play do they have? What stage of the tournament is it? Are players trying to gamble early to double-up? In this case, the tournament was only $0.10 so there's a lot of multi-way, all-in situations.

So even after I saw the pot was raised, then re-raised with an all-in, I had no problems with moving all-in as well. I figured I had just as much a chance as anyone to win the pot. Little did I know, however, that I was actually the least favored to win pre-flop. Even against KT! I was just a 7% dog against the other players while the aces were a 62% favorite. You need to know these percentages to be a winning player, which is why playing poker is clearly a game of skill.

This huge pot allowed me to finish in 8th place in this tournament.

Perfect Example of Big Stack Ridiculousness (tourney)

BAD BEAT

Here it is, probably the best and most perfect example why the big stack on these PokerStars tourneys very often have the best of it at the end. My opponent had just two outs since I had both of the fives that would give him a straight. Two outs!! But as usual, he got it on the river and sucked out. Something is terribly wrong with this.

Aces Barely Hold Up (tourney)

GOOD BEAT

I moved all-in with aces and there was nothing I could do about the flop; another player flopped a king high flush. But I had outs because I held the ace of diamonds. A higher flush never hit. Instead, I caught another ace and ended up with a full house. I was just a 25% dog on the turn. This hand helped me generate a big enough stack to reach 5th place out of 360. Unfortunately, the next hand shows how I went out. Even though Lady Luck was good to me early, she was terrible to me in the end.

First Hand Out (tourney)

BAD BEAT

It's probably not the first nor the last time I'll go out on the first hand of a tourney, but this one is very painful. It's painful because it happened on the river. The pain is like someone slowly peeling away a very sticky band-aid, then ripping it off and taking some meat away with it. It sucks.

I Beat the Big Stack! (tourney)

I was ahead, but as usual, I thought I'd get beat by the big stack. As I suspected, he flopped his pair and I thought I was dead. But I wasn't. I actually hit my ace on the turn! But it wasn't over. There was still the river. But my hand held up and I was in disbelief.

Good Call, Bad Result (tourney)

BAD BEAT

I was a 76% favorite on the flop. I thought long and hard about whether I should fold and my gut told me to call. I made the right call, but the river got me. Personally, I think it's PokerStars stupid programming. The odd thing is that when I'm the big stack and make lame calls, I end up losing. What is it? Just Lady Luck being her normally tricky self?

Flopped Straights (tourney)

BAD LUCK

It's amazing how Lady Luck can love you one minute, and leave you the next. And it's odd how she can be so merciless not just once, but twice in this case. Both hands show my last hand (well, practically the last hand in the latter since I still have a few chips left) in two separate tournaments. And both show me getting crushed when my opponent flopped a straight. I think I could have folded the first hand, but there's no getting away from the second.

Domination Doesn't Make Much Difference (tourney)

BAD BEAT

I was re-raised by the big stack and I thought about just calling. I mean, why not see a flop with so many chips? But I had barely placed, having been the short-stack for a very long time and battling my way to fourth. Then, with some luck and good decisions, I was left with just three players. I wanted to win, so I decided to go for it. I felt I had the best hand and might even convince my opponent to fold. But he didn't. I was a 67% favorite, but it wasn't enough and I lost on the flop.