License To Ill

To quote a better player than I:

“Something about making a stupid play that makes you feel ill in your gut gets you concentrating again.”

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I had been playing for over an hour.  I was at a 6-max table $200NL and in the course of 122 hands, I had won 7.  I had reloaded for another $100 but was still down less than a buy-in.  I wasn’t unhappy with my play, just borderline frustrated at the lack of opportunity.

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I was under the gun and was dealt pocket 5’s.  I could limp, but at 6-max, I don’t like to limp.  I raised to $7 and got called by the button.  The flop was K72 rainbow, I could hear the whoosh sound as I missed yet another flop.  A check now simply gives away this pot by letting my opponent with better position take the lead by betting.  I don’t always continuation bet, but against one opponent on a K-high flop, it’s not a horrible play.  I fired out $12 and the button called.

The turn brought me my 5.  As they say, sets are gold, but when they come on the turn, they’re platinum.

I bet $40, button called.  River was a blank, I pushed, button called with KQ and I won my 8th hand out of 123.  But I was now on the winning side of the ledger.  Had I limped with 5’s, I would have called the button’s likely pre-flop raise, then check folded the flop.  Instead, I gave myself a chance to get lucky and it paid off.

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Not soon after, I tossed it all away.

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My Achilles heal is still pocket Aces.  I had them in the small blind and everyone limped to me.  I raised to $10 and the big blind, who had me covered, re-raised to $30.  Folded back to me and I re-popped it to $70.  The big blind flat called.

Can you put the big blind on a hand right now?  I can.  I did.  And then I ignored it.

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The flop was K42.  I could give more betting round details, but instead it’s just easier to type, blah, blah, blah, yadda, yadda, yadda, I went broke.

I was fuming, and as DoubleAs mentioned “ill in my guts.”

I logged off immediately.  But of course, there was no way I was getting to sleep.

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I watched TV for 30 minutes and went back to the virtual tables.  I just was not going to be able to sleep knowing how badly I butchered the last hand.  I was going to play just 50 hands, and play them well.  I could win a little, lose a little, double up or go broke again.  I didn’t care.  I needed to log 50 hands of decent poker to wash away the colossal misplay of AA once again.

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The results of the short 50-hand session aren’t important.  I did play well and was able to find a small amount of contentment in that.  It wasn’t much, but it did let me get to sleep without thinking too much about that one previous hand.

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And when I woke up…..it was Wednesday.  Giddy up.