Day 282 ... Bitter Bad Beat...

Fete Watch - Random pick of a fete coming up no-where near you -
The English Folk Dance & Sing Society Fete
Cecil Sharp House, 20th May, London

Not much to say I guess this is either right up your street or not your cup of tea.

Couple of very telling pictures on their site - one of a lady starring into space possibly thinking when the hell is this going to be over ... who talked me into this in the first place ? And then a bunch of blokes leaping around in bright blue rags banging sticks at each other .... like I said maybe not everyone's cup of tea.

A quick weather check for the previously mentioned Brightwalton Fete Extravaganza near Newbury this weekend - looks like it will be sunny ... just don't get too riotous when the Krazy Kat Theatre come on.

And that's another thing that bugs me - why are we spelling things with K's all of a sudden ? Toy's R Us turn up everywhere and suddenly in order to attract the youth's ever decreasing attention span we have to start turning letters around or spelling like a teletubby.

4kingpoker Losses Update ...

Titan Poker ... $ 32.44

$20 cash NL 0.20 ... $60.45 ... + $40.45
$20 cash NL 0.20 ... $00.00 ... - $20.00
$20 cash NL 0.20 ... $18.00 ... - $ 2.00

Titan Poker ... $ 32.44... + $18.45 ... total $ 50.89 ( - $65.11)

I got totally cheesed off with the whole SnG thing at Titan yesterday. I came in last night about 10ish after shooting a very dull business awards dinner (bread and butter photography)and decided to have a couple of hours playing sh** or bust on the cash games - I've just got sick of my stats being way off and watching 20% of my bankroll go in rake. So I sit down for what started a heartening session and ended for me in pure dismay.

Breaking all the bankroll management rules I put $20 ie. 2/3rd of my bankroll into one game - very loose and high pot value game from the stats so this was either going to work or be terminal - played a couple of big hands the last an all-in and cleared up with $40 profit for a 30min session - I love the evenings - so much more traffic and games to choose from and not at all like the players during the day.

I go and make a quick coffee, check on the missus - still nattering to a mate in the yard so I sit down for another session feeling

a) stoked that I won
b) pleased it wasn't just luck
c) eager to go in at the same stake and make the most of prime evening playing time

So in again for $20 (now closer to 1/4 of bankroll still not good but less risk) so a bit of ebb and flow - the standard being better at the 0.10/0.20 game, this is 6 handed by the way so more room for tactics and getting a bit of respect.

Anyway I'm down on a few hands and have about $10 left on the button - what lands in my lap at just the right time ? AA

So I'm thinking I've laid the foundations as a loose aggressive player I'm going to get a caller here when I go all-in. Right so the first to act is a guy with $43 in chips - so with 30cents in blinds to pick up this guy goes all-in ?????

The next two players have a think - they've both got over $20 a piece so it's a bit of a wierd play unless you've really got a very strong hand and even then it's wierd. I mean why bluff $43 all-in to pick up 30 cents ? I'm always going to call that's a given, even if he has KK I'm still ahead so obviously I go all-in $10 and call.

But here's the thing - flop comes down J-3 - now you dont get a turn over at Titan so I'm sat in the dark here thinking bugger I could be dead he's just hit with the Jack - I mean $43 all-in first to act he has to be on a big pair.

Anyway the last card falls and all I'm thinking is I'm dead to a jack nothing else there you would play like he did - NO

This guy went all-in with 33 ????? and hits bottom trips on the flop - now I'm not into the whole rigged internet theory etc but this just seems mighty mighty weird.

OK so I'm an 81% favourite with my hand - but bad beats happen - no problem there - I'd be happy if my all-in got called by 33 and beaten - well maybe not 33 but the point is IF I GOT CALLED not the other way round.

What makes no sense to me is how someone can play 33 all-in in first position

a)you've got to be thinking someone is going to call my all-in - leaving me a totally weak hand to play and sure to loose.

or

b) no-one is going to call my allin so why do it - the best I'm going to get is 30 cents for a $43 bet ???? and waste the possibility of turning trips on the flop.

OK so he's got a pair which could hits trips but why play what is a weak hand so aggressively ???

The cynic in me suggests ... did he have x-ray specs ? ... did he know I had AA and would call any bet ? ... and did he also know that the flop would bring him a 3 to make his hand ?????

We will never know - but this is without doubt the first and only time I have felt uncomfortable with the way a hand was played on the internet - all other bad beats felt just like bad beats.

All I can say is - hosscrazy you lucky muppet - just avoid him at all costs he's is the luckiest mo-fo I have had the misfortune to be at a table with and I still cannot believe it felt right.

Of course I cashed up again and bitched like hell - except you can't swear on Titan - which I used to think was a good thing as I hate moaning and slagging off at the table - until that hand - man I was so tilty I had to leave the table after a few hands and a $2 loss.

Pokerheaven ... $ 38.07

$5+0.50 SnG ... 4th ... - $5.50
$5+0.50 SnG ... 10th .. - $5.50
$3+0.30 SnG ... 4th ... - $3.30
$3+0.30 SnG ... 7th ... - $3.30

PokerHeaven ... $ 38.07 ... - $ 17.60 ... total $ 20.47 (- $29.43)

To say I woke up still tilty wouldn't be strictly true - I felt numb and indifferent to a game that I have been passionately enjoying win or lose. I felt like most days I was learning something, playing better on the whole and mastering a few tricks but really just reminding myself that ...

I don't play golf which is alot of peoples sporting passion - if I played low stakes poker it wouldn't even come close to the annual cost of golf membership and I might even win a bit.

But this one hand - 10 seconds on the poker table is absolutely sure to mess with my head for a long time to come. I've had plenty of bad beats before and always knew what goes around comes around, just stick to playing the game well and you get paid off, but this hand is going to bug me - hosscrazy thankyou for bursting my bubble - muppet.



4kingpoker stuff ...

4kingpoker Tour Double this coming weekend - We've got two $50 freerolls on next weekend - 30th April. First we're at PokerHeaven currently my favourite site and then a couple of hours later we have another $50 freeroll at Poker.com which is a great site too - they've got an improved 100% up to $100 deposit bonus on at the moment which is available through 4kingpoker.


Poker Blog of the Week - Adventures of a Poker Nerd
"Hey, are you the idiot who can't keep up with all the tables you're playing and slows the game down for everyone?" Yes. Yes, I am.