Monday, April 18, 2005
Wow - I don't think I've ever encountered such an acute streak of bad luck in my life! Right now, I'm patting myself on the back for walking away and not trying to win back what I just lost, as it would be impossible with this black cloud over my head!
I sat down tonight at two 25NL tables on Full Tilt. Not gonna get crazy tonight - just play two tables, chill out a bit before bed. In less than 45 minutes, I experienced these hands:
Flopped a K-high heart flush. Got a shorter stack all in on the flop. He called with Ah-x, and rivered the fourth heart to make his A-high flush. Maybe I was too aggressive there, but I definitely killed any proper odds for him to call with the draw and no pair.
Lost another K-high flush to an A-high flush, though I wasn't the aggressor there and should have folded on the river when he put me all in. But hell, people will put others all in on total bluffs at these low tables (I call it WPT syndrome) - I see it every day - so my K-high flush coulda been good, right? I guess I shoulda laid that one down. My bad.
Held 6's on the button and limped with several players in the hand. Flop comes 6-x-x to make my set. I push a bet slightly over the pot size. One caller. Turn comes a rag. I push all in. My opponent calls with QQ. River comes a Q.
AA in the pocket. It's min-raised preflop (curiously by someone other than my eventual opponent). I can't remember if I reraised or called; I remember having the debate with myself. Several players in the pot. Flop comes rags. I push all in (with only half a stack anyway) to see I'm up against KK. (KK calls). Turns his K for 3 of a kind.
Tournament - I'm holding AQs in the small blind with less than 6 BB to my name. I push. Big blind calls with A8s. Domination, right? Flop comes A-8-x.
I was catching fantastic starting hands - all of these in 45 minutes!! But they were just getting brutalized. I feel like I was doing the right thing, going for the gusto with my big hands. After all, it seems like the mantra of no-limit is fold fold fold, and drag that one big pot a night with your monster. I had monsters alright; they ate me alive.
So, I managed to lose $70 in just over an hour. I had no problem walking away - but I'm sitting here, a bit dumbfounded by the whole thing. That's a lotta unlucky hands. Too many two outers for me to stomach in one night.
Who the hell said it's right to play aggressive? Man, I just want to curl up under a rock right now and check check check fold till I shrivel up and die.
With that, I'm getting myself as far away from poker right now as I can! I have to work early tomorrow anyway... oh well.
That's poker.... it sure can sting sometimes.
