Bad Luck Against One Player

How about this for a bad beat. I am playing in a single table sit n go, down to 6 players, I am 2nd in chips. I limp on the button with J/9 offsuit. The flop is 10/Q/x with two spades. Check around with 4 players in. The turn is an offsuit 8 and the small blind bets, a short stack calls, and I reraise pot to drive out the flush draws with my straight. The original bettor folds and the short stack reraises all in with his flush draw. The river.....a spade, he wins.

The very next hand I again have J/9 offsuit in cutoff. Call. Same player that caught his flush on me bets, I reraise on the J/9/6 flop (two diamonds), and he reraises all in. I call, he has pocket Jacks!!!!!!

Sick action against the small stack.

Quick Pasco Trip

I made a quick trip to Pasco this week. My daughter asked me to drive there with her for business. We arrived Wednesday afternoon about 2:00 and Matt had sent me a text message about the Omaha game starting at 4:00: sign me up sir!!!

I was extremely lucky in the game and after getting stuck $100 I cashed out 3 hours later for $545.00. Nice day at the office. Big hands: flopped quad queens with someone else doing all the betting. Flopped quad 4's, same bettor.

Tonight at the American Legion I managed to limp into the final table short stacked, avoid the bubble and cash out in 6th place for $71.00. Not a big win, but with the cards I was dealt not a bad outcome. Final hand: Big aggressive stack at the table bet enough to put me all in. He had been raising with a variety of hands, including big suited cards, small pairs (saw him lose 5's vs. 6's), and calling big raises with A/10 offsuit. I had pocket 5's and figured at least 50% chance for a race. He had pocket 8's vs. my pocket 5's. Oh well, given my chipstack it was an o.k. call, had only 2 more hands before my big blind of 1/3 my stack.

Omaha Tournament at Wildhorse

My final tournament at Wildhorse was the Omaha. My day started well, playing the 4/8 game was up about $80 and feeling good. Two hours into the game, I had won 2 hands, small pots, and gotten a quarter of another. I was extremely short stacked the entire tournament and really had some bad luck. Flopped top set twice and lost to rivered straights. Just bad cards and bad luck.

After busting out, played in the 4/8 again and got up about $100, but steadily lost my chips and left down $20. Disappointing days at Wildhorse.

Pendleton Roundup

The Fall Pendleton Poker Roundup brings a lot of professional players into town. The cash games are pretty wild, with a lot of big bucks floating around. My first tournament was the opening day, last Wednesday. My friend Bob and I got their early enough for me to lose $200 in a 4/8 omaha game prior to the noon start. I had a chance to get back in the cash games soon enough with a horrible table draw. I was two seats to the right of a Las Vegas pro who knocked me out of the horse tournament last year when she flopped an open ender and I flopped two pair. I knew there would be precious little blind stealing going on in my position, especially after she doubled up through the dumbest player at the table (two pair all in vs a 4 card straight on the board...duh).

So, the start of my finish was a steal attempt from the cutoff with J/4 of spades. She calls from the small blind. The flop is jack high with one spade. She checks and I continuation bet 1,000. She check raises to 2,000. Rut Row. I call to see the turn, planning to fold to a bet or check behind if my hand does not improve. The turn is the king of spades giving me a sneaky backdoor flush draw. She bets big, 5000 into my 7000 stack. After some deliberation I decide that this hand is pretty much for my tournament life. If I hit my spade I double up with the bonus of taking her back to near starting chip stack and curbing some of her aggression. If I miss, well, I will still have a chip and a chair. I of course miss and a few hands later after 2 all ins I get my pocket 7's snapped by KJ suited. My misery of the day continues with more losses in the cash games. Bad day of poker, but that said a bad day of poker beats most good days doing other stuff.

Saturday I play most of the day earning $224, just enough for my buyin on the Sunday tournament. I play fairly well, take a hit just before the 1st break and end up getting knocked out on the first hand after the break. I am in the small blind and complete to 200 with 9/10 offsuit with the button limping. The big blind checks behind. The flop is 8/J/x with 2 of a suit, giving me the openender.I lead out with 600, which is a pot size bet, and the big blind calls, the button....short stacked, folds. The turn is my dream card, queen giving me the straight. I lead out with 2000 and the BB shoves all in, having me covered. I beat him into the pot with my cards face up showing the nuts. He shows Q/8 offsuit for two pair. The river? Obvious, queen for the full house. I felt like someone sucked all the air out of the room and kicked me in the gut, or a little lower.

Next up....Omaha tournament on Wednesday.