There is a Lesson Here...Somewhere

I'm sitting in an Oaks 15/30 game that honestly isn't that great. There are 3 props, including Matt Lessinger, and basically everyone is playing very tight. Matt, however, is getting hammered, both on and off the felt. Just before kickoff of the Spain v USA soccer match he declared he was going to make a call and place a bet. Turns out Spain was something like a 9.5 : 1 favorite, so he instead bet on the spread, laying 1.5 goals and 120:100 (he had to bet $120 to win $100, and Spain had to win by more than 1.5 goals for him to collect). Well, we all know how that worked out for the man....

The dealer was making a mess of everything. First, he blatently dealt out the button, who had just busto'ed himself but was in the process of buying more chips and was entitled to a hand. The poor guy didn't say anything, though, until after the UTG player raised, and the floorman came over and ruled basically "tough shit". The next hand a woman posts behind the button and the dealer again fails to give her a card on his first pass. She notices quickly, however, and the 3 players behind her simply slide their cards (at which they have not looked) to their rights. While this is happening the early position player (we'll call him Jack) on my immediate right says "Another misdeal?" and throws his jack of spades face up on the table. "No, no" says the dealer, "We're alright now". Jack is a little perturbed, but he takes back his jack and receives another card from the dealer. Now, were Jack a smart man, their would be no story to tell here. But you're reading about it, so we all know what happens next.

Jack open raises. In early position at a ten handed table. When it is known that he has the jack of spades in the hole. I'm next up and have to call for time upon beholding the mighty Ace Deuce off, saying "Now wait a second...this is interesting!" I think for a second and decide Jack has to have jack jack, catergorically ruling out Ace Jack. Now there's a poster behind me, plus $25 in blinds, so that's $40 of dead money I could create if I 3-bet here. I'm in position. And I know what he freaking has! To war!!! I 3-bet, everyone folds (thank God...but in retrospect, what I've just done is quite a show of strength. Jack has jacks and I 3-bet him!), and Jack...4-bets. Doh. Ok, whatever, time to flop 'em....

A82r

I raise, he calls, and proceeds to call me down, then muck when I table the goods. Like I said, I'm sure there is a lesson here somewhere....

Fast forward to today and I find myself sitting in the Bay 101 40/80 game, praying that somehow, maybe just this one time, I'll be allowed to win. You see, to date I'm a 5 rack loser in Bay Area 40/80 games, and I really don't think I'm not good enough to beat them. Pete, for example, who plays about the same as I do, is over a ten rack winner in a similar number of hours. Anyway, yet again I pick up black aces and make the obligatory raise. RU the floor man 3-bets me and a smile actually crosses my face; for once, I'm gonna get him. It may only be heads up and it won't be a huge pot, but god damn it I'm going to win this freakin' pot. Wait, what's that? Young Jae is calling 2.5 bets cold in the small blind? And Chau Vu wants to take a peak from the big blind for 2 more? Fine. Cap it! Me and the 3 badges are going to war and I've got the best hand by a mile and a half.

992 with two clubs.

Gin! Unless somebody has quads I should be good to go here. Young Jae and Chau check, and I bet. RU raises, Young Jae calls two cold like it's nothing (at which point I get a little concerned), Chau folds, and I 3-bet. Both of them call and I pray silently to the dealer and god to just this one time put a red card with numbers on it out there. And I am smoted....

992cc-Jc

Young Jae checks and I bet. RU calls only (which in retrospect is amazingly awful) and Young Jae raises. Now remember, I have the ace of clubs, so I've got like 11 outs at a damn monster (the 2 aces and the 9 clubs), so I call, having now put 5.5*$80 = $440 into this pot. I realize that yes, Young Jae is bad enough to have lots of 9s in his "what the heck I'll call 2.5 cold" range when the tightest guy at the table (even for me I'd been card-dead) opens like under the gun plus 1. RU 3-bets. I am physically struck back in my chair by the absurdity of it. He has Jacks and just spiked his 2 outter to beat me. Young Jae 4-bets. I stand up, make a small scene, lament how good it is that I run, and muck my hand. RU shrugs and says "quads?" and calls the cap (he can't even raise because I was still in the hand when the betting commenced). The river is a blank and RU only calls Young Jae, who proudly tables...J9 soooooooooted. RU almost falls out of his chair tabling his pocket jacks and Young Jae can't believe his "bad luck". Again....there is a lesson to be learned here....somewhere.