The pain continues...

The Wall Street Poker crew was out in force last night at the Good Look club. Myself, Dustin, Andy, Matt, Wendy and Paul all made the trip. When I arrived at 8:15, there were 70 players and I was ushered to a seat in the middle of the room. Matt, Paul and Wendy were sitting at one table together and Dustin was at another one with Andy arriving later.

I had awful position at my table, with the biggest and most aggressive stacks directly on my left. I got good reads on them, but couldn’t make a move for the most part. Because of my awful luck in the recent past, I came into the night with the notion that I would play super tight. It worked for the first 30 minutes and I went up around 70 dollars. It would be the last time of the night I was up. I lost a few hands on the turn and then gave away 40 dollars with J9 when a 9 high board flopped and I bet and got a big re-raise put on me. I folded and he showed pocket Jacks. Then I got felted in one hand. I had KhJh in the small blind and I was able to limp in with it. There were a few other callers and there might have been a small pre-flop raise too. The flop came down Jc-9s-7s. I checked, intending to re-raise big when it came around to me. A limper in the corner made it 15 to go and I re-raised to 55. An aggressive player on my left commented, “And THAT’S why I didn’t bet”, which only increased the table image of my hand. The original bettor hesitated but called my bet. The turn was a 6s. Crap, the third spade. He just called my big reraise so it was natural for me to put him on the spade draw. I checked and then he checked! Now my instinct was to put him on a King with a possible spade in his hand. KQ, maybe, or even KJ. I didn’t give him AK because he didn’t raise preflop like he had been doing previously with big hands. The river was 7c. The board was now Jc-9s-7s-6s-7c. I couldn’t imagine the river helping him at all and his check on the turn indicated huge weakness. I moved all in for 78 dollars and he paused. For about 30 seconds, he thought about it and then finally called, showing 99(!). He had the boat and he didn’t know whether to call?!?! The table, and even his friends, were stunned. For my part, I can’t believe he didn’t bet on the turn considering I might have picked up a flush draw myself. It was weird, but I didn’t feel bad about losing that hand since I was beat from the get go. The next big hand, though, really got to me.

I called for another 200 in chips and waited around until I was in the big blind again. This time, I got dealt AQo and limped again. The flop was AQ8 rainbow. Perfect for me. I checked in the big blind and one player came in for 15. I smooth called my monster and a 7 came on the turn. I checked again and he bet out 30. I came over the top to put his short stack all in and he insta-called for another 40 dollars. He turned over A8 for a flopped two pair which was worse than mine. I am 95% to win here but fate has been ultra-cruel to me lately and an 8 came on the river. He dragged the pot and I felt raped.

A few hands later, I get 5c6c and see a cheap flop of 8c-Jc-2s. There are checks all around and I get to see a free turn, which is the 7s. I now have the OESD and the flush draw. The guy who sucked out with A8 bets out 23 and I see my chance to suck out on HIM. I call and the river is a blank, of course.

I’m down to my last $50 when I get AK. I get a raiser and I move all in, getting another all in and a caller in the process! My dumb luck… One of them turns over JJ and the other has QQ. At least I have a fighting chance, I think, when a King flops and stands up! I triple up, miraculously and then have to leave soon afterwards.

Curse you poker gods! I will have my revenge! Seriously, though, I am in dire straits at the poker table. I know all players have bad streaks but it was only God rubbing it in to me when I went to say goodbye to Paulie and Wendy who were still playing and witnessed Wendy flop quad 4’s and clean out a big stack who went all the way with KK!