30k Pot at Commerce. Could I have avoided this?

Hmmm... I should move this to the high stakes section...

I know this is long, but I wrote about it on my blog and I just felt like copy pasting it, sorry.

This took place a weekend after my 21st birthday. The weekend of my 21st birthday I played at commerce on Thursday and Sunday and I started with $8,000 on Thursday and left Sunday with $41,000 straight cash homey! I did win $12,000 on one hand where I checked a queen high flop with pocket aces after raising on the button and spiking my ace on the turn and going all in on the turn against pocket queens. Any how, let me tell you the worst beat of my life so far… The day started off pretty well. I sat down at the $20/40 game with about $5,000. I had killed it the weekend before as previously mentioned, so I had a lot of respect at the table. DP comes into the game and gets us to play a 40/100. I call him DP because he is a Producer and we play 40/100 because we can still use the 20 dollar chips and the 100 dollar chips, as opposed to using 50 and 100 dollar chips. Any how I decide to buy in for $15,000, because everyone else at the table has at least $10,000 and I would guess that the table average was over $30,000. The big game eventually breaks, and we are playing 6 handed and switch the game back to 20/40. As we were playing 40/100 another 20/40 game started up and the 5 other players and I were on the must move to go to the other game. While we waited to get into the other game we played 4 handed, because 2 players sat out (which was smart because there were only good players at the table). Here is the hand I got involved in… (I apologize for the lack of details, this happened a few months ago.)

The player I go up against, I will call EC. I do not know his name but I do know he is an east coast pro that takes his son to Yankees games. He has about $65,000 or so, he bought in with about $15,000 and has been destroying the game. He did not play many hands, but every pot he got involved in was huge and he took down like 90% of them.
I am playing with about $15,000.

Pre-Flop

EC makes it $160 under the gun. I look down at my cards and see pocket tens. I raise to $420. EC quickly calls.

Flop

The flop comes Js Td 8c. Great flop for me. EC checks it to me. I make it $600. He thinks for a bit and makes it $2,000. At this point, I have no idea what he has. The hands I put him on at this point are KK, AA, QQ, JJ, 99, or 88, maybe KQ. I figure if I re-raise here, he mucks anything I have beat, except 88, so I decide to just call.

Turn

The turn comes a 2h. The best card I could ask for. Not only is there now no flush possibility, but the 2 could not have improved his hand. EC instantly leads out into me for $3,500. I know he knows I’m a solid player, so I don’t think he’s bluffing, but what could he have? I don’t think he has an overpair, but since I flatted him on a semi-dangerous flop, he may have it and be trying to push me off my draw or weak pair. I am positive he is strong, but there are only a few hands that beat me which would be JJ, Q9 and 97. If he has JJ, then I am dead, but I think he would have played it softer. If he has Q9 or 97, I can still pair the board, which will happen about 22% of the time. So, I go all in for about $8,500 more and he calls too quick for my comfort. He asks if I have a set and I reply with a yes. He said that he did not, but was really confident still.
RIVER

The river was the Qs. I looked up in disgust, because any 9 would have gotten there with the open ended draw. He quickly flips over 97 of clubs and I try to collect myself. All I can do is think about the hand and wonder if I could have possibly folded.

It was a hot and dry day in El Paso when I played that hand in 1849. I'm not sure why I decided to return to the saloon, and once more risk losing it all; maybe it was boredom, days on end of seeing nothing from my porch besides hot, dry sand and desert lizards reflected in the rising steam. God knows where that steam came from. There wasn't water for miles.

I burst through the doors of The Broken Spoke holding all that i had earned from my 3 long months working on the ranch of Dallas Bill, one hundred and two dollars. I looked down back to my usual table: the usual suspects were at it again: Switchblade Joe, Tumbleweed Tim, Vegas Black, and Double Dee. Me? They call me Six-Shooter Sam.

I took my seat. The name of the game was $100 NL, the highest stakes in town. I shouted at the bartender. "Hey Lady, bring me some goddamn whiskey." Luckily, she had it. I would have taken horse piss. Anything to rid myself of the grit on the back of my throat.

First hand I'm on the big blind, and I look down to find the king of hearts and the ten of spades. Folds all around to me, except for Vegas Black who makes it three to go. I eyed him over carefully. He was a smooth one, that Vegas Black; unpredictable, like a cross-breed between a rattlesnake and a scorpion: you never quite could tell which way he was slithering, but one sting from him and men were pushing up daisies. Vegas Black was known in Texas to raise pots with any old hand, he could be sitting on anything from 2 7 offsuit to a pair of bullets. I saw a drop of sweat roll down my forehead and hit the felt. Vegas gave me a sinister grin. "Call." He urged. "I dare ya."

I called his raise. The flop comes 10 clubs, 7 clubs, A spades. Vegas bets out strong, $6, clearly trying to bluff me out.

"It'll take a lot more than that to get me out of this pot, partner," I said to Vegas in a raspy voice, my throat raw from the sand and the whiskey. "$20 to go."

Vegas lit a cigarette and sucked the smoke through the gap where his left front tooth used to be before he lost it taming Memphis, the wild black stallion that townsfolk rumored Vegas found at the gates of hell after getting shot by Kentucky Jack on the longest day December. "$50."

"I call."

The turn comes up, the Ace of diamonds. Vegas checks. Now I'm in for it. My pair of tens is looking worse by the minute. I check behind.

The river comes, the ten of hearts. Vegas checks again, settting his trap, except this time I can fight back. "I'm all-in."

Vegas looks at me and gives another wicked grin. He stands up from the table, pulls his pistol out from his holster, and pointing it at his own head says to me, "I raise you your life."

A lot of things went through my mind at that moment. My wife, my children, my future goals of saving enough money to move out west to california and strike it rich, but for some reason, I knew Vegas Black wasn't holding an ace.

"Vegas," I said, with shaky hands, pulling out my six-shooter from its brown leather holster, "you're a dead man." I pointed my six-shooter at my own head with my right hand, and flipped over K10 with the other. Vegas flipped over 88 and shot himself dead, in the middle of The Broken Spoke, on that hot and dry 1849 day in El Paso, when I made the biggest gamble of my life.



True story. No ban plz.

Hello everyone, i have been visiting these forums for about 3 years, just never had the urge to post anything until recently when all the poker disccusion has come about. My name is Alex the Greek, or thats what everyone calls me at the hardrock casino and the dogtrack. I have never played a hand of online poker, yet ive been playing living live action for around 2 and a half years.

The highest ring game limits aloud in florida to people under 21 is 2-4 fixed, which doesnt give your bankroll much room for improvement unless you hit a fantastic rush. The average night of a session of about 5 hours i cash for around a 100-200, yet i know the softer games and i steer clear of the tables that are screwed down. Anyway i have noticed a couple high caliber players here, and when i mean a few i mean a few. anyway i will start posting the some hands here and would like feedback from anyone. I am always trying to seal my leaks. ok heres the latest hand i played in a 180 person 500$+50 buy in NL(only way i can play NL without going out to the boats and im not 21 for a year) Plus NL is by Far my most solid game. Ok here is the Hand
Blinds 10,000/20,000 ante of 2000 FinalTable

Jon Baacks: UTG raises 60,000 to go <---big stack at the table 580K

Tony Terror Tremis: folds

Jared Piazza: folds

Tiny tom:folds

unknown fish: calls (with hands shakin)

AlexTheGreek: KhJh I call i have 427k

rest fold to the button

Sticky Sam: sits for a while actin incredbly strong and moves his shortstack all-in for 150,000
(this guy just took a huge beat to jonny straight to the boat, so i knew he was either stealin and movin in with a desperation hand)

Jon:Re raises Sticks big bet to obvisously push me out of the pot. His raise was 250,000.

Unknown Fish folds slopily

Now let me give you some info on how jon plays. Ive played him heads up in about 35 tournaments and our paths have crossed many a time, hes loose and will bet suited connectors just like aces. So i put him on the holdings inbetween 9-Js, 10-Js, 7-8s, 9-Qs and maybe , i mean maybe AKs or wired 9's and below. BUT VERY unlikly for he wouldve moved in on me there.

AlexTheGreek: I start shuffling my chips and smiling. I ask, "thats not ganna be enough to get me outta this one jon boy," I proclaimed. "In fact jonny your destined to go broke on this hand" once again taunting trying to trying to pull him into conversation. "Your really re raising that much with just 4's" He proceeds to tell me hes got a made hand. I take a WHILE TO Call this, im almost positive my reads right and hes really weak. Then all of a sudden he asks for the fuckin clock to be brought out, now i know.

"RAISE" I EXCLAIM. Make it 300k to go jon boy, while i slide in almost 3/4ths of my stack
"Thats enough to keep you in right jon? in a cocky arrogant voice."

Jon looks disgusted: after nearly mucking his hand he reluctanly calls. usually i would take this as he has a monster, and my read was way off, but like i said i know this guy well enough to put him on a hand and decide a betting pattern suited for that particular situation.

The Flop

10d 8s 3d

Jon still looks steaming at this point. this is were i know i can win this hand with anything, i am going to use the edge of him being off his game for some reason or another, or maybe its because i have straight up outplayed this guy on many occasions. and the best thing about it is i have confidence oozing out of me.

Jon checks - Now this is not good.why not put me all in here??? i was almost sure hed do it and id call him instantly with K High, but now im wondering how far behind i am i in this hand

AlexTheGreek - this is not time for a bet at all, im 99% sure hell go all in and im beat.
Check!!!!

The Turn

4h

Jon: again he checks, now im baffled, because if he had a straight draw he woulda bet it at the less expensive street or check raised, therefore almost certainly getting a free card. Is this fucker slow playin a set of 8's even on a straight draw and flush draw board?? now this is a possibilty. Ok its time to stop bullshiting and find out where im at


Alex the Greek: 27k leaving me a hundred Thousand left. The thing i love about these bets in no limit they are sooo hard to see through and if he comes over the top i can easily lay this down and still have plenty of chips to work with since most of the table is tight and ive been pushing them around with ease.

Now this is were he went wrong. Its funny how even good players like him who cash almost every tournament in Tampa can make such dumb mistakes

Jonny BOY: gives me the weirdest look, puts his hands over all his chips and to my dismay he gives me the question ive heard fuckin a billion times, how much you got left over there Greek. this is a question that i dont feel obligated to answer, so i take my hands out of the way and the dealer counts em down. I give a smirk cause i cant believe how many tells ive gotten on him these past few minutes!and i also realize something else, how weak his STRAIGHT DRAW IS LOOKIN! ive finally narrowed it down to J-9cd Not spades or he wouldve been firing. My first analysis of startin hands was pretty on point.

Jonny Boy: Smooth calls.

Now at this point i cant believe it, but i know im ahead with just a K High, insane. and here comes the river down and dirty.

River

The Ace of Spades
Also known as Calamity Jane by all card room rounders
and boy oh boy did she live up to her name.

Jon boy:Without a thought of hesitation he moves all-in

by this time about 300+ railbirds are screaming people are goin wild, because this is by far the biggest pot played in the tourny and the 2 big stacks fire at eachother.(i was told this by my boy jared who folded pre flop, because all i saw and heard was jon and the chips getting splashed around the pot. NOW THIS IS A HUGE DECESION for all my money. of course im getting at least 8-1 8.5-1 on the pot. thats great odds but the payout for 10th is 1,500, but the money doesnt really matter. to me if it isnt 1st then its as good as finishing 180th. This is what i was debating, did he have the case ace? it took me only a few moments to rule it out after going through the hand twice. so this is what i said.

alex the greek: "Jonny boy, this might be the sickest read ever or you played this hand fuckin brilliant(i was warned for profanity AGAIN!) Jon, i got you sittin on J-9 trying to steal this pot with a busted draw. I dont have much of a hand AT all. in NL my ability to read people and put myself in their shoes is my god given gift. i made sure not to second guess my instincts and got all my money in there.

SHOWDOWN FOR SIDE POT 854k

Alex the Greek: Shows K high J kicker

Jon Boy: Shows J high 9 kicker

SHOW DOWN MAIN POT 450K
Alex the Greek: Shows K high J kicker

Sticky Sam: Shows Kc 9h


the crowd is awstruct or so i was told no body could stop talkin about how either i had a fuckin killer read on my opponent or im just a calling station who will cold call with K high, and the funniest thing was the biggest pot in the hole tournament won with a K high.

any constructive criticism is fine, im always looking for ways to improve my hand. i will be posting alot more. and yes i did go on to win the 22k 1st place prize as short handed and 10-1 chip ration was a walk in the park against everyone expect my boy jared. AND WHO KNOWS I MIGHT GIVE THIS ONLINE THING A CHANCE feel free to PM anytime or IM me

daut. classic. I remember both of these posts created threads made of gold. =]

edit - i hate you daut

lol fuckin classic

those stores should be posted in the opposite order they are now

Worth reading once again

is the initial poster a joke tho ?

one time i won a HUUUUUUGE pot and my friends and i were high fiving each other like it was our job.

true story. comments welcome.

ok too much detail and background and such, just get to the hand, briefly state your reads, and ask what you should do

we don't need a huge thousand-word story to give you advice

but i think you played the hand correctly and it's a standard cooler and i would rarely do anything differently

On October 26 2008 01:27 rS.Wisdom[9] wrote: one time i won a HUUUUUUGE pot and my friends and i were high fiving each other like it was our job. true story. comments welcome.

i dont believe it

lol that el paso story is the best possible reply of life

does anyone remember who originally came up with it? props to that person

lil.sis

haha i love you Daut44

i love you thiiis much

nobody wins in a dairy challenge

On October 26 2008 11:23 FrinkX wrote: nobody wins in a dairy challenge

hahahaaa

On October 26 2008 11:23 FrinkX wrote: nobody wins in a dairy challenge

a horny cow does!

On October 26 2008 15:00 Daut wrote: Show nested quote + On October 26 2008 11:23 FrinkX wrote: nobody wins in a dairy challenge a horny cow does!

ROFLMAO WTF HAHAHAHA LOOK AT THOSE MONSTROUS HORNS

UNREAL

HAHAHAHAHA