I hate poker redux

[SplitPersonality1]

Party Poker (10+1 tny)

First hand:

The cards are dealt and I am three seats to the left of the blinds. I see JJ. Excellent. However, my glee is a bit subdued because it is the very first hand. At Party Poker, oftentimes idiot players will go all-in with marginal hands attempting to steal the blinds, and/or catch a good flop and start the tourny with a big lead. Even with my pocket jacks, if someone goes all-in, I will lay them down and catch up later. I am very patient in these tourneys and it usually pays off. (in the money approx. 65% of the time)

I limp in along with two others. The big blind raises to 60. No problem, I call. Guy two seats from me calls and three people see the flop.

Flop: 2s - Jd - 8h.

Excellent. Trips. I am up to bat first and go all-in. I don't want to dink around and have someone river a straight or a flush on me.

Guy to my left folds. Big blind calls. Good. He probably thought I was a pot stealer. More money for me.

He turns over KK. Hmmm. I still have the advantage.

Turn: Ks. Crap

River: 6d.

I lose.....in one hand.....with trip jacks on the flop.

Worst Poker Tournament Result Ever

(sigh)

I hate poker.

[JAG]

He called an all-in on the first hand after the flop with a pair of kings?

I don't play much Texas Hold'em, but what an idiot.

[SplitPersonality1]

Originally Posted by JAG

He called an all-in on the first hand after the flop with a pair of kings?

I don't play much Texas Hold'em, but what an idiot.

I didn't stick around to see the rest of his play, but I wouldn't call him a complete idiot. So many people make dumb moves in the first few hands in these tournaments that he may have assumed that I was one of the typical bad Party Poker players. Who knows.

Not a huge deal though. It was one tourney of many last night. Don't feel too sorry for me. I did OK in the end.

Not all players at Poker Poker are poor players though.

Actually, my last tourney of the night was against four other solid players and was quite fun. The five of us stayed in the game deep into round six and I don't remember seeing anyone make a bad play among us. Fortunately for me, I recieved a long stretch of amazing hole cards (lots of AK, AQ, high pairs etc), and good flops. I basically just outlasted the competition.

The second place player played a short stack about as good as you can. I had a 6000-2000 lead. If I wasn't such a patient player, he could have caught me. I continued to get great flops (trips, straights etc.), and he would not fall for the old check-raise. On the final hand, I held A6s and hit the flush on the flop. He went all-in on the river and I finally beat him.

The losers even stuck around to see the end of the game and congratulated me on the win. There are a few solid poker players that hang out at Party. You just don't run into a pack of them at the same table very often.

[primelord]

Why didn't you raise those J's pre-flop? I understand being patient and in this particular hand it wouldn't have mattered much, but failing to raise those J's in late position after two limpers early or not is a mistake. Why let one of the blinds or original limpers stay in with their any two cards and catch two pair to beat you?

After that what can ya do? You were a massive favorite after the flop, but those long shots hit every once in awhile. I was in a SnG once and got As in the first hand. I made an early raise, one guy re-raised me, folded around to me and pushed over the top of him. He called. He had pocket 4s. Caught a 4 on the river and I was out 1st hand.

[SplitPersonality1]

Originally Posted by primelord

Why didn't you raise those J's pre-flop? I understand being patient and in this particular hand it wouldn't have mattered much, but failing to raise those J's in late position after two limpers early or not is a mistake. Why let one of the blinds or original limpers stay in with their any two cards and catch two pair to beat you?

After that what can ya do? You were a massive favorite after the flop, but those long shots hit every once in awhile. I was in a SnG once and got As in the first hand. I made an early raise, one guy re-raised me, folded around to me and pushed over the top of him. He called. He had pocket 4s. Caught a 4 on the river and I was out 1st hand.

In a normal game with normal people, I agree wholeheartedly. However, in these low-level SNGs, the first hand seems to draw out all kinds of weirdness. I raise and somebody will re-raise all-in. I would fold at that point and start out a bit short-stacked. Happens way too often.
Typically, after the first few hands, things seem to settle down and I have a decent read on good players vs. idiots. If this had been hand 5 or somewhat later in the tourney, you better believe I would have raised pre-flop.

In retrospect, I don't completely fault the guy for calling me. If an ace had been on the board, then, yes, it would have been a moronic call.

[Sporkimata]

What amazes me is the way people bluff online. It hardly works on-line, especially the lower levels I play. Or last night I kept seeing people playing Ace-Six offsuit to the very end of a hand and catching the ace on the river to beat my pair of kings, stuff like that.