OT: Worst Holdem session of my life

[Vegas Vic]

To get the full effect of the evening, I wish we could have the late Rod Serling do the narration. In five hours of play, I was dealt eight big pairs (AA, KK, QQ) and lost all eight of them. I won’t go over all eight losses, but here are the highlights.

I muck my first few hands of the session, then under the gun I look down and find two black kings. I raise, and a fellow in a Toyota mechanic’s uniform cold calls in middle position. Folded around. Flop comes 8-3-2 rainbow. I bet, he calls. Turn card is a 6, completing the rainbow. I bet, he thinks for about 20 seconds while twirling his cards and calls. River is a queen. I bet, he raises and I call. He turns over Q8 offsuit and takes down the pot. Keep in mind, this is a 15/30 game at the Bellagio, not Party Poker 1 / 2.

This one is even better. Folded around to the button who raises. The small blind folds. I look down and see QQ in the big blind and make it three bets. He calls. Flop comes all rags. I bet he calls. Turn is a ten. I bet he calls. River is an eight. I bet, he raises, I call. He shows T8 offsuit and takes down the pot. I guess if you’re brave enough to try and steal the blinds with a piece of crap hand like that, then you deserve to get a runner-runner suckout, right?

This one is probably the best of the bunch. I raise in early position with AA. The Toyota mechanic cold calls (of course he does, he was dealt two cards, wasn’t he?). By the way, I have observed that this guy is seeing about 90% of the flops. It doesn’t matter if it’s capped pre-flop, he’s going to play no matter what. The big blind (a decent local player) also calls. Flop is all rags. Big blind checks, I bet, Mr. Toyota calls, the big blind folds. Turn is a deuce. I bet, Mr. Toyota calls. River is another deuce, giving me aces up. I bet, he raises, I call. He turns over K2 and takes down the pot. Running deuces (a 329 to 1 shot) is a piece of cake for our magic mechanic. Although he beat me like a red-headed stepchild all night, he eventually busted out (losing back all of my chips to the rest of the table).

I won’t go into the gory monetary details. I won one pot in five hours.

Tomorrow is another day.

[Mr. Sparkle]

This is what is the most frustrating thing about playing poker. People playing hands they basically have no business being in and winning. I'm only a poor college student playing at the 3/6 tables at Viejas and i've seen the same things. I cant imagine playing that crap at a 15/30 table. In no way do I consider myself a great poker player but I know whats playable and what is not. I dont know exactly where I'm going with this since i'm a little drunk, but I feel your pain Vic in regards to getting some serious bad beats.

[albionmoonlight]

How does a Toyota mechanic have the disposible income to play like crap at a 15/30 table? I know that looks can be deceiving, but one of the things that I notice in casinos is people who look like they have no business throwing money away like water doing just that. From where do they get the money?

[Airhog]

you should have folded on the river when the queen popped out when he raised. he thought he had the top pair which is probably why he didnt fold. and the Q gave him the nuts.

[Vegas Vic]

Originally Posted by Airhog

you should have folded on the river when the queen popped out when he raised. he thought he had the top pair which is probably why he didnt fold. and the Q gave him the nuts.

Thanks for the advice.

This was an early hand, and I didn't have any information on him. He called two bets cold from my under the gun raise. When he raised the river, I put him on AQ. Most players would 3-bet preflop with QQ to protect their hand and get into a heads up situation. Most players would raise the turn if they flopped a set with one of the rags.

I'm getting 7 to 1 to call his river raise. Is my hand better more than one out of seven times? Bottom line, I didn't put him on Q8 offsuit.

[NoMyths]

Originally Posted by Vegas Vic

Thanks for the advice.

And note how even without the use of a withering smiley the tone comes through loud and clear!

Bad beat, Vic. But if it weren't for getting miracle hands the bad players probably wouldn't stick around to give you their money on other days...at east, that's what I've told myself. Right before hitting the bar.

[Vegas Vic]

Originally Posted by NoMyths

And note how even without the use of a withering smiley the tone comes through loud and clear!

Bad beat, Vic. But if it weren't for getting miracle hands the bad players probably wouldn't stick around to give you their money on other days...at east, that's what I've told myself. Right before hitting the bar.

You're absolutely right. A player can expect to have several sessions per year like this. When I got home, I ran these hands though some simulations, and my EV for the session was actually very positive. In the long run, I would be WAY ahead with those hands played exactly the same way.

[NoMyths]

Yup. Just keep playing your solid game and don't worry about the abberations, other than filing them away to share with others during "bad beat" sessions.

[Chubby]

Ugh bad beats. Another example of a calling station getting lucky. Yet another reason I don't like limit.

[Vegas Vic]

Originally Posted by Chubby

Ugh bad beats. Another example of a calling station getting lucky.

Yes, this is true. However, the bulk of the yearly profits are made against these types of players. On the hundreds of pots that you end up winning, you usually don't get to see their mucked bottom pair after you show your winning hand on the river.

[Chubby]

Originally Posted by Vegas Vic

Yes, this is true. However, the bulk of the yearly profits are made against these types of players. On the hundreds of pots that you end up winning, you usually don't get to see their mucked bottom pair after you show your winning hand on the river.

I agree, we had someone like that on Tuesday at Turning Stone. Now of course, it was only 1/3 but it was a tight table especially when we opened it up at like 11 since it was mostly regulars and the "kids" hadn't started showing up yet.

The same thing was happening but luckily I had switched from looser than normal back to tight (since the table had switched from tight to loose) and this guy would call everything and draw on the river to win. People were getting mad but a couple of us that actually knew what was going on were sad to see him go play in the tourny. He would have given it all back to the table in no time.

[Chappy]

Originally Posted by Vegas Vic

When I got home, I ran these hands though some simulations, and my EV for the session was actually very positive.

What sim do you use to run it through. I've been looking for a better way of analyzing my game instead of the old fashioned print it out and see what I did wrong way.