The Taste...

I think I lost the taste for poker.

This isn't a bad beat story. I decided to hit Foxwoods Saturday night. I don't go often, the drive is an hour and I normally don't have the money to play, but I had been wanting to play for a while. The entire drive, I was thinking, "I'm not looking forward to the drive back." I get there @ 8:30 and the place was packed (in the middle of the preliminaries of the Foxwoods Poker Classic- WPT event. I did see Men the Master sitting at a table (must have busted early from the Reno event). I put my name on a bunch of lists (I love that you can now put yourself on lists); 1/2nl, 2/4 lhe, 4/8 lhe, even 2/5nl. About an hour or so in, I get called for 2/4 and take my seat. I like the tables, a couple of cute girls to flirt and smile with, it's the same as microlimit online so the play wasn't great. I stayed about even, went up a bit with a split pot on a straight. Made a small profit when I played Ah3h with a raise from one of the blinds (I was folding hands like that all night, and decided to try to build a pot in case I hit)- flopped the draw and bet out. Hit the flush on the turn and bet out. Bet the river and won. Unfortunately, unlike most hands, only one person stuck around after the flop.

Around midnight, I get KK in the SB. One limper, I raise, BB and limper calls. Flop is T high. I bet, both call. Turn is a 2- I bet, BB calls, limper raises, I call (but I know I'm in trouble), BB calls. River is a T. dang it. I check, BB bets, limper raises, I fold. BB calls. BB has T6, limper has T2 for the boat. At that point, I though, dang it, I wish this was NL. I can't blame either of them for their calls in limit. Well maybe the limper, but his T2 WAS sooooooted. Anyway, wishing it was NL, but not wanting to put my name back on this very long list, I sighed. Suddenly, God (or the floor person) calls my initials for the 1/2 NL. Wow, 3 1/2 hours on the list. I take it.

Normally, I love the feel and the sounds of the casino. I'm not a "gambler" by nature, but I can feel the excitement. This time I didn't feel it. It felt... depressing. It reminded me of the time I went the Horsehoe in Bossier City, LA. I feeling of desperation in the air.

I stayed until 3am, but then headed home. I booked a loss for the night, mostly on one really bad play. A "zero" play. Put all my chips in (a HUGE overbet), when, in reality, I wasn't going to be called by anyone with a hand less than mine. They don't call it the idiot end of the straight for nothing.

There was a play before that. I had 3d5d in one of hte blinds. The flop comes JJ5. This one lady bet out $10 and I called. No other callers. The turn was a 2. Check-check, and the River was a 5. I bet out $10, she re-raises me to $40. I think and muck with my 5 up.

She later asked if I knew what I threw away. I said, Yes, I put you on the J. She told me she had a 5, as well. At the time, I felt I played it well, even though I was wrong. I trusted my read and went with it. I figured I'd be willing to pay $10 to find out if my read was right and her raise told me it was. The guy next to me (who I ended up stacking off to later) said he put her on the Jack as well.

But if I would have put some actual thought into it, was it likely she had the J? She bet out on the flop, which is fine, nothing says she had to slow play, but if she's willing to bet the flop with a J and I called, why would she just check the turn, instead of betting again? Her bet then check says she had either a different pair (over/under) or a 5 and was worried I was slow playing a jack. Then the 5 hits and what is she betting there? AND if I was willing to call the bet on the flop, what was I waiting for when the 5 came on the river? What other card could I have possibly wanted to hit? What was the reason for calling a flop bet if I folded on the river when the perfect card hit for me? The only hand I didn't beat had one of the 2 final jacks in it. I beat over pairs and under pairs and an Ace which were all possibilities.

So, for the future, I don't plan on playing poker for anything other than fun (ie- home games). And until I'm willing to take the time and think through hands properly, there's no point in playing at a casino. This is live play, no clock to worry about, I should have taken the time to think the hands through.

-My name is Unimpressed, and I'm an donkaholic.