What to tell a friend...

[rjb14889]

(I know this is bush-league for most on this forum, but I'm just trying to learn my way around this game still)
My buddy took a bad beat the other night that I think could have been easily avoided...
Playing small NL $10 buy in--10-20 blinds, he's heads up with Q9o and raises $0.50, the other player calls. Flop comes 10, J, Q rainbow--my friend fires with a $1.50 and the other player comes over the top with a $5 raise ($6.50 total). My buddy calls (after long thoughts)--the other player flop the A high straight (he had AKo in the hole)--my buddy busts and is upset, obviously.
Now, he thinks that it was not a bad call because he had open-ended straight draw to the A and top pair--i told him, though, that that is a huge raise and Q9o is not the greatest starting hand, especially one to raise with in early position. He still asserts that it was a managable call--what do i tell him, since i think he is so far in the wrong? How to console a stubborn ego, i guess is the best question here...
Ryan

[lacky]

It's not like it's the wife blowing the rent money. Let him play like he wants. If he came to you for help, thats different. Then he's being an ass argueing after asking for help. If that's the case, say sorry, can't help ya. If he didn't ask, just say that sucks man and leave it, or if you want a discussion say I'd of played it different, but start with "we each have are own style, I'd have ....." As you presented it YOU sound like the stubbern ego, going on until he gives you the satisfation of saying you are right.

Steve

[Dov]

I have to agree with the other poster on this one. You have an error in your post as well:

[ QUOTE ]
My buddy took a bad beat the other night that I think could have been easily avoided...

[/ QUOTE ]

This wasn't a bad beat. AK beat Q9 PF. The flopped straight beat the flopped TP. Where's the bad beat?

Don't worry so much about your buddy. He'll come out of it OK.

[emp1346]

you can console him by sending him over to my place to play in my home game...

sorry everyone, i called him first...

*singing* money money money moooooney... MOnay

/images/graemlins/grin.gif /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[Blarg]

He's got to learn the hard way I guess that luck happens to people with good hands just as much as it does with bad ones, and when that happens the guy with the bad hand is still behind, except now he wants to go to the river and lose a heck of a lot more money. He got himself into a trap hand.

He could just as easily have run into someone with KQ who would still be beating, or QJ, QT, TT, etc.

I could see the raise to drive someone out heads up or set them up to fold on a rag flop next card, but once someone came over the top, I can't help thinking it was just pride or hoping the deck hits him like a ton of bricks that made him call that $5. That's the completely wrong outlook for playing, and hopefully he'll think on it or remember it for a while and realize why.

Maybe it's just hard for him to admit how silly he feels in front of you right now, so close to the heat of the moment. Lots of ego things are said in life that get retracted later; it's kind of even expected for people to defend bad decisions if people get on their case about it right in the heat of the humiliation. Maybe sometimes you should just give him a few minutes of distance first before commenting, so he can cool down and get his feelings in order.

[rjb14889]

I never even thought that i could be the one with the ego...good point--thanks for pointing that out.
I guess that leads to a question/comment about ego--i realize that poker is competative and the fact that money is envolved adds even more tension sometimes--how often do you guys run into a big ego at tables? I mean how many guys do you come in contact with who act like Josh Ariea at the WSOP? I agree in the heat of the moment after you bust things may get out of hand--that's understandable--but how many jerks do you guys run into (not to say my buddy is a jerk)?
PS: I appreciate your time in responding to an amatuer player asking questions about a $10 buy in game!

[lacky]

every night. Not kidding