Whine! (Bad Beat Story)

[MrMon]

Indulge me, I just want to complain...

Paradise $20+$2, I'm sitting on the lead, playing really well, down to 5 handed when this happens:

UTG (1,762.50 in chips)
Villian (2,505.00 in chips)
CO (1,197.50 in chips)
SB (910.00 in chips)
Hero (3,625.00 in chips)

Dealt to Hero 2 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif 3 /images/graemlins/club.gif

UTG: Fold
Villian: Call (100)
CO: Call (100)
SB: Call (50)
Hero: Check

*** FLOP *** : [ A /images/graemlins/diamond.gif 4 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif 5 /images/graemlins/heart.gif ]
SB : Check
Hero : Check
Villian : Bet (100)
CO : Fold
SB : Call (100)
Hero : Raise (500)
Chili1106: Call (400)
HK Iria : Fold

*** TURN *** : [ 8 /images/graemlins/club.gif ]
Hero : Bet (1,000)
Villian : Raise All-in (1,905)
Hero : Call (905)

*** RIVER *** : [ A /images/graemlins/spade.gif ]
*** SUMMARY ***
Pot: 5,310 | Board: [ A /images/graemlins/diamond.gif 4 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif 5 /images/graemlins/heart.gif 8 /images/graemlins/club.gif A /images/graemlins/spade.gif ]
Villian bet 2,505, collected 5,310, net +2,805 (showed hand) [ 6 /images/graemlins/heart.gif 7 /images/graemlins/heart.gif ] (a straight, four to eight)

Hero lost 2,505 (showed hand) [ 2 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif 3 /images/graemlins/club.gif ] (a straight, ace to five)

And to add insult to injury, I manage to get to the bubble, and go all in against the next smallest stack when this happens:

UTG (2,202.50 in chips)
Button (5,715.00 in chips)
Hero (820.00 in chips)
Villian2 (1,262.50 in chips)

Hero : Post Small Blind (100)
Villian2 : Post Big Blind (200)

Dealt to Hero [ J /images/graemlins/heart.gif Q /images/graemlins/club.gif ]
UTG: Fold
Button: Fold
Hero : Raise (720)
Villian : Call (620)
Villian Shows [ Q /images/graemlins/heart.gif 3 /images/graemlins/heart.gif ]

*** FLOP *** : [ A /images/graemlins/club.gif 8 /images/graemlins/heart.gif 4 /images/graemlins/heart.gif ]
*** TURN *** : [ 3 /images/graemlins/spade.gif ]
*** RIVER *** : [ K /images/graemlins/spade.gif ]
*** SUMMARY ***

Hero lost 820 (showed hand) [ J /images/graemlins/heart.gif Q /images/graemlins/club.gif ] (high card ace)
Villian2 bet 820, collected 1,640, net +820 (showed hand) [ Q /images/graemlins/heart.gif 3 /images/graemlins/heart.gif ] (a pair of threes)

I know this sort of thing happens all the time, and I don't think I did anything wrong, but if someone sees a mistake on my part, let me know.

Grumble, grumble...

[mungpo]

I wouldn't call these hands bad beats.

[WarDekar]

Not at all, I don't know how many times I've seen a huge PP, flopped 2-pair, flopped set, etc. lose to a 4-straight on the board or 4-flush on the board with <5 players today alone. Some of those, are bad beats, these are not.

[MrMon]

Sheesh, such sympathy. Yes, I know these are not true "bad beats", as I was only a 70-30 favorite after the flop on the first one and pre-flop on the second one, although that was NOT apparent on the first hand.

I guess the term "bad beat" only applies when it happens to you. I'm now waiting for someone to tell me I should have laid down the flopped wheel, as it was "obviously" beaten.

The point is how apparent fortune can actually be a recipie for disaster, a sort of perfect storm of poker. To get the hand, everyone had to limp to me, otherwise I'm out. Then I have to get the miracle flop, or I'm out. My opponent has to have those two cards and minimally bet, then call a substantial raise on a draw. (Perhaps not substantial enough, in retrospect, but I wanted to milk him, not drive him out.) Then the 8 has to fall. A /images/graemlins/heart.gif and I think I'm beat, but an 8? Like you would have played it differently? The last hand, that's just kicking a guy when he's down.

Telling me these aren't bad beats doesn't tell me if you would have played it any differently, nor do I believe you wouldn't have been a little steamed, had it happened to you.