I misplayed A-A so f@#$ing bad....

...I still wanna scream. I brought home food and vowed not to eat it until I post this(okay, so I'm not a total masochist).

30-60 at Bellagio

My button, all fold to player on my right who's relatively new to the game, he raises, I three bet w/ AA, the sb, who's become a complete calling station(he played tighter earlier in the weekend) calls.

Flop: 4-5-9 two clubs, check, check, I bet, call, raise(I call, planning to raise on the turn, something I almost never would do with a third player in), sb calls.

Turn: 6o check, bet I raise, sb three-bets!! call, I call(I "know" that this guy didn't flop a big hand, the six helped him but I don't know exactly how, yet), I'm hoping that he has only two pair(which he could, he's been playing any two cards that have anything in common).

River: blank. Bet, call, I muck. Sb shows 6-6, turned a set.

There is NOTHING in holdem that bothers me more than missing a bet or raise and having it cost me a pot, and it RARELY happens, often when it does, atleast my missed bet or raise seemed a somewhat more questionable play or maybe I was going for a checkraise and no one bet. This one really pissed me off. I'll forgive myself for it now and go eat, kill the lig....

By the way, if anyone thinks that my strategy wasn't so bad and that I'm just being result oriented, well I'm sure that I'd love to hear it but I won't be so easy to convince.

Hasta,

Mike

[Billy LTL]

What can you do, Mike? Huh?

After having called your first flop bet would sb fold to two more? Maybe so, maybe not. You yourself said he's a calling station.

Personally I would've reraised the flop, but only because, like you, I'm greedy and I'd hope he'd stay. Same goal, different approach. The only difference between us is how we go about satisfying our desire to win a heap of money.

Does that help? Best of luck, Billy (LTL)

Mike

I might be wrong about this, but you don't mind him calling on the flop with 66, do you? ...unless you know that he'll call 2 more bets cold.

Soh

[Tommy Angelo]

"River: blank. Bet, call, I muck."

I wonder which is the worse mistake. Not reraising on the flop, or calling on the river. Go think about the river instead of the flop and chew on your food rather than your regrets.

Tommy

Pot odds of 15 to 2 is much less favorable to 66 than 14 to 1.

And when you consider the backdoor str8 and/or flush draw (if he had the 6c and Mike didn't have the Ac), it might be significant. This pot has become big enough to set your main focus on winning it, rather than creating ways for additional mistakes to be made. IMO-

Tommy,

I'm not sure I understand what you're saying. "Which is the bigger mistake, not threebetting the flop or calling the river?" I didn't call on the river...you weren't saying that I should, were you? Please elaborate if you get a chance......Just looked at your post again before entering this, so you think that not calling the river is the bigger mistake? I "knew" the sb had me beat, and for all I know the other player did too, this guy made it three bets cold, the mistake was not giving the sb a better chance to release his hand on the flop...this was becoming a pretty large pot and I chose the wrong(and flashier way) to get it heads up...and it cost me the pot...I think.

Mike

Well Mike, I'm sure you've heard this one before but, we all make mistakes. But was it really a mistake? I don't really think that there is one direct action in any poker hand. It's like a diverse chess game in which we create the destiny of who the pot belongs. I may have done the same in your position, but most likely not. That's what great about this game. We are ALWAYS learning. When I do a something that erks me later on I think, "hhmmm, well I will remember that." And that $500 mistake might make me money in the long run cause I won't do it again and I'll save dough. Besides, he might have still called your reraise if was a true calling station.

[Tommy Angelo]

Mike,

Sorry I was unclear.

Me: "I wonder which is the worse mistake. Not reraising on the flop, or calling on the river."

What I meant was:

I wonder which is the worse mistake:

1) Not reraising on the flop

2) Calling on the river (had you done so)

"Go think about the river instead of the flop and chew on your food rather than your regrets."

That was supposed to make you feel good, suggesting that your fine fold on the river outweighed your questionable non-reraise on the flop.

Tommy

Tommy,

Thanks for the thought, and for clarifying....still, saving the bet doesn't make up for missing one that may have cost the pot, but you're right, it has value, I may not have always saved myself that bet--16 or 18 more times and I'll have that "lost pot" back in no time, huh(tongue way in cheek)?

Thanks again,

Mike

[MichaelD]

Mike,

Given the coordinated texture of this flop with multiple straight draws as well as a flush draw, I would be inclined to try and get it heads up on the flop. Waiting to the turn to raise is a very legitimate play as it puts a ton of pressure on the sb to see the river. In this particular case, he got real lucky and hit a 2 outer. I am sure it is not the first time it has happened to you and pretty sure it will not be the last. Do not lose any sleep over it. You are a huge favorite in this situation.

Just some thoughts...

Michael D.