I thought you were my friend!

This is a hand I played a few months ago. It involved the friend that had driven me to the card club for the day and myself. I am interested in any comments on my play or his on this hand.


$3-6 hold 'em, 9-handed, pretty typical loose-passive game, maniac-free.


I am in the BB (stuck with $31 left), my friend is in the cutoff. A middle position (MP) limps, and my friend in the cutoff limps. My friend is a smart player, but there are parts to his game that I know are questionable. The small blind folds, and I look down to see pocket kings (don't remember suits). I raise, and MP and my friend both call.


Flop is 10-3-3 (with a two flush on the board, I don't remember the suits). I bet out, MP folds. I wonder what my friend could have, I put him on a medium pocket pair, a ten, or less likely two overcards.


Turn is another 3 (board 10-3-3-3) I bet out, my friend raises. I think for a moment, and cannot think of any hand where he could have the case 3 besides A-3 suited. He would have raised pre-flop with AA and 10-10, and those are the only two hands besides the three that are beating me at this point. He also would have automatically raised pre-flop with QQ or JJ. I feel he most likely has a lone 10, and I reraise. Once again, he reraises me, and I make a crying call with my last $4.


River comes a blank and I flip my kings, and he shows A-3o for quads. I ask him, "Why did you play that hand? And call a raise?" He just smiled and says "I play any ace, I'm sorry." I make a few comments out of disgust and in humor (he is still my friend) and we get the entire table to get a few laughs out of it. I am laughing at his "play any ace" comment to myself.


Any comments or criticism on my friend's or my play is greatly appreciated.


(p.s. I won a few big pots off of him later in the evening, which (jokingly) jeopardized my chances of getting a ride home with him!)

careful, someday it WILL jeopardize your ride home. i had a friend do the exact same thing to me when i gave him a ride. he played a raggedy ace all the way to the river. i had KK (it was an overpair until the river) he hits his ace on the river and takes the pot, taking my last BB. i couldn't buy in again (i know i need to build a bankroll for my poker habit, but if i save up enough to have a good bankroll i won't be able to play in the meantime.) and this meant we had to go home. i gave him crap for playing that ace and he got all defensive about it. i wasn't mad at him for playing the ace, he can do what he wants, but to then defend it and get mad at me for giving him crap at the table is, i think, over the line. boy was i pissed. i almost made him walk home (we live an hour from the casino.)

your friend plays terribly, you should play with him as often as possible.

Friends do that to me all the time.


I am often unsure how to handle it, as if it were anyone else, I would let them know what I thought of their play (rightly or wrongly, feeding the fish and all that).


In terms of playing the hand, I think you played it well and it was just a crap beat. But any player who plays A3o you want to be at a table with.


This could be so wrong, but in my opinion, I think you'll lose more bets by worrying about quads than if not. I would have popped him back again and again unless I thought he had AA or pocket tens. If you always fear the nuts, IMO, you'll lose more bets. Pump it and if he has it, good luck to him.


yoyo

"I am laughing at his "play any ace" comment to myself. "


Are you sure you guys are friends?


This hand happened a couple of months ago and it is still bothering you. Maybe poker isn't for you. If you can't take a bad beat from a friend then it's probably going to kill you when total strangers do it.

Yeah, we're friends. In fact we are really good friends and we play all the time in home games also. Our experience in home games together has created a competitive and fun twist to our experiences at the casino poker tables together. To tell you the truth, I tried to tell him that playing any ace is not a good practice, and he blew me off! Whatever, do what you like! (It is all in good humor).


Just to let you know, this hand bothered me for about fifteen minutes and it is just a fun hand to look back on IMO. As we all have, I have suffered my share of bad beats (from friends as well as total strangers), so it will probably NOT kill me the next time that happens.


BTW, the reason for my posting of this hand is because I have not been able to play casino poker for the past few months, for I have relocated (to an area without casino poker within 4 hours!). I will, however, continue to play whenever I get the chance. Thanks for the thoughts,


js in mn


p.s. poker IS for me /images/smile.gif

Invite him to play at your table all the time!! Although you lost that hand (which you will to average players who play any Ace), you will see profit in the long run from these players. Just keep that in mind.


Billy