It finally happened -- I felt good about a bad beat.

[Grisgra]

6-handed 20/40. Loose UTG open-raises, I 3-bet with AT [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] (a bit loose, I know), button cold-calls and the big blind calls.

Flop is A [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]T [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]9 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]. UTG checks, I bet, button folds, big blind calls, UTG calls.

Turn is the J [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]. A little scary, but I bet. BB calls, UTG folds.

River is the 7 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]. BB checks, I bet (yeah, there's a 4-straight on the board, but . . . what are the chances he has an 8?) BB checkraises me, I pay off . . . and see 8 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]5 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], and he scoops in the pot with his runner-runner.

And I actually felt good about it. Sure, I was miffed, but only for a second. This nice little wave of satisfaction washed over me as I realized that as long as guys like this are playing, even at high limits, I will continue to make buttloads and buttloads of money. Calls two preflop with 85s, and then calls on the flop with nothing but two backdoor draws.

Just another step in my evolution as a poker player, I guess. We all know deep down inside that variance is good, that bad players winning money in the short run is what keeps bringing them back to the table, but we rarely truly *feel* that way, especially after a bad beat. Our mouths may form those words, or we may type them into a post, but all the while we're gnashing our teeth cursing the bastards.

I didn't curse the bastard. I actually [censored] smiled. And it wasn't one of those gritting-your-teeth smiles where you also silently curse your opponent for cheating you out of a $400 pot [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]. Nope . . . it was a smile of a man who knew that his poker future was secure.

It truly felt good.