Looking on the bright side

[JJNJustin]

I went to play the Motor City casino today primarily because the bad beat jackpot had risen to $74,000 and the table share is 40%.

Around 1pm I was considering leaving the table to go get lunch, but decided to wait another hour and let myself get really hungry for the buffet. At 1:45, we heard the familiar screams and cheers from another table outside of the main room, and it was confirmed that they hit the bad beat jackpot. Deciding now it was okay to go eat lunch, I went to the buffet and ate all kinds of funky asian stuff.

When I got back, I had to post to get back back in the game, but there was a seat open just two hands shy of the big blind, plus my friend was sitting there, so I decided to move and go sit next to her and wait two hands to post the big blind. Lo and behold the bad beat jackpot hit again, this time on our table, and unfortunately I was not dealt in the hand, and therefore was not eligible for the table share, which was $2000. At first, no one realized it, but then a greedy player announced loudly, "Justin wasnt in the hand so he doesnt get any of the table share. " My friend then canvassed the table to squeeze out some money for me, and when the players were all payed off, I was awarded $20 per player, and a stealthly $35 from the $10000 winner, and $25 from the $5000 winner, for a grand total of $250 (my friend gave me $100 of her share). The dealers got a $600 tip.

Needless to say I was kind of depressed after this, seeing all my cohorts jubiliant and uppidity, me having to practically grovel for a measly $250. The manner in which they unwillingly flung me the chips made me want to fling them back at them, but some money is better than none, I thought.

Miracously, 4 hours later, the bad beat was hit again on my table, this time I was dealt in the hand, and got paid the $500 table share that was left in the jackpot. This undid some of the sadness that being left out of the first jackpot left.

Many of my friends were stunned at the meager "tip" I receieved the first time around and remarked, "If he had posted, the cards would have changed and you would not have hit the jackpot at all. You should graciously thank him for not posting." This of course failed to gain their attention or interest, their eyes consumed with thoughts of all the "free money" they had just found.

Looking back on that first jackpot, I realized that, just like in poker, there was nothing I could have done to change things. Had I posted to get in the hand, the jackpot would probably not hit at all, and I would have gotten nothing. Having sat out that hand waiting for the big blind, the bad beat occurred and I received $250 extra "free money" I would not have received had I managed to post. So, looking at it that way, it is a good thing I didnt post, because I managed to get some free money I wouldnt have got had I posted.

As for the cheapos who hated the idea of giving away any money to another poker player, especially one who usually beats them out of pots, they behaved pretty much how I expected them to behave, greedy and without much thought to anyone else but themselves. Looking on the bright side, I felt really glad I am not like them.

-J

[Jimbo]

I wouldn't have given you a dime, feel better now? How you can possibly think you deserved any money at all is beyond me.

[JJNJustin]

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I wouldn't have given you a dime, feel better now? How you can possibly think you deserved any money at all is beyond me.

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Yup.
-J

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As for the cheapos who hated the idea of giving away any money to another poker player, especially one who usually beats them out of pots, they behaved pretty much how I expected them to behave, greedy and without much thought to anyone else but themselves. Looking on the bright side, I felt really glad I am not like them.

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Uh... is this a joke? If a player leaves the table and on the very next hand the jackpot hits, does that player deserve part of the jackpot? If he had been dealt in, the jackpot wouldn't have hit, right?

I find it funny that you repeatedly use words like "cheap" and "greedy" in describing the other players, yet you are the one groveling for $250.

[cardcounter0]

I walked by a slot machine at the instant some old lady hit a big jackpot. Now I hadn't played the machine before, and I was kind of just in the area when she hit, but still, it was like a $10,000 payoff. Do you think the cheap greedy old lady would give me any money out of her jackpot when they came and paid her off? Nooooooooo! I even had some of my friends join in and try to coax some of her winnings from her. Slot machine players are even more cheap and greedy than poker players. She gave the change girl a couple of hundred dollars tip, but despite all my pleading, wouldn't even give me a single dollar!

I just look on the bright side and realize I am not cheap and greedy like that old lady.

[DrewOnTilt]

Come on guys, lighten up on Justin a bit.

This post is more applicable to the Psychology forum, methinks.

[chesspain]

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...they behaved pretty much how I expected them to behave, greedy and without much thought to anyone else but themselves. Looking on the bright side, I felt really glad I am not like them.

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Maybe next time this will actually be true.

[JJNJustin]

I wasnt expecting to get any money from those people. I was just seriously disgusted that it managed to go off while I was waiting to post. I had been playing at the casino all week, trying to get ANY piece of that damned thing. The table shares are so large, even if you are a marginal loser, it makes the game somewhat more worth playing, obviously. Many of the regulars were playing 24hr or longer sessions. Most of them had circles under their eyes and were moaning from time to time. Many of them were playing marathon sessions, going home when they couldnt keep their eyes open, sleeping, showering, and returning 8-10 hours later to resume and repeat.

So I wasnt expecting any money, nor was I groveling, nor did the concept of "deserve" ever enter into the picture. I was just sort of disgusted at fate and chance, as you would be, too, if you had been playing all week hoping to hit a piece of the jackpot, and it managed to hit while you were waiting to post in two hands. Once I was at at a table when it hit, and a player had cashed out and left the table a few hands prior. Hearing the jackpot had hit, he came back to hour table and canvassed the table for a tip. Our table captain basically mandated that we all tip this guy like $100 out of our $800, which many of them did, but not I, feeling that this was kind of a stretch. I couldnt help thinking what happened to me this day was payback for my previous greed. However, I did no such canvassing, nor did I ever ask any of the winners for any money. And of course, I graciously thanked the people for their tips.

I basically objected to the fact that the players were gracious enough to tip the casino workers a generous $650, yet they unwillingly just threw me their spare red chips like they were throwing scraps to a dog. It added insult to injury.

Never thinking fate would smile on our table again, I was rejoiced when the jackpot hit again later that evening on our table and I finally managed to take in $500 of that jackpot that was at $75,000 at the beginning of the day. I rebuked myself for feeling so cheated the first time around, when it was just fate and chance, and not the other players, screwing with me a little bit.

I was happy with that, and when I thought about my disgust at the first incident, I basically realized that getting $250 in tips from the players was better than nothing and was happy with the whole day and I had no reason to be down about it. I was trying to say that the more you can turn seemingly misfortunate events in poker into fortunate events, the happier you'll be, and the longer you'll last. Something wrong with that?

I felt it was fitting for the the backdrop for this thread to be bad beat jackpots, which is basically taking something bad, like losing a pot with a killer hand, into something good, which is winning a huge amount of jackpot money.

Anybody ever miss the player's share of such a jackpot by going to the bathroom, not posting, etc? Anybody ever mistakingly muck the losing half, not realizing if they show down the hand they get the big share of the jackpot?
It's enough to make you sick, isnt it?

-J

The tone of your second post is quite different than that of your first. In the original post you do make it sound like you deserved something and that the other players were greedy for the meager amount they gave you (God forbid what you would have said about them had they given you nothing).

I understand your frustration at missing the jackpot, but I do not sympathize with you at all when you degrade the other players for what happened. In fact I probably would have taken care of you had I been one of the people involved, but it would only be out of sympathy and the goodness of my heart, not because I felt that you were owed anything. You were not, and I would not begrudge anybody who failed to give you anything.

[AKQJ10]

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I wasnt expecting to get any money from those people. I was just seriously disgusted that it managed to go off while I was waiting to post.


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I've only skimmed this thread (sorry if I'm repeating someone) but it seems that the answer suggests itself: if you're going to get so worked up over not winning the jackpot when you're dealt out of the hand, THEN DON'T WAIT TWO HANDS TO COME IN AT YOUR NATURAL BLIND. Sheesh.

FWIW I believe Miller et all in SSHE published the opinion that it doesn't change expectation much no matter when you come in. I usually wait one hand but no more than that. I presume it also depends on the preflop aggression of one's game.

Still, if the BBJ was enough to weigh on your decision to play, it seems like it would cause you to play the extra two hands. To save a blind you lost out on a table share of the jackpot -- results-oriented thinking at its finest. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]