That's just not right...

[wegs the wegs]

Here is a hand that happened the other night in a casino game that put me on tilt for the rest of the session. This is not a bad beat post. It was just one of those hands that stripped all confidence from me and ruined the rest of my evening of play.

First let me say that I'm at a point in my poker while playing cards that I can read a table pretty well pretty quickly. I typically get a general feel of what is going to go down on a multi-way pot before the action takes place during each street. Please don't read that the wrong way, I'm not being egotistical and saying I know everyones hole cards, it's just that I can get a feel for a typical betting pattern for a table and get a decent read on most players and put them on their standard holdings.

The table was $200 Max 2/5. I had bought in about 45 minutes earlier as was sitting with about $250. The table was playing pretty loose with the two big stacks (bout a $1000 a piece, one to my immeadiate left and the other 3 seats to my left) being ultra-aggressive. Most other guys being loose calling stations on flop and turn. Villian is included in this category. He didn't seem that bad of a player, but he wasn't noticeably good either. Everything about him seemed average.

I was in the BB and was dealt 5 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]3 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]. 5 limpers, SB completes. I check.

Flop: K [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]5 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]3 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]

SB checks. I check, going to check/raise after one of the two big stacks fires out. The first big stack checks, the second one makes it $20. Call, Call, Fold. That's how I saw it playing out. It was on the small blind and I was getting ready to fire out $100 when the SB says "Make it $40". He is roughly equal to my stack.

I was stunned. First of all, never got the feeling he was going to play. Second, who check-min raises with 3 callers already in on that kind of board. I was trying to think of what the heck he could have and I simply called the bet. One fold, original bettor called, another call, and a fold.

4 players $215 and I have around $200
Turn: Q [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]

Villian bets $50. I call. Big stack folds. Other guy calls.

3 players $365 pot and I have around $150
River: K [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]

Villian bets $50. I fold. Other guy folds. No showdown and he doesn't show.


Looking back at the evening I believe that I should have pushed the flop. I spent the next hour trying to think about what he had, ignoring my own game. He would have raised with AA, KK preflop, he didn't seem that crafty to not raise. Maybe maybe maybe called with AK preflop. But I just couldn't get it out of my mind that he could have K5, K3, KQ even. A set of fives or threes make sense except that I was holding both a 5 and a 3. 64 and 42 crossed my mind, but would one really check min-raise in that situation?

Forgive me for rambling, this hand has been on my mind full force since it happened and I just had to get it out there. Let me know what you think happened because I still don't have a clue.