My finest hour yet...

[Ed Miller]

This hand represents the culmination of all the poker knowledge I have acquired over the past year. Enjoy.

20-40 game at Muckleshoot. Right now we are 6-handed with three poor players, a decent player, a pretty good player, and me. I am in the BB with the 7 [img]/forums/images/icons/spade.gif[/img] 6 [img]/forums/images/icons/heart.gif[/img]. The CO (the pretty good player) open limps. The button (a poor player) limps, the SB folds, and I check. The CO does not open-limp much... I've seen him do it once before in this shorthanded game, and he had QQ. So preflop I put him most likely on a big pair. 3-handed to the flop for 1 SB each.

Flop comes 5 [img]/forums/images/icons/club.gif[/img] 4 [img]/forums/images/icons/diamond.gif[/img] 4 [img]/forums/images/icons/spade.gif[/img]. I am first to act, so I bet into my friend with the big pair because hey, I have a straight draw. The CO raises, of course. See, I told you he had a big pair. The button folds and I call.

Turn is the K [img]/forums/images/icons/heart.gif[/img]. I check and the CO checks. He's got a big pair on the flop... then checks behind when a K comes on the turn. He's too strong a player to be irrationally worried that I have a K, so that check behind probably means one thing... he has KK (and couldn't resist the urge to do something bizarre with his monster hand). So he's got a full house and I'm drawing dead. Oh well.

River is the 8 [img]/forums/images/icons/club.gif[/img]. Sweet! I have a straight... and since my opponent's house is bound to be less full now than it was on the turn, I bet. My opponent raises. See, I told you he had KK. So I go into a huddle for literally about 20 seconds. This was what the discussion sounded like:

Brain: Dude, you put him on KK. KK beats you. Just call.
Ego: But I have a straight! Don't be a wuss... 3-bet.
Brain: Umm... why are you raising him when you put him on a hand that beats you?
Ego: Because I have a straight, damnit!
Brain: Fair enough.

I 3-bet. My opponent 4-bets before I can get the chips onto the felt. Now another brief huddle...

Brain: Dumbass
Ego: Well, we'd better call the 4-bet
Brain: Why?
Ego: Eh.. why not?
Brain: Fair enough.

I call, my opponent shows K [img]/forums/images/icons/spade.gif[/img] K [img]/forums/images/icons/diamond.gif[/img]. I tap the felt and muck my hand.

[baseball38]

Fairly costly conversations with yourself. LOL! Seriously though I am suprised at your decision, most of the post I have read from you are usually correct. I usually look forward to reading a thread when you have commented in it.

baseball38 [img]/forums/images/icons/spade.gif[/img]

[Ed Miller]

Thank you for your kind words. I couldn't believe I played this hand so poorly... it was like my brain was saying one thing and my hands just weren't listening. It was weird. But I finished the session up over two racks, so mwhahaha.

[Zeno]

"it was like my brain was saying one thing and my hands just weren't listening. It was weird. "

This can happen. Your post remains me of a pot-limit hand that I goofed-up because of the same phenomenon. I call it the Mind/Body problem. I flushed away about $1000 betting the turn and river when checking and calling on the turn and checking and folding on the river was in order. In fact my mind was saying, " you better check” and “you need to check and fold” as my hands tossed in all those bills. I think my subconscious instincts were overwhelmed or blocked by automatic motor functions. It was as if “ I” (the real me) was watching someone else do the betting and “I” was just an observer.

This Mind/Body problem may occur when you are under “stress” by intensely thinking about your opponent, his hand, the board cards, what to bet and so on. Can be a very costly thing to happen. To counteract this phenomenon you must slow down and break up your thoughts, change the pattern that you are in. Hitting yourself in the head with a hammer would work also but is a little drastic.

-Zeno

[bad beetz]

I would check/call the river.

I've seen strong players limp shorthanded in the cutoff three times. All three times it was Aces. But he wouldn't check the turn with aces.

I limped on the button once with Q9o, but I'm not a strong player.

[AceHigh]

"The CO (the pretty good player) open limps."

Maybe you should just pretend he raised when this happens and fold before the flop. Your free plays are very expensive.

[JTG51]

I was SO hoping you were going to say you checked and folded on the river then he showed you his KK.

Funny post though.

[CheckRazor]

If you, or I, or anyone for that matter cannot make educated decisions based on ones instincts, maybe going down a limit is the answer, until we are comfortable trusting the knowlege we have accrued throughtout the years.

[Instinct]

The day when our Instincts match our brains is when we become the player we want to be. We just know what to do as we have subconsiously made the desicion as we act.
What were your instincts telling you on the river?

Funny post. I can relate. Thanks.

Were they telling you to 3 bet or was it your greed and optimism directing your hands. When I'm desperate to get more chips in the middle and win a pot my hands have on occasion put more money into the pot than I directed them too. This really pi ss es me off and I give myself a slap on the wrist.

[34TheTruth34]

Great post! I'm glad to see that this happens to good players too and not just me [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

Me the other day:

Board on river A [img]/forums/images/icons/club.gif[/img] -K [img]/forums/images/icons/club.gif[/img] -x [img]/forums/images/icons/club.gif[/img] -x- Q [img]/forums/images/icons/club.gif[/img] .

My hand: T [img]/forums/images/icons/club.gif[/img] T [img]/forums/images/icons/diamond.gif[/img] (don't even ask me how I got to the river).

River action:

My opponent bets. "You have a flush", ego says, "therefore you must raise". I raise.

Opponent, a not so good, non-thinking player instantaneoulsly reraises. "he's a horrible player, he could have literally anything, pop him back", ego says. I reraise.

Opponent again instantly reraises. "You have the second nuts, he'd have to have exactly the J [img]/forums/images/icons/club.gif[/img] to beat you and what are the odds of that? Raise him again", ego says and I do.

Opponent instantly 5-bets. "maybe you should just call", ego says. I do, and muck as soon as he shows his J7o with the J [img]/forums/images/icons/club.gif[/img].

No, I'm not on tilt. Why do you ask?...