Bitches

This is just routine but QQ is becoming my least-favourite hand by a street.

PokerStars Game #17297980657: Tournament #87669967, $10+$1 Hold'em No Limit - Level II (15/30) - 2008/05/08 - 21:49:34 (ET)
Table '87669967 1' 9-max Seat #9 is the button
Seat 1: alksolo (1050 in chips)
Seat 2: FR Vessant (1425 in chips)
Seat 3: Timberland31 (1135 in chips)
Seat 4: loosh23 (2355 in chips)
Seat 6: xgocubsx (4435 in chips)
Seat 8: omandon (1595 in chips)
Seat 9: TGAVALLEY (1505 in chips)
alksolo: posts small blind 15
FR Vessant: posts big blind 30
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to FR Vessant [Qd Qh]
Timberland31: folds
loosh23: calls 30
xgocubsx: calls 30
omandon: folds
TGAVALLEY: folds
alksolo: calls 15
FR Vessant: raises 120 to 150

That raise is slightly light, but it's still in the bounds of okay.

loosh23: folds
xgocubsx: calls 120
alksolo: calls 120

They can have anything, but it really doesn't matter. If they have kings, a king will come on the flop. If they have aces, an ace will come. Guaranteed.

*** FLOP *** [Jc Ks 8d]

My heart sinks. I'll probably have to continuation bet at it, and obviously will lose.


alksolo: bets 900 and is all-in

"I have a king."

FR Vessant: folds
xgocubsx: calls 900
FR Vessant said, "that hand just never fcking holds up"

Too true, FR.

*** TURN *** [Jc Ks 8d] [Ad]
*** RIVER *** [Jc Ks 8d Ad] [Jh]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
alksolo: shows [9s Kd] (two pair, Kings and Jacks)

WTF? Limping that shit is bad. Calling a raise is inexcusable.

xgocubsx: shows [7c Kc] (two pair, Kings and Jacks)

Even worse. You can excuse his limp in the first place: it's sooooooted and if you squint he's just about in late position.

Okay, no. You can't excuse limping that shit either. These boys are just going to lose a ton of money.

LOL at shoving the flop, as well. That's terrible. What can I have? If I'm anything like the standard player I have a big ace or a decent pair. I might have KQ.

Well, if I have AK or KQ, you just busted yourself. If I don't, you make no more chips because I simply fold. The guy can only hope to make money from worse kings, and mate, there should not be any worse kings out there.

This is what novice players do. If you can avoid that mistake, you have learned a lesson in poker. In his spot, check to the raiser, who often bets. Then you can shove over with your top pair and win his bet. The downside is the same, but you have the benefit of winning more when you're ahead.

FR Vessant said, "wtf at both calls though"

No coaching FR. We don't actually want them to get better.

alksolo collected 1140 from pot
xgocubsx collected 1140 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 2280 | Rake 0
Board [Jc Ks 8d Ad Jh]
Seat 1: alksolo (small blind) showed [9s Kd] and won (1140) with two pair, Kings and Jacks
Seat 2: FR Vessant (big blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 3: Timberland31 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 4: loosh23 folded before Flop
Seat 6: xgocubsx showed [7c Kc] and won (1140) with two pair, Kings and Jacks
Seat 8: omandon folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 9: TGAVALLEY (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)

Luckily, xgocubsx gave my chips back a bit later when he called a raise and a cbet with K8 and then checked it down with me. I had AK.

TGAVALLEY also excelled himself by limping QQ at t50. On a T74 flop, he betted 100. I called with A7s, which was loose, but I felt he might actually not have me beat. He betted the same turn and river, and I didn't improve. I think on balance it was worth 300 chips to find out that he's a complete moron, although truth to tell, had he bet more, I would have lost less.

***

Sadly, xgocubsx's retarded play ended up hurting him less than me. He limped on the bubble and I pushed over with AT. I am taking the risk doing that that he will call me wide--he had 6K chips and I had 900, and he'd limped for 100--but the upside is that if he does, I crush him. Well, I crushed him preflop, sure enough, because he called with J8s, but not so much postflop, because he sucked out to an 8.

It's possible that just checking would have been best there, but I was outstacked by all three fish, so what can I do? I'm going to have to take a stand somewhere with a decent hand, and I suppose it's better with 900 chips than it ever will be with 500.