Live Poker, Online Poker, Home Poker (3 of 4)... Listen to your gut

The turn was a donut but gave a weird straight and flush draw. I bet again, knowing this guy didn’t have AK from playing with him before and thinking I could get him off a lot of hands. He stayed in the fray and I got a queasy feeling I get when I play online poker and have no idea where I am in the hand.

The river brought the flush and the straight to the table. He led out with a pot-sized bet. It screamed to me an overbet that didn’t want to get called. If he had hit, why not check and let me lead the action. Well in textbook Holdem poker maybe he figured I’d be scared and check behind. If that was the case why not value bet?

Well, I had shown strength so maybe he thought I could call a pot-sized bet. I counted my chips and the 3600 would halve my stack (as I was near 7k after the betting) and I realized 7k was a decent stack for the second of third level we were at. However 3400 wasn’t. The pot was so big though.

I did pick up a tell on him for later. I took out the chips to call and he reacted, at the time I didn’t know what it meant, but I’ll know next time. Then I went over every hand and with 4th pair to the board I couldn’t figure out a holding he could have calling me twice that didn’t beat me. There wasn’t one that didn’t hit.

That was the other big hand of the tournament. My gut told me I was right to throw the chips in, but this time I lacked the gumption to do so. I lacked the courage to value bet a set against a tight player earlier and the courage to call a bluffer (despite every thing hitting) and that would be my demise. If he is to be believed he confided he was on air and missed. As everything hit, it was a strange choice of words but I do believe he was on nada, and he said he had decided to represent the flush if the card hit.

I battled thoughout and we got to just about two tables. You look at the trickle down effect, had I played my set for value, I would have had the chips to more easily call that guys bet and then been sitting on a very large stack. Things would have gotten easier. Instead I had an above average stack when I took a mortal wound when I raised under the gun with 99 (think I bet 2k).
A solid older player I’m friendly with that I’ve final tabled a few of the donkleys with was sitting on the button with about a starting stack. He showed some indecision and then shoved. Folded to me. I don’t think the guys an actor so I thought I was in a coinflip and there was too much money in the pot even if he struggled with shoving 1010 or JJ (for the record I don't think he would have).

He told me nice call and turned over 44.

He also gave me the kiss of death by congratulating me on the hand before the dealer laid out the rest of our fate. We know what that means. 4 on the flop. He started apologizing about getting there and I told him not too considering how many sets I hit on the day I was due for one back. I meant it. Can’t have it both ways. Besides getting unlucky on that hand wasn’t the cause of my new short-stack it was the earlier hands. Likely, he doesn’t make that move if I have more chips. Even if he does, I can more easily absorb that blow.

To be continued...