Poker and Taxes (it's not what you think!)

Taxes.
Kids.
Government Officials.
The New Orleans Saints.
The Line at the DMV.
Women.

This is a list of things in my life that are necessary for me to be me, but also the major point of my frustration.

Oh, let me add one more to the list....

Poker. (I bet the suspense was killing you!)



Why Poker Frustrates Me.....or is it the players?

Happy Story
I am playing in a .25 ring game online (NL Hold'em), and it is the first hand I play at this table. I am dealt KK in MP, but I had to post the BB to play out of turn so I am in for .25. The bet goes around the table and gets to me and I raise it to $1. Button calls, SB folds and BB calls....everyone else folds.

Flop comes Q73 rainbow. BB checks, I bet $1, Button calls and BB folds. Turn card is a J. I bet $1 and Button calls. I have to put the Button on a AQ or middle pair like 8's or 9's. I saw this player make a nice bluff in the prior hand while I was waiting and figured he might also be trying to bluff me to since I was new to the table. River card is a K giving me trips. I check to make him think that the King scared me, and it worked when he pushed a $2 bet. Now if he had A10 and hit the straight I am screwed but I can't think that he would bluff with that hand. He has either paired up one or two cards on the board and thinks that it is enough to win the hand. I sat down with $10 and the button was at about $14 so I can give him a gut check early and see what he does. I raise him to $5. Pretty high stakes for a .25 game! Button thinks about it for a long time and calls. He shows two pair with Q7. He is obviously not happy when my Kings flip over. I get the rally of "nh" and "vnh" from the gallery with a "lucky river" by the button player. Truth be told, I would have folded on the river if the King had not shown up.

It is not really understood at the lower limit games that you need to string a bet longer than usual sometimes just to get a read or reaction from other players. This hand was very helpful to me as well as profitable.

Not So Happy story
Three hands later I am in the SB with an AJ suited in clubs. MP raises to .50, button calls, I call, BB calls, EP folds.

Flop comes out with a J4A rainbow. I start with a min bet of .25, BB calls, MP raises to .50, button folds, I raise to $1, BB calls and MP calls. Turn card is a Black Jack!!! This is a tough position to be in. I have a great hand here but I need to make some money on this pot. I bet .50 cents, BB folds and MP raises me to $2. Now I have to realize that the only hand that beats me right now are Pocket Aces, and since I see two of them the odds are not good that he is holding the other two. I raise his $2 bet to $5 and he raises all-in to $17. OK, so with that much in the pot, and the fact that only one hand beats me I push all-in to call. The computer shows both sets of cards and he has the rockets. Only river card that can help is the 4th jack which doesn't come and I lose all my money.

This player was very forgiving saying that it was nice to get that matchup with that flop, and that he usually loses with AA.

Let me stop right here.....
Most people will tell you that they never like to lose, and I would probably put myself in that category...but when you lose a strong hand like that to a better hand...well it is a much easier pill to swallow.

That hand cost me a lot, but I have won a BUNCH of pots in the same way. You just act like a gentleman, encourage the other player and move on. There are times to get under someone's skin and then there are times not to.

Here is a hand that I cannot deal with, and describes the players that should be dragged out and shot.


WADB (n) acronym
a poker player that is content playing any and every hand thinking that his ridiculous luck streak is somehow related to his skill level.
(email me if you want to know what it stands for)

Two hands later I am dealt KK again in late position (LP). Limpers up to me and I raise to $1. Button folds, SB calls, BB folds, EP folds, MP folds.

Flop is 10-8-4. SB checks and I bet $2 and SB calls. Turn card is a 3. SB checks, and I bet $3. SB calls (without hesitation). Since I bet before him pre-flop, he might be slowplaying Aces or Queens. He might also have tripped up 10's or 8's. He should have folded AK or AQ after the flop and surely after the turn.

River card is a 7.

SB pushes all-in ($4), so since I figure that he couldn't have gone this far with 96 and Aces are there but doubtful, I call. The WADB flips over 96 OFFSUIT. Then this dummy starts talking about having to play the hand through because he had POT ODDS!!!!

This guy went on to do this for an hour and catching river cards like he had a secret cheat code or something. He hit 4 straights and 2 flushes on river cards...two of which were runner, runner.

I made a note about this guy online, and will watch for him again because if his luck is that good he can't stay at the low limits for long.

It isn't the fact that I lost money to this goober, or even that I lost under those circumstances. It's the fact that he started talking about how good he was and then commenting on everyone else's play like he was now the table King.

Just another thing to deal with I guess....

Taxes
Kids
Government Officials
The New Orleans Saints
The Line at the DMV
Women

...and POKER