That’s it! I’m done.
I’m a quitter. I’m a failure. I’m a poor excuse for a poker player.
Why?
3 hands at pub poker yesterday.
A10vsA9 allin preflop
How did it all get in preflop?
9 handed table, UTG calls 50, UTG+1 calls 50, UTG+2 calls 50, MP calls 50, MP+1 calls 50, CO calls 50, BTN calls 50, SB calls 25.
I have A10s in the BB. I don’t want to play OOP, I’m tired and slightly grumpy, just give me your dead ass money and leave me alone. With all these limpers, standard type raise (with a starting stack of 2000 chips, 25/50 blinds, 20 minute levels) would be 3-4xBB+1BB per limper. That would be…..550, a quarter of my stack, OOP, so unless I hit an A, I’m problem not overjoyed, blinds are too crazy, I feel an open shove is the answer.
Get called by UTG+2 who has A9o with 300 chips. Flop 479 rainbow….., turn 6, River Q.
How did you take it?
Cool. Standard unlucky, no big problem. Call my shoves with A9o all day every day please.
Next Hand:
AKo vs QQ
How did it all get in preflop?
UTG+2 raises to 300 (blinds now 50/100). MP+1 shoves all in. I’m in the SB with AKo. Stack now 1550. Do we fold AK with 15 big blinds?
I fold IF we have 60 big blinds+. We don’t. We have 15BB in a fast turbo structure. Ship It.
UTG+2 folds (he claims AJ afterwards, probably true). MP shows QQ. They hold up.
After the break, I start with 1500 chips. I’m an idiot thou. I fold fold fold, BB hits me for 400 (200/400 blinds.. woo restart with 3.5BB lol) and I have 62o and an allin and call before me. Got to lay that monster down.
SB hits and the blinds have gone up already (loldonkament blind levels), so another 300 down to 800 chips behind, 1.33 BB stack, I’m stuffed.
I see 8d6d, UTG goes all in for 2500. I should have snap called since I can win 2800 for an 800 investment giving me almost 3-1 pot odds. I almost call, but I see the BB stacking chips and I get concerned about a call and fold like a moron.
On the button I get pocket 10s two hands too late, and ship it after 2 callers pre. BB joins them naturally (who wouldn’t for 200 more chips) and everyone must have missed the flop, but a K on the turn ends my day when there is a raise and everyone fold and they show KJo.
What went wrong? First I still don’t know what to do with the original A10s, any raise which would isolate would still leave me out of position and near pot committed, a shove can be called by plenty stronger hands (people often limp AK, AQ.. hell, they limp JJ QQ KK AA quite often). I confess I am still clueless as to the best +EV line. It might still be open shove but its marginal, and at least I did get unlucky.
AKo vs QQ, totally standard IMO, no problem. Out on pocket 10’s, doesn’t matter, I had no fold equity to thin the field out, I should have called with the 86s on the SB previously.
But why quit? I’m clearly a better player capable of better analysis than most of them put together (i.e. I actually TRY to analyse). I’m just so sick. I’m tired of getting it in with AK vs QJ and losing, JJ vs A9 and the A spiking. Over the short term this is fine, but this is now long term, and I have lost more 60/40 flips, 75/25 dominators than anyone. And I still managed to qualify from the league last season.
I’m not really quitting. Its still fun, but shallow stack turbo is NOT my favourite type of game, its just pure gamble with a small element of skill, which I used to fine effect last season despite running bad too. It’s a little soul destroying to see one guy crush the game, getting the money in behind over and over again and always winning. I don’t even want that to happen, I’d be happy if I could get it in ahead and stay there… at least in line with probability.
Run bad is a factor in poker, but there is a cruel sort of justice that I get berated for a more mathematical approach, attempt to prove it, and watch my A10 beaten by A9, and have them claim “see, you need to see a flop cheaply to know where you are”. It would be rude and unworthy to challenge this with a request to put £10 each in and run A10s vs A9s 1000 times and see who goes broke first.
(The answer is me as it happens, I get sucked out on the first hand and don’t have £10 to play a second time).
Posts
