A Good Run… But Not Good Enough
(Note: if you want a reference to poker lingo, click here.)
If you’ve been following my poker exploits, you’ll know that 2022 was a pretty bad year for me, 2023 was worse, but 2024 started off well with three cashes in four tournaments. I was hoping the trend would continue.
Today I played in a one-day tournament of the Wynn Millions Poker Series. The buy-in was only $400 and the prize pool was guaranteed to be at least $40,000. First place ended up getting just over $15,000.
In one very early hand, I was dealt 9 10. One player raised and I decided to call. Everyone else folded. The flop was 7 10 J, giving me middle pair. He bet and I called. The turn was another 10, giving me trip 10s, a very good hand. He bet and I called. The river was a 9, giving me a full house! He bet. I raised. He shoved. I called. He had pocket 7s for a smaller full house. If that 9 hadn't come on the river, I would have lost a lot, but it looked like maybe this was going to be a good day to play poker.
Shortly after that, I cracked pocket As with pocket 4s. I limped in. Another player did a big raise. I decided to call, maybe because I had just lost a big pot to him, which is not a good reason to play a hand, but I decided to take a chance and see a flop. The board ran out with four diamonds. My 4♦ gave me a small flush to beat his A♠A♣. My stack was well above average.
After a while, my stack had shrunk to about average, which is still very good. I got dealt A♣J♣. I raised. One player called. Another player reraised. Another player shoved. I decided to take a risk and also shove my smaller stack. I had a very good hand and if things didn’t go my way, I could still buy back in. One player folded, another player called, so there were three of us in the pot. I was up against JJ and KK. I needed an ace or three clubs. I didn’t get an ace and only got two clubs.
I bought back in. I immediately got pocket 2s in the small blind. One player raised. Two players called. I called. The flop was 2 7 10. One player shoved. I called. He had 10 8. He busted out and I doubled up.
23 players would get paid. After having played for about 6 hours, 45 players were left.
I shoved with AK. I got called by A10. I got a K (though I didn't need it) and doubled up.
Then I shoved with AK. I got called by AK and we chopped the pot.
Then things started going south and my stack started dwindling as I lost small pot after small pot.
I was dealt Q♥9♥ in the big blind. One player with a slightly smaller stack than mine raised. Everyone folded but I decided to call. The flop was 3♣7♣9♠. I had top pair with a Q kicker, which seemed decent. I shoved, hoping I was either ahead of him or I could scare him into folding. Instead, he hesitated and then called, showing A♣4♣ for the nut flush draw. When I showed my hand, he said “that’s all?” But I was ahead of him. The turn was a 4♥. The river was 2♦. As he pushed his chips in my direction, he scowled, “Nice hand” and walked away. I said to the table, “Somehow I don’t think he actually meant it.” The other players agreed.
Then there were 39 players left.
I was dealt pocket 8s. I bet big. Another player raised. I called. The flop was 55Q. I shoved and he folded. I won a nice pot.
Then I got dealt AQ and I raised. Three other players called. The flop was 772, which seemed pretty good for me. I bet big. Three players folded but the player in the big blind called. The turn was a Q, which seemed even better for me, giving me top pair, top kicker. I bet and the other player called. The last card was a 9. I bet and he reraised big. I thought my AQ was good unless he had a 7, which seemed unlikely. Of course, he had been in the big blind, meaning he could have any two cards, but with all the chips I’d already put into the pot, and with a very good hand, I felt I had to call his bet to see what he had. Unfortunately he had a 7 to decimate my stack.
At the dinner break, there were 30 players left. My stack had gotten very short, maybe 10 or 12 big blinds.
When the game started up again after dinner, my stack started dwindling away. We were one player away from the bubble (i.e., two away from the money) and I was hoping to just hang on long enough to cash.
As the blinds increased, I found myself in the small blind with about 6 big blinds left in my stack, but I had been dealt a very good AJ. Everyone folded to me, and I just completed the bet. I knew that the big blind would shove because 1) I had disguised the strength of my hand, 2) he’d been shoving a lot as we’d gotten closer to the money, and 3) his stack was so much bigger than mine, he’d figure I would just fold to try to stay until the bubble burst. But he didn’t know how strong my hand actually was. As I’d hoped, he shoved, and I immediately called. He had A6, so I was well ahead by almost 3 to 1. However, the board ran out A46K9, giving him two pair to my one pair. I busted out.
I had a good run today, but still I was disappointed by losing that last hand even though the odds had been well in my favor. My work has picked up and I’ve been traveling a lot, so I have less time to play poker these days, but if I can find the time, I’ll play again soon. Continue to wish me luck.