Another Bob Story

Note: if you want a reference for poker lingo, click here.

If you’ve read my book Election Hacks, you know about what friends in my youth called a “Bob Story” in which I came so close to success and yet still failed.

If you flipped a coin 100 times, and it came up heads 98 times, you know that’s possible, but you’d begin to suspect that something’s wrong.

In my last post I said I’d take a break from poker because it’s hard to take one bad beat after another. That break didn’t last long because on Friday I played again at the Wynn. It’s really tough to stay away because my consulting business is almost at zero (did I mention that last year’s biggest client decided to plead guilty?), my software business sales have been close to zero, I’m working on two giant business deals, one of which may (or may not) close very soon and I’m just waiting to hear back from the investors, my Lindell lawsuit is held up in appeals court, waiting for a decision from three judges, I’ve completed most of my chores around the house, and I still have time between writing these (and some other) articles. In other words, I have an unbearable amount of free time and I’m bored.

In the first buy-in I was doing well for a while. Then I got pocket As. A short stack shoved. I shoved. A slightly bigger stack shoved. The short stack had pocket 7s. The big stack had pocket Qs. Pretty good for me, right? My odds of winning were 64%. The short stack flopped a set. OK, I could still win the side pot. Then the big stack rivered a set. I was out.

I bought back in. I very soon got pocket Ks. A very aggressive short stack shoved. I called. He had QJ. I was nearly a 5-to-1 favorite. I flopped a set, making me a 16-to-1 favorite. The next two cards gave him a straight to win. I busted out shortly after that.

I bought back in a third time. My stack went up and down until eventually it was short. I got pocket 8s in the small blind. A giant stack min-raised. A short stack shoved. I shoved. The big stack shoved. I don’t remember what the short stack had (he was drunk and belligerent and the casino had threatened to throw him out), but the big stack had… pocket As. His aces held up, so I was out a third time.

SIGH…

This coming Saturday, I plan to play in a celebrity charity tournament. They’ve promised that Ted Danson, Jennifer Tilly, and Montel Williams will be playing, among others (no, I’m not considered a celebrity). I just plan to have fun at this one. But it would also be nice to win. Or at least not lose miserably.

About the author

Bob Zeidman is a high-stakes recreational poker player. He created Good Beat Poker, a free online poker site using patented technology for audio and video—see and hear the other players at the table if you choose.