GREAT DAY TURNS UGLY

I was in a $2-4 NL game having already turned my initial $200 into $400. I was sitting around $360 or so, when I flopped an open ended straight flush, holding 76h.

The flop was Q85, two hearts.

I checked, and there was a $12 bet and two calls, so I raised, hoping I'd hit the turn.

The turn was a harmless off suit deuce - no help to anyone. I bet a significant amount, hoping to scare away the pocket Q. There were two calls, and a sizable pot. I either had to hit a river, or make an outlandish bet as a steal attempt.

The river was the 9 of diamonds. I missed my flush, but hit my straight. I bet out $26 and the pocket Q finally folded. The sole remaining opponent went all in. There was only one hand that could beat me, and I couldn't in my wildest paranoid delusion imagine that this joker was holding JT, and calling those big bets in search of a gutshot straight. I figured he must have trips and he was waiting to make sure the flush never struck.

It was a monster bet, and I'm getting better at not going all in without the nuts, but this was a fairly easy call, so I made it. Of course, he had JT and my bankroll was gone just like that.

I bought back in and got $60 back before I quit, but that hand defined my day. I still think I had to make that call. The odds of him having JT were low based on the bets he was calling throughout the hand. Of course, supposing he DID have the JT, he would have played it exactly as he did play it. Even as I was making the call, I just knew I was going to see JT, because why else would he go all in. Still, I don't see how I'll ever be able to fold that hand in that situation. Sometimes you just aren't the guy who rakes.