HOLLYWOOD PARK DRUBBING

I went to the card room to get some live play in. I didn't play a tournament, so I wonder how much it really helped me. I would have busted out many times over, but then again, the players in Monaco won't be playing hands to the river that were beating me tonight. I played NL and busted out five different times, to the tune of $500 total. Each time I busted, I was all in with the best of it and lost at the river.

The first time I held T2 in the big blind and the flop came QT2, two clubs. The preflop raiser bet big and I check-raised. He played back at me all in with AQ. I called and wished him luck. The board came 5 5 to send me digging in the pocket.

The second time was the worst. I had 98d and the flop came 9 high, one diamond. There was a bet and a call, and I went all-in, hoping to pick it up right there. I had top pair, straight draw, and back door flush potential. Only one guy called, and he had 74d with middle pair. The board came diamond-diamond, both lower than 9. I had him the whole way, until he pointed out that he had made a runner-runner gutshot straight-flush. Back to the pocket.

The next kill came when a guy raised under the gun, and I called with AK. There was one other caller, with Ax. The flop came A32 rainbow and UTG goes all in for $105. I thought about it and was absolutely certain that he had AK or AQ, so I called. He had AQ and found the Q on the river. Digging again.

My next bust came when I had AA and the flop came KQx, two spades. The 75s played it all the way to the river. The river was the J of spades, which gave me an ace high straight. I was only beat if he was paying a ton to play spades, and I couldn't believe that he would play that way in a heads up pot. I bet into him, and sure enough, he came back all in. I had to call, and hoped to see an ace, but instead saw the dreaded low spades. Back to the pocket for the final bill.

My final hand, I played AK, flopped AQJ and bet the whole way, only to lose to A2 when he paired the river. I had raised preflop, I had come out firing the flop and the turn - it wasn't hard to realize that I had either two pair or an AK. Still, people will pay to see all five cards hit the board. Five times tonight the fifth card beat me. I drove home thinking about how well I played, and how I just lost five hundred bucks, and I realized that poker is a humbling game.