RECENT HANDS

I don't have much in-depth commentary but I jotted down a few interesting hands this past week with the intent of posting them here.

First off, even though I wasn't able to parlay the giant pot into a money finish, I did manage to win a big pot with AA up against KK, QQ, and JJ. It gave me some chips but they didn't last.

Later in that same event, nearing my demise, I saw a three-way flop with 88. The flop came AK8 and we all checked around. I had position and a desperate need for chips so I hoped a check would induce a weak ace or a king to take a stab at the turn. Fourth street brought another king but there was still no action, so I checked again. The river brought another king making for a board of AK8KK. One of the players bet into me and I folded. That's a good example of how it's better to win a small pot than lose a big one. Or maybe I was destined to go broke and skillfully avoided it. Regardless, rather than gobbling up the chips on the flop, I waited for more and then lost them all like the dog chasing the reflection of the bigger bone in the pond. That was my last big hand and I was broke soon after.

There was another event in which I had played practically perfectly yet met a cruel fate. I had JJ in middle position and raised. I was reraised by a smaller stack from the button. It was an obvious showdown situation but I figured I would just call now and push the flop. The flop came QT9 and there was no getting away so in went my chips. He called and showed 99, argh. Well, I wasn't dead and the 8 peeled off to make my straight. Then came the nine to give the upstart quads. How cruel. It irks me when I get raised by an underpair and then get beat.

The final hand in my notebook is notable because I'm not normally capable of making big laydowns, yet here is proof that I can do it when pressed. I got a free look at a flop with K4 in the big blind. The flop came 544 with two hearts. I bet into it and got called in two spots. The turn was the 2h and I knew it was a killer. I checked; the UTG guy bet and the button pushed. It's not often I release three of a kind but this seemed like the blueprint for when you do it, so I mucked. UTG showed AA and button showed K3h. There was no miracle on the river that would have filled my boat so I got three cheers from my wife for making the big laydown.