9 minute man

I did not realize Bob was taking over the Lydias game, though I am ecstatic he has done so. I ran a few games, it was okay...but I am over it now. I imagine for the course of this year I will play 20 - 30 times or so and that makes it easier and more pleasant to do. Well, there were I think 15 people. I had my lap top in the car and was intending to write, being a bit non-plussed by the loss of my phone. But I figured I would write and use the lap-top to keep time. Instead, I was merely a player. I figured to play a few hands and be out early.

Starting with 2000 instead of 3000 is a huge change in philosophy. Smaller bets take a larger percentage of the stack so are harder to pull off. Also, you cannot really play chase hands because they are too costly. The table I was at loves to limp and then play post-flop. I don't. The very first hand would determine my evening.

I was about 4th to act and picked up A/Q. 2 or 3 people had limped, I thought I should raise to 200 since that drives people out and 150 doesn't. Instead I raised to just 150. Got 4 callers. Flop brought 2 diamonds, a heart, and a king. I raised 200, Dick called. Right there I put him on the King. Turn was another diamond, this one a king, I checked, he bet, I folded. I figured he had trip kings but he did not show.

Fold. Fold. Fold. Thought, "this is boring. I don't want to sit here folding." In the big blind checked a 2/9. Flop came 6,7,8. I thought, "Uh-oh. I am going broke on this hand. I should fold." Called a bet of about 200 since I was getting more than 3-1 real and HUGE implied odds. Turn was an 8. He bet again and I put him on trip 8s. I should have folded. I knew I should. But when he bet 300 I called anyway. And even when I did it I knew it was stupid. River was a 10, giving me a straight. He was so eager to put his bet out I put him on either a boat or a 9/j. Really nothing else explained his eagerness. He bet 500. That fit perfectly with either hand...both of which had me beat. So I did what any idiot would do and went all in. I cannot explain it. I put him on hands that beat me from beginning to end of hand and did it anyway. "Just a straight" I said and flipped it up. "Boat," he said and flipped up his cards. Fully explaining my disinterest, I did not even look at his cards and have no clue if it was 8/6, 8/7 or 8/10. I believed him and had my coat on almost before I said, "Figured. Told you I would be out early tonight."

I have no explanation for what happened there. I am too good a player to throw away 1950 chips when I know I am beat. Or maybe I am not since I did it. I never got my head in the game, admitting to boredom and playing a hand like that because I am bored is tilt, I knew it, and did it anyway. I never got my head in the game and paid for it. Of course, on the bright side I finished playing in 9 minutes and 2 hands, so...I guess there is something. I was able to go home and do some stuff I needed to do and that was definitely good for me.

On the dark side, I have finished 5th out of 7 and 15th out of 15. That is going to stop immediately.