There Will Always be Donkeys

22 July 07

I’ve occasionally thought that the poker boom could not sustain itself. My theory was that the bad players would lose their bankroll and there would be only good players left. There are times when I play where I think everyone must be well versed in poker theory and are as adept at calculating pot odds as they are at picking up on all my tells.

And then there’s yesterday.

Live 6/12 and it’s a typical lose game. There is an early position raise and 4 callers before it gets to me. I look down at 7h-8h and flat call from the button. 6 of us see a flop with two hearts giving me both a flush draw and a straight draw. Bet. Call. Raise. Call. I three bet, and everyone calls.

The turn gives me my flush. Sweet!

It’s a scare card, it checks around to me so of course I bet. I get three callers.

The river is a 4th diamond. Shit. There goes my baby flush. It checks around to me again. I can’t bet, so I dejectedly turn over my cards and wait to hear the bad news.

Muck. Muck. Muck.

What the hell where they calling the turn with?! Were they not scared that at least ONE of the 4 of us already had the flush? Did they not think that whatever outs they might have had were diminished (if not already drawing dead) if another diamond comes on the river?

Long live the donkeys!