Random Musings

June 18, 2008

I’ve been on a very turbulent run at the tables lately. Up and down like crazy. As I review specific hands, I realize there have been several places where I could have won one or two more bets. There are also a few places (too many, in fact), where I didn’t need to lose a few extra bets.

For instance, I flop a set of 7s on a board of 3-5-7 with 2 spades. There are 6 players in the pot that was raised only once pre-flop. I bet, get raised by the best player at the table (a local pro named Sharron), and I (along with everyone else) call. Perhaps I should have raised? Make your decision before you read on.

The turn is a Queen. I lead out. Sharron raises. It’s just the two of us now. I re-raise and she caps. The river is a King that is not a spade. I bet out. Sharron raises. I put her on K-Q, or maybe As-Qs. I was all-in for this buy-in, so of course I called.

She tabled the stone-cold nuts and dragged a huge pot.

I’m sure I could have saved a few bets there. I’m also pretty sure that the combination of flopping my one and only set of the day, combined with my ultra-short stack, clouded my judgment.

I also wonder if the stress of what’s going on in my life right now has me in the right mind-set to be playing poker. I have all this free time right now to play poker because I’m waiting to hear about my potential new job. Today is the day the bidding closes for the contracts. After 4 pm today, they will gather all valid bids and award a winner.

I hope we win. Send some good vibes our way if you think about it.