I found myself at a great steady table no one out of line. I was getting walk after walk and then Andy Black joined and sat on my left. I told him what a pleasure it had been for me watching him play the 2005 WSOP, where he finished 5th. Somehow I had managed to bet the turn and river for value, OOP with 3rd pair. I’d defended Dan’s pre-flop raise from MP with 89o in the BB. Andy Black saw me drag the pot and was curious of the action. “Thin value on the river, sometimes you just know where you are…” was my commentary.
The small blind looked at his cards and I read him as weak and told him so, SB responded by raising to 11K with blinds 5,000/2,500 I defended with Q60. Flop was 579 giving me a gutshot and the SB raised to 11,500K I re-reraised to 28,000 and took the pot down then showed bluff – Big mistake. A mistake that would cost me in the very next hand.
“Do I have to put you all in to get a fold?” he queried
“You could try” I responded
Next hand Alan Kelleher raised to 11K from the hijack and I made it 25,00 with AQ0 from the SB, Andy Black folds his BB.
Mistake 1. Showing the bluff the hand before.
Mistake 2. Re-raise large OOP as I want to take the pot down pre I should have made it 32K as 2 out of 3 times I’ll be Ace high only after the flop.
Mistake 3. I check the QJ5 flop – Always bet your big hands! There is 60K in the pot I need to take it down, I’m vulnerable to an over card and draws.
Mistake 4. Lead the 2 turn for 30K this should be 50K I make it too cheap and get a call
Mistake 5. I shove the river, I believe I’m being called with all aces and I wanted to make it look like a bluff shove by insta shoving. If you don’t know where you are don’t bet your tournament life away. Alan’s K 10o made him a rivered straight and eliminated me. Alan came 2nd for 55K the next day and it could have been me!
“Fucker” I screamed, it felt like I’d been punched by Tyson, they were verifying that Alan had me covered. Andy Black shook my hand, but I was out for the count, I’d fucked myself for no good reason.
I left the table, I hope I wished everyone well and Alan good luck but I can’t be sure. I hope to lose with grace and say “That’s poker, good luck everyone, it was a pleasure playing with you…” but in this instance I worry my only words were “Fucker”. Let’s hope I’m wrong, I don’t want to be that guy.
Correct play, bet 45K on the flop and shove the turn, if he’s hit a set or two pair so be it. He’ll tell you if you are beat, Alan may have shoved over a decent flop bet with his draw but deal with a problem when/if it arises. With the information I had, my top pair top kicker was good. Aces and Kings would have been re-raise pre-flop, I’m only losing to Jacks, JQ, Queens unlikely as I have one and slow played aces. Get the job done bet hard and move forward in the tournament.
It is hard to get to these spots in high buy-in tournaments and you can’t afford to make such basic mistakes. At the end levels of tournaments the point of honesty moves forward in the hand, if my raise is bigger I maybe get the job done but by showing the bluff, Alan an older player became more stubborn and it cost me. Two bad mistakes. It won’t happen again.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfYMisDMclE