Weatherford (January 7)

Kicking the year off with a win or loss can set the tone for a player’s psyche.  A win will boost confidence that can be carried over for many other games to come and a loss could have the opposite affect, resulting in decisions and doubts during a game.  Luckily I started 2012 in a positive mood with a $50 profit from the monthly game in Weatherford.

I had to re-buy once after my pocket kings went up against pocket aces, but I didn’t let the big loss put me on tilt.  After getting another $100 to work with I focused and won some pots to put myself back in the black.

The biggest win for me during the night was with 7-5 when I turned a straight and won about $120 from one guy.  Other than that it was medium-sized pots that I won most of the night.

In regard to bluffs, I made about three or four that I got away with and one I was caught in.  The only bluff worth mentioning was when the river produced four clubs.  I was going for a straight that didn’t get there and when the woman on my right checked it to me after betting on the flop and the turn I decided she was too afraid of the clubs to make a call.  I bet about a third to half the pot and she folded.  It was a calculated risk of what was on the board and the player I was against that paid off.

The final hand I was a part of involved pocket fours with a flop of 2-3-5.  With an open-ended straight draw I bet a third of the pot and was called by a tight player.  The turn was a seven.  At this point there were two diamonds on the board also.  I made a bet not relative to the pot but a large enough bet in relation to my opponent’s chip stack that if he moved all-in I would be priced in to call.  He did bet it all and I called.  The river was a nine and I flipped up my pair of fours.  My opponent sheepishly said he caught on the river and showed A-9 of diamonds.

It was upsetting to lose the hand, but in hindsight he was going for the straight or flush to beat me.  It just worked out in his favor that a nine also benefitted him.  I had to avoid any diamond, nine, or four.

That hand lost me about $100 and my ill-timed bluff occurred late in the evening also to bring me down to the $50 profit.  I played for five-and-a-half hours, resulting in a $9.09 hourly rate.

There is one final thing to be discussed, but it doesn’t have to do with any hands I was involved in.  Actually, it didn’t even take place at my table.  While stretching my legs during play I was watching the table next to us when two players occupied in an all-in hand decided to run the river twice.  What that means is they deal out the last card two times and split the pot up to the winners for each card.  The community cards were 6-J-4-A and a seven came on the first river.  The player holding K-J beat his opponent, who held Q-J.  The second river card was a six, creating a board of 6-J-4-A-6 and resulting in a split pot.  The pot should have been split in two and the second half split again.  However, the player holding K-J was taking the entire pot for himself (instead of the 3/4th he should have been given) and his opponent, or nobody else at the table for that matter, was speaking up about the gaffe.  As a natural reaction to make sure the fair thing was done I spoke up and asked shouldn’t the second river have created a split pot.  The community cards had already been reshuffled into the deck so my observation couldn’t be verified.  Finally, two players at the table said it was a six on the river and because of what else was out there it was a split pot.  In the end, all the money went to the correct players.

So my questions are these: should I have not said anything as I was not sitting at their table and is it more fair that anyone who sees a mistake happen speak up or should it only be amongst those involved in the hand? My intervention had no outcome on a call, fold, or other type of play prior to the end of the hand. It only regarded the division of money righfully won.