EPT Dortmund, Day 1B

I love tournament poker, but it has thrown up its fair share of tough moments to stomach. Yesterday, the cards unfortunately brought a similar fate, but an extra element made for one of the most disappointing moments I have ever had to take.

I played for seven hours, some decent poker but by no means perfect, but I’ll remember the day as having just two crucial moments. The first moment had left me entering the 200/400 level with 7,000 chips, having to rely on the ever-unfaithful lady luck. A player moved all-in in early position for 6,600; I picked up ace-king of hearts and a horrible feeling, and it of course came true as he flipped over jack-nine of hearts and the flop brought a nine.

This previous moment had come in a pot that began by looking innocuous. I was in the big blind with 107 of clubs, and four of us checked a Qs9s6c flop. The turn made the board Q976 with three spades, giving me a little pair and a gutshot. I judged I had the best hand, and bet 1,200, the size of the pot. It would be a full five minutes before the river card was dealt…

The first player thought for a good two minutes, and brought good news by passing. It now came round to the second player,  a German lady, who also delved into a long period of thought. After a couple of these minutes, the next player bizarrely passed his hand out of turn. Wow, I thought, that does not help me much, but I couldn’t really say anything. The lady now made the call, and a blank eight on the river made the board Q9876.

It was a great card for me; I had made a straight, and knew for sure that she didn’t have a flush. I had a choice between turning my hand into a bluff-catcher or betting it for value, and chose a value bet of 2,800. The lady quickly called, and to my great surprise flipped over the jack-ten of hearts.

Jack-ten on 9876 of course pips my ten, and the cards had once again provided a cruel moment. Worse than that, it really felt that the lady would not have called had it not been for this pass out of turn. After all, a straight draw on a three-flush board with one card to come isn’t the strongest draw!

I felt pretty sick; a pass out of turn is a mistake anyone can make, but in the biggest tour of all, and after another player had been deep in thought for so long, it felt like a really tough one to take. It was probably the toughest test of all to keep cool at the poker table, as I felt really let down by the other player.

But, what can you do? There is no point getting angry with anyone; luck counts for so much in this game, and luck does not come just in the shape of the cards. When someone is high in the clouds of good luck, everything falls into place for them, even these little inadvertent moments. As the opposite to this, yesterday seemed to kick me into further into the rut of bad luck. Never mind, it’s only a game; if I ever come out of the rut, it will be with a massive smile.