JoeyDel

Posts - July, 23, 2009

• JoeyDel On Tilt, Annoying Poker Players And Those Countries That Put A Line Through The Letter O

  July 23, 2009

  Hello again!

  Another week has come and gone yet we are still here venturing forward. I want to talk about something which has become a little foreign for these articles of late...Poker. I originally started writing these entries to focus entirely on poker but as I look back over the last few articles I have noticed that I have been far too pre occupied with other things such as sport and dodgy Asian hookers... but who wouldn’t be.

  I think the time has come for me to vent. Has there ever been a more tilt inducing past time than poker? I mean seriously, why do we keep doing this to ourselves? I can’t help but think that if I had dedicated so much more of my time to a normal existence instead of the one I have chosen that I would be infinitely better off and not have these worrying grey hairs that seem to keep popping up all over my head.

  I am not trying to sit here and be one of those whinging players who complain about poker being rigged and that hate their life because of it. Quite the opposite, I feel like I am playing well and my results of late have not been too bad because of it but there are just some stupid people out there in the poker world who do stupid things and get rewarded. I don’t know how and I don’t know why... but seriously WHAT IS GOING ON!

  Let me give you an example. Just before writing this article I was playing in a poker tournament, I was getting close to the bubble and I had a well above average stack. You know this period when you start to talk to yourself...”Come on Joey, you are doing well, just stay focussed, don’t do anything silly and you will be fine”. Then this happens.

  I get dealt in the cut off...WOW, let’s focus here and make some good decisions. We could get a very commanding chip stack if things go well here. As per usual when you have a good hand, all players on the table insta-fold and it is up to me to make a decision. I make a fairly standard raise of 2.5 bb, button- snap fold, small blind- snap fold, big blind- tank for a while and then call.

  The big blind, is the only player on the table who has me covered. “Ok”, I think to myself, “Let’s hit a good flop and do some damage here, an Ace, a King or a big flush draw would be lovely”. The flop came out which more or less perfectly fulfilled my requirements. I could feel the crotch region of my pants tighten slightly as I hoped that this guy had a little piece of something that he could pay me off with.

  Our friend checks his option and it is on me. I bet around 60% of the pot which I feel is more than fine. Mr Big Blind thinks for a while, clicks the time button and then min raises me... What does this mean I wonder? The only hand that he can have that beats me at the moment is a set. How likely is this? He can’t have a set of Aces or Kings, surely. He would have re raised pre flop with either of these hands and the fact that I have both an Ace and a King in my hand make this even more unlikely. He could have a set of two’s I mean he would call a raise out a big blind with this hand. We are both deep enough to warrant it but that is just one little hand and even if he does I can still hit another Ace or King to counterfeit him.

  I suppose he could have a pocket pair as well and think that I was just continuation betting and hoping I would fold. Well the time has now started to run and out and I can’t convince myself I am behind. So I do what I always do when I am pretty sure I am in front but pressured by the clock, I move all in. If he has a set of two’s so be it. If not then we are on our way to a big stack.

  My opponent SNAP CALLS... Oh great, he did have the two’s I can’t believe it. I am in trouble...then he turns his cards over and he does not have a set after all. I am in front. I am a long way in front. WOO HOO!!! You will not believe what hand he had. Take a second to look over the hand that I have just explained to you and tell me what you think he could possibly have. Ok did you work something out? Do you think you have it? Did you guess ??? No... Why would you? You are not a stupid moron. But he did have . He had called a raise pre flop out of position with this hand, then check-raised a flop with two over cards and then SNAP CALLED an all in with . Do I need to tell you how the turn and river came out? As I am writing this with tears flowing down my face I am sure you can guess but just in case you can’t...

  Turn

  River

  “Thank you for playing. You have finished 82nd/790 players and have one NOT EVEN ONE CENT”

  I sat there, staring aimlessly at the screen...what can you do? I tell you what I would like to do! I hovered over the guys name and saw that he came from one of those lovely towns where the “O” in the name has a line through it. I would like to find out where on Earth this place is. Catch a plane there, find this guy, grab him by his neck, chuck him against the neck and just ask him one simple little question... Why?

  You see when somebody has Aces when I have Ace King or flops a set against me, it is a cooler and I don’t mind. These things happen. But sometimes, some of these people I am more curious than I am angry. I want to sit them down and ask them what they were thinking. I want them to talk me through the steps that they went through in their mind when they were deciding to play this way. Because I am sorry but to me it makes no sense. How did you get so many chips? How did you get so far in this tournament? No forget that, how did you get this far in life?!?!?

  Poker has taught me many things but I suppose the biggest lesson I have learnt is that I will never ever understand people as long as I live.

  We have a great episode of PokerNetwork Radio this week. We speak to online poker pro (the kind of guy who wouldn’t make that call with ) Jonathan xMONSTERxDONGx Karamalikis about his time over at the World Series in Las Vegas as well as well as the worst trip to Toronto ever and turning 21 Vegas Style!!

  Make sure you check it out!

  That is all for now, have a great week and what every you do try to keep smiling, no matter what he calls you with.

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