Matt Damon said it best in "Rounders" when his character Mike McD quoted old-school poker hero Jack King's book "Confessions of a Winning Poker Player":
"Few players recall big pots they have won -- strange as it seems -- but every player can remember with remarkable accuracy the outstanding tough beats of his career."
So true, Mike, so true. And with the advent of the lipstick camera and premium timeslots on ESPN a few years back, poker took the regular world by storm. We all got to share in people's suck-out wins, crazy bluffs and those outstanding tough beats.
They're a badge of honor among poker players, sort of like old Army buddies comparing scars and wounds. With that in mind, here's my latest tough beat.
Playing in a charity No Limit Hold'em tournament at the Montel Williams MS Foundation Gala at Cipriani's in Manhattan on Thursday night (a wonderful event for a good cause, by the way), I sat with a few pros (including 2006 WSOP Ladies Event champ Mary Jones) and a few regular folks like me.
Kings were flying in my direction on the first hand, and the chips soon followed suit. The next 35 minutes were spent racking up frequent flyer miles to 3-8 Town and Q-4 Land.
Then I finally get a hand worth playing: A-K suited. The blinds were $100-200 and I was down to $1,375 in chips (everyone started with $2,000). Sitting middle position, I raised to $500.
A fella sitting across from me who happened to look exactly like former Gov. Eliot Spitzer without the stress and potential legal headaches raised to $1,000. A handsome bet, indeed.
At this point, I can only fold or raise, just like Mike McD against Teddy KGB. I push all my chips in, calling his $500 and raising it up another $375. We flip 'em and let the people join in watching the race.
He flips . . . a pair of freakin' 3s. Yep, he raised a raise and then called a second raise wth 3-3. That's right, 3-freaking-3. Seriously? Seriously.
At this point, I'm slightly furious that he's slightly ahead, but even more furious that Fake Spitzer played a pair of 3s that strong.
Here comes the flop: J-10-7, including one spade. Now I've got an inside straight draw, a potential flush and two overcards that would send his pair of 3s into the muck pile.
On the turn, a fourth spade falls. Nice. Plenty of outs for me. And a big pot that would help get me to next round and one step closer to the final table and a chance to perhaps play against poker pros Freddie Deeb, Annie Duke and Jamie Gold, not to mention the host of the event, Montel Williams.
I look at the community cards, then my A-K, then those damn 3s which I can hear taunting me. Awaiting the river card, I glance again at my cards, then at Jones' poker bracelet to my right, then at Fake Spitzer in front. The dealer flips over the river card. Oh that's nice, a 9 of hearts. No help for me. There goes all my money and a chance to live the dream. But when you lose to Fake Spitzer, at least the card that destroys me is a (Client) 9.
- Mark La Monica
Comments (3)
If only you'd had Lady Luck at your side...LOL
He flips . . . a pair of freakin' 3s. Yep, he raised a raise and then called a second raise wth 3-3. That's right, 3-freaking-3. Seriously? Seriously.
You didn't raise. You put in 500 in a pot that had 300 already. You played weak and he played back. And with you in middle position, he might have even been one of the blinds. You didn't mention his position. If that's the case, almost any two cards play owing 300 in a pot of 800. And he didn't call a re-raise. He called 375 in a pot of 2675. In that situation any two cards have to play.
You had only 4 bets. You have to push with AK suited. You also didn't mention how many players were at the table. I assume 9 or 10, otherwise you probably played too week the entire tourney.
Blastmaster,
he wasn't one of the blinds. he was the guy who called an All-In with 10-2 in his hand and paint on the board.
there were 7 people at the table at the table, two of which folded before me.
the calling for an extra $735 makes total sense. but raising it up to $1K with 3s is crap in no-limit.