Best Hand, Best Odds…Lose, Lose, Lose

I’ve got a problem. I can win small pots all night with crappy hands. But when I have the best hand and get all the money into the middle, I can’t win. Winning a little and losing a lot is a bad formula. Tonight it was amazing. Check out these 2 hands where I lost my buy-ins. I’m playing the $.05/.10 games to try to build up my bankroll so I can play at the higher levels. This is not helping.

Hand #1

Full Tilt Poker, $0.05/$0.10 PL Hold’em Cash Game, 9 Players
LeggoPoker.com – Hand History Converter

UTG+2: $4.70

MP1: $1.90

MP2: $5.60

CO: $3.80

BTN: $2.85

SB: $8.25

BB: $5.15

Hero (UTG): $8.65

UTG+1: $9.25

Pre-Flop: A K dealt to Hero (UTG)

Hero calls $0.10, 3 folds, MP2 calls $0.10, CO folds, BTN raises to $0.20, SB calls $0.15, BB calls $0.10, Hero raises to $0.80, MP2 folds, BTN calls $0.60, 2 folds

Flop: ($2.10) 4 A 3 (2 Players)
Hero bets $2.10, BTN calls $2.05 and is All-In

Turn: ($6.20) 2 (2 Players – 1 is All-In)

River: ($6.20) 3 (2 Players – 1 is All-In)

Results: $6.20 Pot ($0.60 Rake)
BTN showed 5 5 (a straight, Five high) and WON $5.60 (+$2.75 NET)
Hero showed A K (two pair, Aces and Threes) and LOST (-$2.85 NET)

Hand #2

Full Tilt Poker, $0.05/$0.10 PL Hold’em Cash Game, 7 Players
LeggoPoker.com – Hand History Converter

BTN: $10.55

SB: $12.10

BB: $6.05

UTG: $8.50

UTG+1: $4.30

MP: $15.45

Hero (CO): $10.55

Pre-Flop: 2 K dealt to Hero (CO)

UTG+1 calls $0.10, MP folds, Hero calls $0.10, 2 folds, BB calls $0.05, UTG raises to $0.50, UTG+1 calls $0.40, Hero calls $0.40

Flop: ($1.60) K 2 T (3 Players)
UTG bets $0.80, UTG+1 folds, Hero raises to $2.20, UTG calls $1.40

Turn: ($6) 5 (2 Players)

UTG checks, Hero bets $6, UTG calls $5.80 and is All-In

River: ($17.60) T (2 Players – 1 is All-In)

Results: $17.60 Pot ($1.75 Rake)
UTG showed A A (two pair, Aces and Tens) and WON $15.85 (+$7.35 NET)
Hero showed 2 K (two pair, Kings and Tens) and LOST (-$8.50 NET)

OK, I know what you’re thinking, “why play K2 suited out of position against a raise?”. I’d been playing very few pots recently and I didn’t want my table image to be too tight so that I wouldn’t get action when I got a big hand. I like to play a few weird hands from time to time just in case. Theoretically you’ll flop two pair against a hand like aces and then you can get all the other player’s money. Or he can suck out on you on the river and you can lose all your chips and then go whine about it on your blog. I choose option B.

Oh yeah, and I lost 2 tournaments tonight when I got the other player all-in pre-flop when I was holding aces. I don’t know why I think pocket aces are any good. Apparently I’m missing my opportunities by not pushing harder with pocket sixes or pocket nines.

This game is cruel.