Note to Self: THINK!

So there I was in a multi-table tournament. About ten places from the bubble and doing very, very well. Everything was going right, I had the deepest stack on my table and was dominating it. I was getting more than my share of good cards and even when I was dealt bad cards I was usually able to bluff and bully the pot to myself. My chip count kept rising and I felt on top of the world.

Then I was dealt A-5s and bet. Everyone folded except one player who called. Flop came down with a J-8-5, so with a low pair and an Ace kicker I thought it worth another bet. My opponent called. The turn produced a two so I turned up the pressure and bet again. This time my opponent thought about it and went all in. At which point I...

...called.

What?!? What was I thinking? Sure, he probably didn't have trip 2s or he'd have folded after the flop. But given the way I'd been playing as aggressive bully there was no way he'd risk an all-in bluff. Even if he was bluffing, there were two cards on the board plus two in his hand he could hit to beat me on the river. And if he had almost anything in hand he'd have me beat. Basically I was gambling half my stack plus my lead - and possibly my spot in the money - on hitting another 5 or an Ace on the river. Five outs, about a 10 per cent chance. There wasn't even any chance of bullying him into a fold since he was all-in. Dumb, dumb, dumb.

Turn over the cards, he'd hit paired Jacks on the flop. The river changed nothing and suddenly I'm knocked off my perch.

What was I thinking? I wasn't thinking.

So why did I do it? Sort of "positive tilt". I was enjoying being table captain and part of me had begun to believe I was invincible. Part of me also wanted the macho thrill of taking another player down and raking in a huge pile of chips. I wasn't betting with my head, I was betting with my balls.

Somehow I managed to hold things together and claw my way back, ending the tourney in 3rd place. If it hadn't been for that one stupid call I might have been first.

As John Vorhaus says in Killer Poker Online, Vol 2: "there's no place anywhere in poker for dick measuring contests".

Lesson learned.

Labels: improving my game, poker