A Poker Lesson

Last Sunday I hosted and played poker (holdem) with my cousin and friends at my home.

I was playing my ace game right from the beginning. Soon towards the end of the session I was up by nearly $400. We played $0.50/$1 game. However, I lost my entire stack of nearly $400 in one hand (which was to be the last hand of the day). here's how it transpired:

Preflop:
I held Ace-ten unsuited. raised $12 on the button, got 2 callers.

Flop:
ace diamond, something diamond, and something non-diamond.
i raised $30, one guy folded, another called.

Turn:
another diamond.
remaining player checked, i raised $50, he check-raised me $50 plus $100. I considered for a while, re-raise him all in, which he promptly called and turn over King-four of diamond for the nut flush - his hand was unbeatable.

Stupid, stupid moves by me. Why plural (s)? let me walk you through:

1. I was doomed from the start. I wanted to win that particular pot so bad that i disregarded everything else, even when the odds were staring right into my pupils and irises.

2. I talked myself into not believing that my opponent had me beat. Indeed there were so many hands he could have held that would have beaten my Ace pair with 10 kicker - 2 pairs, three of a kind, flush, ace-jack, ace-queen, ace-king....

3. But I still called my opponent's check-raise, and even re-raised him all-in, in the faint hope that he was bluffing....

Stupid, stupid moves...

In retrospect, the best strategy was to walk away when i knew I was beat. I had disregarded my inner voices, disregarded my common sense, my intelligence, my hard-earned knowledge of poker; simply becasue of the fact that I wanted to win that pot. I thought I had to win it... no matter what. I got desperate. And as a result, I fell flat, I got cleaned out of my entire stack.

I think God was trying to teach me something here...

He gave me ace-10 unsuited.
He made 2 loose players call me.
He made the flop came with 2 diamonds.
He made the 3rd diamond appear at the turn.
He gave my opponent 2 crap cards King-four of diamonds, which turn out to be the nuts (the unbeatable hand).

Ok I have to correct a bit on what I said about me being "doomed from the start". God gave me enough warnings along the way, but i refused to listen because I was blinded. I wanted to win. I WANTED TO WIN THAT HAND! AND I GOT HUMBLED THOROUGHLY. Let me explain further:

1. Ace-ten on button - can play a bit aggressive, but not too much, becaue of the relatively weak kicker. I ignore warning, raised 12 times the big blind.
2. 2 loose callers - means proceed with caution on the flop.
3. 2 diamonds - can play a bit more agressive to drive out drawers, but be careful once another diamond comes on the turn. I ignored it all.
4. A big check-raise on the turn all of a sudden by my opponent. I ignored the signs.

The punishment: Got beat by the nuts, don't even need to see the river card.

Now I realised that the best thing to do at that time was to walk away. But my pride and my ambition to win that hand had blinded me.

I could have achieve a spectacular victory (by walking away when I was re-raised at the turn), God had given me that last chance for that hand. But I ignored it.

I hope this defeat will stay with me for a long time (although I wish the pain will lessen.. haha...). I hope this defeat will remind me in whatever I do in the future - always be humble, not blinded by implusive emotions, and listen to my instincts..

Thank you God.