Same Damn Guy!

Like many tournaments, at the Palace Hayward if you bust out you can buy back in with a new entry .fee.

Today, early on I had about half my stack left, and the chance came to double up, so I jumped on it.   From the big blind I checked my 5-6 and got to see the flop after other players limped.

The flop was 7-8-9 and I had my straight.  I checked, hoping for a bettor, and the guy to my left bet a medium amount.  I pushed all in and he called.  He turns over 9-9 so my straight was ahead of his set of nines.  Onlookers started saying "uh oh...pair the board".  The turn was a 5, but then the river a second 7!

Damn, that second 7 gave him a full house and I was dead with my straight.

I bought a second tournament entry.

I little later I doubled up when I pushed all-in with A-8 and got called by Q-Q.  This time my luck was better when I flopped a boat with A-A-8.  That was fun...

But then later I was at the final table and got seated again next to the same guy who took me out earlier.  This time, I'm small blind and everyone folds to me.  I have Q-J so I try to steal with a min-raise, and the big blind calls.

I check in the dark, and the flop comes Q-10-7.  So I have top pair.  The guy pushes all in with more chips than I have.  It was a tough call because my kicker was not the highest.  I feared he had A-Q.

But I called anyway, and he turns over pocket 5's.  Cool, I'm ahead again.

The turn comes 5 and he makes a set.  No third queen on the river.

Damn, the same damn guy sucks out on me again and my day is over.

Nobody wants a pair

Today I busted out of a tournament at the Palace in Hayward in an unusual way.  The blinds were getting big and my stack was on the small side (about 5BB), so I went All In with A-5 off suit.

I had one caller, who turned over A-4 off suit.  I figured I was in good shape as his only out was a 4.

The flop comes 2-3-10.  Immediately I noticed that I had a gut shot straight draw, and the four I was worried about would now help me rather than hurt me, giving me a straight.  Cool!  I'm home free!

An observer speaks out and says "wow, nobody wants a pair."   It didn't really occur to me what he meant by that until the hand was over.

The turn comes 8, no help.  The river comes 5!

At this point I see that I have a pair of fives and he didn't get his four, so I clapped and said "yes!" thinking I had won.

Not so fast, my paired-up fives game HIM the straight.   Now I know what that guy meant by "nobody wants a pair".