Luck we’re thinking about is good

Luck is chance. You have no control over it. When we speak of being lucky, we really mean good luck.
Tossing a coin heads-up ten times in a row would be great good luck if you bet on heads each time. Sure, it’s a huge long-shot. But long-shots sometimes do win the race. So it is in the game of poker.
We all aspire to be lucky – to catch the card we need to make the best hand. Starting with pocket Queens, you may even pray to the poker gods or place your lucky charm atop your holecards. Superstitious? You are hoping your Q-Q will hold up to the river, and an Ace or King doesn’t fall on the board.
That would be good luck for you. But, we all know, in the long run, each of us will get our fair share of good luck – and bad luck. Even the poker gods can’t change that.
True Story (the names have been changed): It was a $3-$6 limit hold’em game – fairly loose and not too aggressive. Jim, an aggressive player, in the under-the-gun position, was dealt pocket 8s. He raised preflop, and was called by three opponents, including Tom, a more conservative player who held A-10 of spades.
The flop came down with another 8 and two spades. Now holding a set of 8s, Jim bet out and was called by two opponents, including Tom with his four-to-the-nut flush. The turn was a blank. Jim bet again and was called only by Tom, hoping to catch the nut spade flush. The river was the 8 of spades, giving Tom his nut flush; but Jim now had quad 8s – the absolute nuts! Who was lucky?
Jim bet his quads, and was promptly raised by Tom, pleased with his nut-flush hand. Jim re-raised and so did Tom. With only two players in the pot, there is no limit on raises. And so they went at it – raising and re-raising. The pot grew and grew. Enormous! Finally, after getting most of his chips into the pot, Tom paused to think (a little late), and just called.
Jim had a big smile as he scooped and scooped the chips, filling over two racks. A rather cocky player, I could just imagine him congratulating himself on making that huge win. I doubt he stopped to think, “Boy, was I lucky!”
He was lucky not only to make quads on the river, but also that Tom was so excited about catching his nut-flush he failed to consider the possible consequences of the board being paired.
Whenever there is a pair on the board, a full-house or quads is always a possibility. But you can’t blame Tom for playing too fast and loose when he made the nut-flush on the river. I dare say, Tom had been struck with real BAD luck – all to the benefit of Jim who could not have been luckier.
Would you believe it, the very next hand, Jim, still in an early position, called to see the flop with 7-4 of diamonds. Now we all know that is not a playable hand in any position.
To make a long story short, the flop brought two more diamonds; and the river gave Jim his flush, albeit a small flush. But it was the only flush and took the pot – another good size pot for Jim. He filled another rack of chips. I could just imagine him saying to himself, “Boy, am I a good player!” But we all know he was tremendously lucky.
Jim sat out the next two hands as, swollen with pride, he scanned the racks of chips in front of him, and then re-entered the fray the following hand, again holding two non-connector, medium/small diamonds. Would you believe, once more, he took the pot with a diamond flush? Lucky? In the long run, we all know luck is bound to even out. Everyone will get his fair share. But in the short run, anyone could run real lucky – or vice versa. Well, that’s poker.

read more

Закладка Постоянная ссылка.

Добавить комментарий