The Poker Cruise, and My Worst Beat Ever ...

So my friend Dave was wondering about the poker tournament on my Alaskan cruise. It was a 36-player tournament, with a $60 buy-in. I didn't find out until after I signed up that they were allowing unlimited re-buys in the first hour (as long as you were down 50% in chips), and an add-on at the end of the first hour. Rebuys were $60 for the same number of chips, and the add-on was double the chips for $60. As it was, it ended up working in my favor, as I needed a rebuy close to the end of the first hour due to a couple loose calls and some value bets that didn't go my way. Blinds were 25/50, doubling every 15 minutes, which was pretty brutal, but kept the tourney moving at a brisk pace.

With all the rebuys and add-ons, I ended up making $1200 for first place, less the $180 I paid total. Sadly, that left just enough to cover the rest of the room charges. Cruising isn't cheap!

What I didn't mention was the second tournament. Feeling confident that I could beat these guys again, I signed up for the second tourney later that week. I didn't need a rebuy, but I availed myself of the addon. Then, I'd face some tough luck, and the worst beat I've ever had. There was only 30 players this time (word didn't get around fast enough), and with some people being tapped out from last time, first place only took about $800.

I'm at around 8000 in chips or so, just about middle of the pack, and it's about an hour and a half in. I'd knocked out two players already, and coming off a win, I've got a strong table image and am having a little trouble getting some action, even after showing some bluffs and folding some hands. Cards come out, and I've got A-7 of hearts. Nice hand, so I lead out a strong bet, triple the big blind which was 400 at this point, so 1200. I get raised, but I'm still feeling this hand is a winner, and call the raise, putting me at 4400 left. There's three in the hand, first to bet is a guy who's been making loose calls and shaky bets all day, but is getting the cards to fall his way. He's definitely not a player. Immediately to his left is a fairly decent player who's got a bit more left than I do, but I know I push him out if I need to.

Flop comes down, and it's something like K-10-8 of hearts. I flopped the nut flush, the best possible hand. Loose guy makes a big bet, intended to muscle us out of the pot. I know I've got them beat, but you can't read me. Player to his left calls 5500 all-in. I call immediately (putting me all-in as well). They turn the cards over ... Loosey has a pair of 10s with a 3 kicker; my read was good. Player has nothing if I recall ... I think he was trying to represent the hearts. "Oh, come on ... none of you guys had Hearts?" I said, as I tossed my made hand on the table.

Turn comes out a 3, and Loosey makes Two Pair, 10s and 3s, but I'm still not sweating, I'm just counting my chips. River comes 3 and my Nut Flush is busted by a Full Boat. I didn't even know what happened ... I'm still thinking that the hand is mine as the chips are pushed away from me. I sat there stunned realizing that there is no way I could have gotten away from a suck-out that brutal, and I'm now out of the Tourney instead of dominating it.

What really sucks is 1) Loosey won the tournament, and 2) I had reads on everyone left at the final table from the previous tournament and knew that I could take them all. In fact, I clued one guy into a particularly subtle tell of his after the tourney since I knew I'd never play him again ... he was pretty good except for a terrible habit of using his chips to give away a strong hand. When he'd raise, he'd state it, but he'd just put in enough chips to call at first, then reach for the rest of what he wanted to bet and put them in ... rather than betting all of his chips at once, something he never did if he was bluffing or not as confident about his hand. Reads in online poker are tougher, since you have to use time and betting patterns as a factor, something I've gotten very good at hiding using more standard betting patterns.

Anyway, just wanted to share that story with you, Dave. :)

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