JJ's Blog

You ever watch those detective shows on TV where the lead detective interviews a suspect about a crime. At first everything seems on the up-n-up, but later, after the detective has a chance to think about it, something just doesn't smell right. Sometimes, the detective will have an epiphany at the most unusual time (i.e., in the shower, etc...). Usually the episode concludes when the detective re-interviews the suspect, asks deeper and more probing questions, and finally the suspect breaks down and confesses to committing the crime.

We'll I was recently the victim of a crime. Now, I'm on a mission to get the criminal to confess to the crime that I know he comitted.

The Set-up
So we're playing NL holdem on Friday night with .50/$1 blinds and $50 stacks. The table is usually 5 or 6 handed. I go on a rotton streak. I'm getting cold-decked and bluffed off of pots.

Hand #1 leading up to the crime - I'm in the small blind with a 9c-3x. Action is limped to me. I complete. The BB passes on his option. The flop comes 10c-Jc-8c. I bet $3 into a $3 pot with my open ended straight flush draw. I'm called in one spot (UTG - sharp dressed Kyle). The turn is a blank. I check, he checks. The river is another club (4c?). Kyle bets something like $8. I call and show down the winner. Klye then gives me some grief for playing the lowly 9-3 offsuit.

Hand #2 leading up to the crime - On the very next hand, I'm dealt - you guessed it - 9-3 offsuit on the button. The pot is limped to me in one spot. I, acting mostly as a heat check and because of the Karma surrounding the 9-3 offsuit, fire out a raise of $3. The big blind calls. The pot gets head's up as we move to the flop. The flop comes 5-8-3. I spiked bottom pair with this trash hand. Skalony bets around $5. I'm sure he is thinking that this hand has missed me and he can take down a nice pot here with 2 big cards (i.e., K-J). I dissapoint him by calling. I'm thinking my hand could very well be good here. If not, I could catch a 9 or 3 on the turn that would totally wreck his day. The turn is a beautiful 3. My trash hand has paid off! A warm feeling washes over my body. I'm starting to remember why I love this game so much. Now, back to business. I need to stack Tony for $50 here with this garbage hand. Tony fires out around $12. I call. My thinking was that I could loose a customer here if I raise the turn (even a min raise), but there was a pretty good chance he might bet again on the river. The river is meaningless. The board reads 5-8-3-3-x. Tony bets, I raise. Tony pushes all in. I call and table what I'm sure is the winner. Tony tables pocket 5s for a turned full house. Ouch. Reload. Again. Bad turn. Bad turn. I'm never playing the 9-3 offsuit again under any circumstances. Kyle's advice was right on.

A side note
I saw a wierd hand that was a repeat of a hand that played at one of my tournaments. In the tournament hand, the flop comes A-10-6. Three players get their money all in and each of them are convinced they have the best hand. It turns out to be Andrew with Top Set, Garett with Bottom Set, and another guy with Top 2. Ouch.

On Friday night, 3 players got their money all in on the flop. It too turned out to be top set vs. bottom set vs. top 2. Wierd.

Hand #3 - The crime. The pot is raised to $2.50 from Skalony in EP. I love to call raises in late position, so I'm hoping for some sort of hand. I'm happy to see pocket 3's. I seriously consider re-raising here, but wisdom took over and I flat called. The flop is beautiful. J-J-3. I just flopped a monster. If there is a god in heaven, then Tony will some hand like K-J or A-J, and I'll get my $50 stack back. Tony bets. I call. The turn is a queen. Board reads J-J-3-Q. This is sort of a scare card for me. Tony bets. I call. The river is a K. Board reads J-J-3-Q-K. I'm really feeling like I just got rivered here, but after Tony checks, I'm relieved. I make a value bet of $16 and think I'll get called with J-X or A-10 or even 9-10.

I'm shocked and horrified, when Tony pushes all in. That nagging feeling about Tony playing K-J is now a full-blown panic.

I agonize and agonize and finally fold.

I'm really feeling that I was just victimized. I was just assulted and buglarized for this pot. I can't believed I just laid down a full house. I'm steamed.

So as any good decective would do, I started to interview the suspect. I ask him what he was thinking through the hand. I ask him if he is capable of comitting such a haneous act. Finally, Skalony comes clean and convinces me that he held a K-J for a rivered higher boat.

I feel a little relieved that I was not really bluffed here. Now I can get back to playing some poker.

As it turned out, I was in for $300 in this game and was shuffling my last 15 chips. Then, the other table broke and our table went 10 handed for a while. I went on a heater and cashed out for $165, slashing my losses to a $135. Still sucks....but much less so.

The Epiphany
So on Saturday, after 3 hours of sleep, I take my daughter to soccer (she lost). Then, we rush off to Home Depot to buy a bunch of trees and shrubs for adding to our landscapping. I spend the next 5 hours digging holes, mixing dirt, spreading mulch, etc... It feels really good to do some manual labor and get some fresh air. It also gives me some time to think.

So I start thinking about various things. Next thing ya know, I'm thinking about this hand with Tony. Something just doesn't smell right.

There are three main errors in Tony's testimony.

Error #1. When I folded my hand, Tony got this "shit eating" grin on his face that I've seen dozens of times when he's just did something slick. This look is unmistakeable. I know it. Everyone knows it. Next time he has this look, I'll take a picture and post it here.

Error #2. If Tony strikes gold on the river by hitting a King, why check? There is almost no way he checks here with the 3rd nut hand. Are you kidding me? If he actually connected here, he could not risk me checking behind. He would bet. I'm 100% certain. His check raise here, upon later reflection, had to be a decision he arrived at only after I made what I thought was a value bet. This would also explain the shit eating grin he had as he just realized that I was a lot stronger than trip Jacks. He probably thought he could get me to lay down 3 jacks when a 3rd broadway card came. Once I showed him the mucked full house, he knew he had just pulled off an improbable bluff.

Error #3. When the hand was over, Tony quickly mucked his cards. But this time he did the ulti-muck. This is the muck where you slide your mucked cards in the muck and make sure they are good and buried so that no one can possibly retrieve them later on. This is the classic action of a criminal who, after comitting a crime, tries to hide the weapon.

So, YOU'RE BUSTED Skalony. I know you committed this crime. You know you did it. Everyone knows it. It's time to come clean. Who knows, you might get a reduced sentence.

Just kidding. Nice hand. Nice bluff. You got me good. It did provide some good mental entertainment as I slaved away in my front yard this afternoon.