I'll take "what's in a name?" for $100....

So as I read around our little community, it appears that bad beat stories are running rampant once again. Apparently I'm not the only one getting it in good, only to have that one or two outer come along on the turn or river for a loss. Sometimes however I have to admit that I'm not getting it in good. And can admit that I find myself catching that miracle card when I need it as well. Being honest, I can admit that I've been seeing a lot more of these ridiculous hands ending up as winners, over the last few months. But I've been spending all that time on FullTilt. The fact that I've been witness to dozens of this style of beat, combined with the stories and HH's that I've been reading and seeing amongst our little group, it all convinced me to try a little something different over the weekend. I decided to see Stars. PokerStars to be exact.

So I fired up a 9 player game and settled in with a good Scotch. Only 37 hands into the game and I was heads up. With a small chiplead to boot! 13 hands of heads up, and I had a win. Hmmmmmmmm????? It was a pretty quick game and I was nowhere near ready to quit playing just yet, so I jumped into one more. Just 62 hands later and I had a 2nd. place result, after pushing K-K into A-A on a raggedy looking flop. Hmmmmmm?????

Peb's asked how I was doing, and I told her about both games. She said that it was my time to go on a hot run and... to get myself into another game. So I did! I sat in an 18 player game and managed to get down to final table with about an average stack. Nothing spectacular came along but with four players left, I found myself second in chips. The two short stacks both took runs at the chip leader, and I was suddenly heads up again. I had the same scenario occur as the last game I was in. Where I pushed my K-K into a flop that looked like crap. This time, well this time I was ahead. I also managed to stay there. I now held a 3 to 1 chiplead and found Q-Q when my opponent put his stack on the line. Heads up, I just can't see myself laying that down. I made the call and saw I was up against A-10. Now I don't know about you, but after all of the hands over the last few months and all of the reading in that timeframe too, I just knew I was going to lose this one. It's just that, apparently no one told PokerStars. My hand held and I had another tick in the win column. Hmmmmmmmm??????

Saturday morning after grabbing a coffee, I found my Peb's sitting in a head's up situation of her own. I watched about 9 or 10 hands. She had her opponent on the ropes, holding about a 4 to 1 chiplead. Buddy finally shoved his stack in, while Pebbles was in the BB. She held pocket Aces! He turns up a suited K-J and the race is on! Peb's hit her set on the river but of course, that was the only card that could help her opponent. His runner-runner-runner to the straight, gave him the double up he needed to make it interesting. The last hand of the game saw Peb's in with K-K. Her opponent flipped up the hammer. We looked at each other and in almost stereo said, "totally screwed!" Flop of course came 7-Q-2. Turn... the duece! Then just as all hope had been lost, FullTilt's RnG tossed up a King on the river for the win. I ask you, what are the odds in that? Head's up match, one player dominating and the other forced to play the hammer due to his stack size? AND BOTH HIT BOATS? Hmmmmmmm??????

I joined into a 90 player game next and had A-A cracked, not once.... But TWICE! The only two hands I played too! I went out in 33rd. spot as 2-2 > A-A and as it always will be when I hold Aces, K-K > A-A too! I signed off and fired up Stars. After winning my second straight 9 player table with no drama, no tilt and watching best hands continue to hold on, I decided to get into another 18 player game. I ran A-A into K-K on the sixth hand of the game, against a player that had played every hand so far and was really low in chips. My first reaction? "I'm doomed!" But no help at all for him. Not even close! Hmmmmmmm??????

With nothing special happening early, I was allowed to check my BB while holding 7-10off and getting three limpers into the pot. A flop of 6-9-8 rainbow, was enough to keep two of those limpers interested. There was a raise and re-raise and I just had to believe I was good. I jammed and waited to see what would happen next. Both called! It was a set of 6's vs. a set of 9's vs. my flopped straight... and it held! I finished second in that game after running so card dead during the final table, that I wasn't sure that there were any face cards left in the deck at all. But this happens and I totally understand it. My demise came while holding a suited 9-10. (The best hand I'd seen in the last 30 or so) I was up against K-10 and did not improve at all. Hmmmmmm??????

Sunday as I was at "the office." Peb's came down and asked about the Brit Game. I said they'd moved over to Tilt and that, "I would rather not play to be honest." She took one look at my stack and said, "damn! having a good run are we?" I realized that I'd been playing for sometime now, and I did in fact have 7 or 8 buy-ins in front of me. I signed off and asked Peb's if she wanted to play in the Blogament. She did and I went to sign her on and in. Only one issue! I signed myself back on instead. No problem! "Just play as me hun!" and so she did. There was a big mistake early, as a short stack pushed when Peb's was holding Ac-Kc. Once again, the player had played every hand so far and she struggled with the decision. But she eventually decided that his range was way too large to give up on. She said, "best he's got is a small pair, 8-8 or less and you know what? I'll take that race if I have too." He flipped up 7-7, and she did not improve. She hung around and hung around, got no action to two A-A all-ins and managed to push "presto" twice just for fun. Nothing came of anything she did. I just sat by her side and chatted it up with the remaining gang. I don't remember exactly where she ended up finishing to be honest, I think it was around eighth or so. It was a good time seeing the gang from across the pond once again, and I highly recommend you join in on the fun one Sunday afternoon. Good times indeed!

Which reminds me! Tonight is TuckFard night once again. 7:00pm NLHE and 8:00pm HORSE, both on FullTilt. Password for both is as always, donkey. Hopefully those that have the chance to donk it up a little earlier in the evening than normal, will make it out for all the fun. Hope to see you there! I'll be the chatty player with no chips left!

My sincerest thanks for dropping by....