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Started playing Texas Hold'em poker, two nights ago, I played at a 1-2 euro table for the first time. As soon as I sat down, it was clear I was a newbie because I didn't know about the seat fee, which was 5 euros per half hour.
I did have some beginner's luck. I won two hands in a row: the first was a pair of Jacks, where I raised twice and won. The second hand was an Ace of Diamonds and a 10 of Diamonds, where I raised twice from a late position and bluffed to win. Unfortunately, I didn't get good cards afterward. I played for 3 hours, ending up 3 euros short from my initial buy-in, but I won 27 euros. However, I had to pay a 30 euro seat fee.
Last night, I played Texas Hold'em for the second time, and I was completely cleaned out.
Date: Last night, April 7th, 2012
Location: A remote casino in Madrid
Event: Second time playing Texas Hold'em, ended up losing everything
This time, I went to a very remote casino where there were only two 10-player Texas Hold'em tables with blinds of 1-2 euros. They didn't charge seat fees but took a 5% cut of the winnings.
I thought being in a remote location, the players wouldn't be too tough (at least compared to my skills), but I was wrong. There were two young Spanish players at the table, and they were quite tricky. One of them, A, played very aggressively, often raising to double digits before the flop, and kept bluffing successfully, accumulating more and more chips. The other, B, was more serious and played tight.
Here's an encounter between them:
Before the flop, B raised to 10 euros from an early position, A called from the button. The flop came Q, 10, 4. B raised to 20 euros, A raised to 30 euros, B raised to 60 euros (I thought B might have three Queens, and A might fold). Surprisingly, A raised to 180 euros. B was baffled and eventually folded a pair of Aces. A then revealed his hand: a Queen and an 8. (I think he showed his hand not just to show off but to make others think he played loose, setting traps. Later, I fell into one.)
Now, straight to the point, how did I end up losing everything?
I knew these two young Spanish players were tough, especially A. Intuitively, I should have been cautious of him, but unfortunately, I still fell victim. My cards weren't good tonight. The best I got was a pair of 10s, but then the flop came Q, 4, 7, and someone raised to 20 euros, so I folded. I couldn't catch a break afterward. Even if A paired with a 10 or a Jack, I couldn't get anything decent.
Whenever my cards weren't good, A kept raising double digits, forcing me to fold most of the time. I tried bluffing with small cards a few times, with mixed results. Gradually, A painted a picture of me at the table: if he raised double digits before the flop, his hand likely wasn't strong unless he raised to 20 or more.
I couldn't get good cards consistently, but I couldn't just keep folding every hand. In a mid-position, I got an Ace of Hearts and a 7 of Hearts and reluctantly raised 4 euros. A raised to 12 euros from the button, probably trying to steal the pot, so I called. The flop came 4 of Diamonds, 9 of Spades, Queen of Clubs. I raised 10 euros, and A called. I was more convinced now that A didn't have a strong hand. The turn was a 3 of Spades. I raised again, this time 30 euros, trying to bluff. A still called (I should have realized he probably had a small pair by then, but unfortunately...). The river was a 6 of Diamonds. I reluctantly raised 20 euros, and then I made a fatal mistake. I thought A was bluffing, so I called. A was surprised, showed a 4 and a 6, and I lost everything. |
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Post time 2-5-2024 12:23:27