Not my week…

What’s that saying?  When it rains, it pours.  This seems fairly accurate in the case of poker fortune, and, I’m afraid, I’m in the midst of a mini-downpour.  I say mini, as my inability to make a winning hand has only stretched back to the beginning of the week.  That said, the frustration at losing every pot has been quite stressful, and totally unrelenting.

So, rather than waste my time driving to the brick and mortar card-room, and waste my energy putting on pants, I decided to play some online poker this afternoon, knowing full well I was still on a significant cold streak.  The only way to get out of these bad runs, I figure, is to play through them!  And really, the only online poker where I feel I have a significant edge over my opponent is in a heads-up match.  So that’s what I played!

I won’t bore you with the monotonous details of the battle, but needless to say, it unfolded predictably.  My opponent raised every hand, and I had to fold my K-2, and 9-3.  Even when I attempted a steal play with my Q-7, he’d re-raise me all-in.  So, patience was the name of the game, since, like many online heads-up players, my opponent doesn’t know how to fold.  I need to pick up a hand, make a raise or re-raise, but not an all-in.  I need to give him the ability to make the last raise, so he feels he’s still in control, and then I can call him with the nuts.

We continue until he has roughly a 2-1 chip advantage, and I pick up K-K.  He raises on the button, like he always does, and I re-raise roughly a fourth of my stack.  He, as predicted, pushes all-in, and shows a real hand for once, with 10-10.  The screenshot tells the tale, I’m afraid, and he flopped quads to win the match.

Sigh…

Jacob "Jaymind" Westlin is a semi-professional limit hold'em player with a strong, sarcastic wit. Jaymind also frequently contributes to Minnesota Poker Magazine's monthly publication. Email Jaymind at jayjay083@hotmail.com