Instinct (Hibachi)

I get a ton of flack about playing poker. I get it everywhere--my parents, my girlfriend, my friends. They all tell me that poker is nothing more than just playing cards, occasionally getting lucky, but more often than not it's a losing proposition. Maybe they're right. Maybe it is all about luck. I saw a kid tonight put $20 in the pot prior to the flop with pocket 3s against pocket queens and win, defying his 4-1 underdog status. Sure, I'm not denying that luck makes up a big part of this game. Just look at poker on television sometimes. There's a hand I love (couldn't find it on the web) where professional poker player Sammy Farha loses with nines over sixes to an amateur's quad sixes. Luck. Good TV.

To me, however, the measure of a good player has nothing to do with the cards that he or she is dealt. The measure of a good player is how they perform in marginal situations.

This is my hand of the week:

I'm dealt 10-6 off suit in first position, and, feeling frisky, I raise to 3. Much to my dismay, I get four callers.

The flop comes 8 of spades, 8 of clubs, 6 of clubs. The two blinds check to me. I bet $4.50. The player to my left folds. Then, out of nowhere Brad, a solid but tricky player at times, raises, making it ten more to go.

One thing to know about Brad before I go any further is that he sees a ton of flops. He could literally have anything. If he has an eight, I'm crushed obviously. He could also have a higher pair to the board, which I could definitely see him smooth calling with on the flop with two callers in front of him. Straight and flush draws are also possibilities because he likes to play suited connectors. In short, he's beating me with almost anything.

However, I felt like he was drawing, so I called.

The next card is a five of spades. Now not only is there a possible straight exposed, but now I'm contending with TWO flush draws WITHOUT even ruling out an over pair OR an 8. I didn't even mention that he could also have a six with a better kicker.

He says the dreaded two words. "All-in."

He has me covered. He has now forced me to make a decision for the rest of my chips, in this case $20. I have to fold, because realistically what can I beat?

Except... a draw.

"I call."

The goal in poker is to put your chips in with the best of it. I didn't figure that I had the best of it; I knew. What I didn't know was that he had A-7 of clubs, meaning he had almost half the deck to beat me with, but win or lose I wanted to call to prove that I was ahead.

Of course I won the pot. In the long run the person who makes the most correct decisions at the table wins the most of them.

For the year: 10 sessions, +503.75