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Chance's All Too True Texas Hold 'em Poker Stories

Too Smart

Late one night I was in the three-seat in a Texas Hold 'em Poker game and on my right in the two-seat was a well known and very popular player in that poker room. He was a likeable gentleman, a pleasant conversationalist and a good solid player. I had not met the man before and it was a genuine pleasure to make his acquaintance at the poker table. As it turned out, it was a memorable night of hold 'em poker for me.

I had been playing since about 7:00 in the evening and it was roughly 2:00am. I had won about a hundred dollars and I hoped to win another pot before going home. I was dealt pocket jacks in the small blind. Everybody called on the first round. I raised and everybody called my raise.

The flop was a jack and two nines. I had flopped a big hand, a full house, jacks over nines. I checked. The guy in the eight-seat bet and Mr. Button on my right raised. I cold called the raise and Mr. Eight-seat called. Everybody else folded. I suspected that Mr. Button had a nine in the hole.

The turn card was a blank rag and I bet. The eight-seat called and Mr. Button raised. It was obvious. Mr. Button had a nine in the hole. A gorilla playing hold 'em poker for bananas would put him on a nine in the hole. I'm sure the bartender was telling his customers that Mr. Button had a nine in the hole. Even the cocktail waitress seemed to know that he had a nine in the hole.

He had a nine in the hole!

I called Mr. Nine-In-The-Hole's raise and the eight-seat called. I liked the action. I had a full house, jacks over nines, and Mr. Trip-Nines-On-The-Button had raised it for me.

They call it the river because that's what you'll be up if the wrong card comes. The dealer turned up exactly the wrong river card. It was another nine! There were three nines on the board and Mr. Button had a nine in the hole. My full house, jacks over nines, had just lost to four nines.

I checked. Mr. Eight-Seat bet and Mr. Four-Nines-On-The-Button raised. Of course, he raised. Everybody knew he had a nine in the hole. Everybody except the guy in the eight seat and we weren't telling him.

The great masters of Texas Hold 'em Poker have stated in their great books that sometimes we have to fold a big hand when we know we're beat. I had a big hand and I knew I was beat. I was born at night, but not last night and I was too good a poker player to cold call with a hand that was clearly second best. I was playing great hold 'em poker. I folded my full house, jacks over nines. The masters would have been proud. I was playing world class Texas Hold 'em Poker!

The guy in the eight seat called and Mr. Four-Nines-On-The-Button showed his hand. I glanced at his hole cards just to see the nine that I knew was there.

It wasn't there!

Mr. Button had pocket eights. He had a full house, nines over eights. The guy in the eight seat showed his hand and he had pocket sixes. He had a full house, too, nines over sixes. I had just folded the best hand, a full house, jacks over nines.

I was stunned into a state of hallucinatory shock. I was having visions of a gorilla peeling a banana and pretending not to notice, but thinking, "Chance should have called. What a player."

I'm sure the bartender was telling his customers in a low voice, "Chance should have called. What a player."

Even the cocktail waitress stopped smiling and seemed to be thinking, "Chance should have called. What a player."

I should have called! What a player!

There were words ringing in my ears at that moment and those words still come back to me from time to time like a warning siren whenever I begin to think that I completely understand the game. Let me share those pearls of wisdom with you.

"It doesn't pay to be too damned smart in Texas Hold 'em Poker!"