Sunday, October 24, 2010

Poker Stars Freeroll: Outdeuced

Only 39,581 people stood in the way of our winning $20,000 tonight, in the Poker Stars.Net "Million Dollar Challenge" freeroll (based on the TV show). And things looked hopeful early....

:10 IN: We have J-8 of spades. A spade flush comes on the river, and we win a $960 pot.

:15 IN: We have K-9 of clubs. The flop is A-Q-10. Players check. The turn is J, and we call a lead player's bet of 400. The river is a 6, and the opponent bets $2,300 with three diamonds showing. We dare to call, and he has nothing! Our stack jumps to $6,735.

:29 IN: We have 7-3 of hearts. The flop is 2-2-A (with one heart, as we recall), and players check. The turn is a 3, giving us two pair. We call a fair-sized bet. The river is a 2, giving us a full house. An opponent bets $1,000. We call, skeptical of a bluff -- but the opponent has a 2, and hit quads! Our stack falls back to the $3,300 range.

:41 IN: Having been outmuscled with rising blinds when good pocket cards missed the flop, we push all-in with J-10 for $896. A player calls with 5-5.

ON THE FLOP: K-4-2

We're losing the race, but have over-cards.

ON THE TURN: 8

So much for straight chances....

ON THE RIVER: 7

The small pair wins the race, and we finish in 17,686th place. Another "top-half" finish, like two weeks ago -- but leaving us wanting more.

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