Quote:
Originally Posted by Trex8063
Having asked about interesting B&M stories in the last NC thread, and then reading Tyler's story and BBB's epic tr, I was wanting to share an interesting live pokerz story of my own. But the only live poker experience I have is in a limited number of home games with friends.
Within one of these, however, I saw the worst-played poker hand I've ever seen (live or online); worst play I've ever even heard about (in fact, I challenge anyone to relate a hand played any worse).
This hand illustrates the weird phenomenon of how otherwise intelligent people can be so dumb when it comes to poker. Not sure how this game can be so confusing to some.
Anyway, that story to come on my next NC post.....
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tl;dr version, hope you enjoy....
This story took place about 11 months ago and involves my two oldest and dearest friends in the world: Craig and Sarah. I'd seen Craig for like two days the previous Christmas, hadn't seen Sarah in the flesh for nearly two years (which was the last time all three of us had been together). So we had a reunion in which they came to stay with me and the missus (and the son) for a few days; Craig alone (bachelor), and Sarah with her husband Nick and their toddler son.
At some point in meandering chit-chat and catching up over drinks I brought poker into the conversation because, well.....I like poker. As is sometimes the case with acquaintances who do not play poker, the topic stirs some interest, and Nick (somewhat aggressively competitive type) states "We should play some poker"; nods of approval all around.
I have a mixed emotional response to this development: Part of me is eager to thrash my friends over the felt (I don't actually have a felt table), and revel in their awe at my oh-so-superior poker skillz. Another part of me groans, recalling how annoying it can be to play with people who have no clue, constantly reminding them of the rules and order of play, etc. Not to mention the frustration that occurs when they blunder thru and burn you for a big pot via pure dumb luck. And you, of course, being unable to even explain how stupidly lucky they were because 1) you'll look like a dick, and 2) they won't understand what you're telling them anyway.
I don't feel good taking money from my friends in this way, either, so I as-politically-correct-as-possible suggest we just have a friendly "for fun" game.
The game was 4-handed (my wife declined to play) NLHE, tournament format, semi-deep stacked to start. Though I don't have a decent poker table, I do have a decent set of chips, which we split up evenly.
Before coming to the hand in question, I wish to emphasize that I deeply respect the intelligence of all of my opponents, including the person of interest in the hand that will follow. All three are highly educated (all three lawyers, actually). Craig was a double major in math and computer sci, since obtained a master in math, taught highschool math and coached debate team for few years (including internationally) before coming back to States to go to law school, practiced with BIG LAW in Chicago for 1 year before deciding he didn't like it, and went back to teaching. He's at least borderline genius and mildly eccentric (I think because of it). He'd make a good poker player if I could ever get him interested enough. The other two are of nearly comparable intelligence imo. Anyway......smart people.
Craig is playing the tightest of everyone except me. Being inexperienced he's obv not any good, but hasn't made any dramatic blunders as of yet. Nick is the second loosest pf, and is a bit of an aggro spaz post. I suspect he has some notion that bluffing and unchecked aggression is how you win at NL. He'll almost always bet if checked to ip, he WAY overplays tpwk and similar; has rarely raised on what I'm pretty sure was FOS bluff. At least he's won a few pots uncontested with this style.
Sarah is playing the worst; she's the classic loose-passive fish: is playing nearly atc pf, hasn't yet raised, chases weak draws without odds, has trouble not showing down any pair, etc.
Sarah is seated to my left, Craig to my right, Nick across the table.
Either Nick or Craig is the chip leader at this point (pretty close in stack size); I am third, having been cold-decked so far and mostly just bleeding blinds. Sarah is just slightly lower than me, but it's early so we all have at least 28-30 big blinds left; no one has a dramatic chip lead.
On the hand in question I am in the SB and have once again been dealt utter trash (I remember I got dealt 94o three separate times).
PF: Nick I believe limped in UTG (he may have raised, but I don't think so; did most of his spazzing post-flop, was actually kinda loose, semi-passive pf). Craig folds his BTN, I fold in SB. Sarah checks (or calls in the event that Nick had raised), HU to flop.
FLOP:
9-4-A rb. Sarah checks, Nick puts out a smallish bet (which admittedly could mean nothing), Sarah calls.
TURN: was a 5, and I think brought in a FD. Sarah checks, Nick bets a little over half the pot, Sarah looks at her cards and calls.
RIVER: makes the board
9-4-A-5-T (no flush). Sarah looks at her cards again and checks. Nick goes all-in (and again: he has Sarah covered). Sarah doesn't appear confident, yet only thinks about it for maybe 5 seconds before calling off her stack, and then tables........
63o.....
Around this time I inadvertently turned into a little bit of an a**hole.
I wasn't trying to be mean, or offering friendly jibes, or even pontificating. I just literally couldn't believe it. She CALLED all-in
with a 100% certainty that she will not win the pot. She can chop with 62 or another 63, and loses to absolutely any other potential combo.
I thought maybe she misread and thought she had a straight, but that wasn't the case. Sarah's explanation: "I was bluffing."
I said, "Sarah, you can't
CALL on a bluff. You can only bluff
bet."
Sarah: "I got confused."
She has since asked that I never ever bring this story up again, as she's quite embarrassed by it.
Granted it was for no stakes (but pride), so whatev. But no stakes aside, has anyone seen worse than that?
Two Plus Two
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