Thanks to tribefan9 (no, he doesn't post anymore but some people know who he is), I've learned a terrific new term: The A$$hole Card. Evidently it originated in Chicago, but I think we should spread it, for if nothing else it will shorten the length of bad beat stories.

The a$$hole card is the one card in the deck that can come to cost you the maximum. Maybe you're currently ahead, hit a card to improve your hand, but it gives someone else the nuts and you lose the max. Or maybe you're behind, you hit your hand, but it hits someone else's hand harder and you lose the max. There are all kinds of ways to suffer the fate of the a$$hole card, and for some reason I've seen almost all of them over the past few weeks. Hopefully this thread, like the "hand where you ruin someone's life" thread can flourish for months and months to come. So please, post that special hand you just played where the a$$hole card bent you over backwards.

Some examples from my recent sessions:

Your typical ass hole card happens like so. I open A8 in the hijack and the button cold-calls me with JT. The flop comes KQ8. I bet, he calls. What's the ass hole card? You guessed it -- an Ace! Boom right on the turn. I bet, he raises, I call down. No other card in the deck costs me 3 big bets.

Here's a fun one. I open UTG with KQ. One guy cold-calls, another guy cold-calls OTB with the Q9, and the SB calls with the Q9. The flop comes down A95. OK, easy flop for me to get away from. I check intending to fold. It checks around. What's the ass hole card? That's right, the Q. One outer. I'm 42:1 against seeing it hit the turn, but once it does, boom. I lose two BBs. Coulda come a brick and I just fold. Coulda come a K and I win. But no, it comes the a**hole card.

Sometimes the a$$hole card is really creative and you don't even see it. Some LAG opens. You 3-bet TT in MP. The SB decides to take 2.5 to the face. The flop comes J82r. You bet, SB calls, LAG folds. Turn T! Huzzah! Except he has 97s and you lose many chips.

Tonight I also saw the a**hole flop in a 3-way pot. Of course I was involved. UTG open-limps with the Q9s. Folded to me in the SB and I complete Q8o. Passive BB knuckles 97o. What's the a$$hole flop? Q97. Not as bad for me as for the 97, but I bet, BB raises, UTG 3-bets, I fold, and BB calls down.

Just once I'd rather just miss my flush. But no, I open AK and get cold-called by 55. The flop is J22. What's the a**hole card? That's right, it's the 5. Now I get to lose at least 3 more BBs.

Or how about this? Say you open KQ and get cold-called by the A9. The flop obliges you with the delicious K73. How can you lose this hand? You're gold! But no, alas, thanks to the ass hole card, which of course is another diamond, you lose the max. He can't hit his ace, because then you don't go nuts. But no, you improve to the second nuts and get raped.

The ass hole card isn't just a bad beat; it's not just getting cold-decked. It's that one card -- often literally one specific card -- that makes sure you not only lose the pot, but lose as many bets as possible. My 2008 has been one a$$hole card after another.

Let's hear yours...

Full Tilt Poker $8/$16 Limit Hold'em - 2 players
The Official 2+2 Hand Converter Powered By DeucesCracked.com

Pre Flop: (1.5 SB) Hero is BB with 9 3
stranqe raises, Hero calls

Flop: (4 SB) 6 9 4 (2 players)
Hero checks, stranqe bets, Hero raises, stranqe calls

Turn: (4 BB) J (2 players)
Hero bets, stranqe raises, Hero calls

River: (8 BB) 9 (2 players)
Hero checks, stranqe bets, Hero raises, stranqe 3-bets, Hero calls

Final Pot: 14 BB
Hero mucks 9 3
stranqe shows 9 4 (a full house, Nines full of Fours)
stranqe wins 13.969 BB
(Rake: $0.50)

Funny you should mention that. I was involved in almost the same hand just the other day. Fortunately only lost 2 BB as there was a third person in the hand. We turned a flush and the other guy filled up on the river. So, the turn went hero bets - call - call!! (Love to play against donkeys). River -- hero bets - raise - call 2 - (hero) bye-bye.

i love this new thread... this hand is a week ago or so...

utg is lag and bumps it, 6 of us including my 7c9c bb see flop

flop: Td 8c 2c, i c/r/4whack the flop and get back capped - nobody folds

turn: Js, i b/3b/5b drawing stone dead against KcQc and Qs9s, and some wanker with 22

Online, 6 max. I ride the tricycle on the button with JJ, BB and open raiser both call.

Flop is A-5-5. I bet and am called twice.

Turn is a J.

Long story short, BB made expert slow play with AA. Open raiser had J5s (which is special in its own right).

What do you call an A**hole card that ruins two people's lives, the c*nt card?

Last night i'm in the BB with 87. 4 limpers and i check.

Flop 567r:
i C/R all call

Turn 7:
I bet 2 callers

River 9:
I bet call, raise.

Of course the guy has T8o. A**hole card. i love the term.

In this hand Villain gets the A$$hole Card.

Hero on Button w/ QhJh. Villain has AhQs.

Flop: AcKhTh
Villain bets, ..., Hero calls.

Turn: 4h
Villian bets, Hero raises, Villain calls

River: 9h
Villain bets, Hero raises, Villain 3-bets, Hero 4-bets, Villain thinks for 30sec, then calls

Just calling the flop... you could also put this in the "ruined your own life" thread.

But yes -- very rough A-hole card for villain.

I got exact details wrong. I would have raised the flop with a straight. Turn/River is action I remember. This occurred about six months ago.

Both of these were CO/Button vs. Blinds

First one...

I open AT from the CO, SB folds, BB 3 bets.

Flop is TT5

BB bets, I raise, BB calls.

Turn 2

BB checks, I bet, BB c/r, I 3-bet, BB calls.

River A

BB checks, I bet, BB c/r's, I think... and call.

BB shows AA.

2nd one...

Button raises, I 3-bet AJs, Button calls.

Flop is JJ6

I bet, button calls.

Turn A

I bet, button raises, I 3 bet, button calls.

River 3

I bet, button raises again, I think and just call again and get shown AA again.

Mike, Jeff and Randy from Chi-Town get credit for coining this term...

It's more of a specific card and it usually has to come on the river... It's like pocket AA and the board is TJQ turn 2 and river A. Your opponent has KK

Here is my contribution, from the final table of the 10k limit event this summer. I am the shortest stack.

Guy who wins the thing opens in MP, I call in BB with AQ.

Flop is KT5r I think I check/call. Turn pairs the Ten, we both check.

River is an Ace and I checkraise, he tanks and calls me with QJ. This ace was the ******* card because 1) I can only lose this pot if a 9 or ace hits, 2) the ace is the only card he gets 2 BB from. I am crippled and bust next orbit.

mitchman -- in your AA vs KK hand, I think the QJTx river A isn't that much of an a$$hole card because the straight is easy to see and you slow down. It's not like you come alive when you river the set on a 4-Broadway board.

I think more appropriate would be QJTT river K.

EDIT: DD, I was thinking of that exact hand you played at the WSOP when I made this thread, because I knew there needed to be a term for that card when you wrote a post back in June about how "it's the only card in the deck that makes me both lose the pot and an extra 2 bets."

a hand in which i spew:

the shoe in tunica

limpers to me, i check the blind with A8o.

Flop: J85r

check, i bet, one call, sb c/r, i call, limper calls.

Turn: 8

sb leads, i raise, limper folds, sb 3bet, i call.

River: x

sb checks, i bet, sb c/r me like a freakin expert, i call like the fish i am. sb shows 55. i look the fool, good thing i'm heavily sedated. i lose 4bb after the a$$hole card hits. i doubt i call, much less raise, many other turns.

The dreaded turn and river combo, wherein you make the temporary nuts on the turn and lose on the river:

A bunch of limpers, small blind calls, I knuckle with T-9o in the BB. Flop comes 9-8-7 with one spade. Small blind bets, I raise, one cold-callers, sb calls. Turn is the jack of spades. Small blind checks, I bet, cold-caller folds, small blind calls. River a 3rd spade. Small blind checks, I bet, small blind calls, I proudly show my straight, and he turns over Qs-2s for the rivered flush. I particularly like this one because the winner bet his Q-9-8-7-2 and check-called his flush.

NL game and I overlimp couple of limpers with 44, 6 to AQJ flop and it's checked around. Turn is a 4 and a lose a huge pot to KT...

this is another tendency i see all the time people love to spew chips when they dont have anything then slowdown when they actually make a hand

Last night Comm 20, Drunken Asian Mike opens UTG with 65hh, claims he has 22 and is 3-bet by a laggy CO with AQhh. Mike Calls.

Flop: Ks 7h 3h....4 bets go in....at this point I put Mike squarely on 33

Turn: 8h... 5 bets go in

River: 4h.... 6 bets....AQhh is all-in and would still be raising right now if he had the money.

Posted for record action and the evil genius that is Drunken Mike.

guy posts utg+1 and checks his option, HJ limps, CO limps, i check Qs3s in the bb

flop is 9s7s2d
i check, utg+1 bets, HJ calls, CO calls, i call

turn Qh
i check, utg+1 bets, HJ folds, CO calls, i c/r, utg+1 3-bets, CO calls, i call

river 4s
i bet, utg+1 calls, CO raises, i call, utg+1 calls

CO shows his As6s, i muck, utg+1 shows his 22 to try to get sympathy from the table. a**hole carded on both the turn and river

Meh, just to be nitty -- not really an a**hole card because although it killed AQ's hand, he already had the nuts on the turn. The river didn't improve his hand; in fact it deteriorated it because now he only has the second nuts.

20/40 Borgata...

Folds to me in the cutoff and I raise T9dd.. SB is unknown villain who calls as does BB.

Flop comes 9 7 3. Checked to me I bet, they both call.

Turn is the 6 . Checked to me I bet, only SB calls.

River is the 8. Villain donks, I raise, he 3-bets... I cry-call to see his JTos.. nice ******* river card costing me a few extra BBs..

100/200 live game.

Villian open raises, I 3-bet w/ AJs and get 4-bet by original raiser. heads up. Of course he has AA.

A$$hole card #1 is the Ace that comes on the flop. Why flop an ace? There's only one left, and if I don't flop a pair I get away cheap.

Flop: A 3 6r,

He bets, I raise, he 3-bets, I call.

A$$hole card #2 is the jack on the turn. Just cruel.

Turn: J

He bets, I raise, He 3-bets, I call.

River: deuce of purple horseshoes.

He bets, I cry and call.

=========

Also is there such a thing as an A$$hole flop?

100/200 4-handed aggro live game.

CO opens , I 3-bet from the SB w/ 88, BB calls , CO calls. 3 handed.

Flop: 899

I lead/3-bet after CO raises. Still 3 ways.

Turn: 7

It gets capped still 3 ways with CO and I driving the action.

River: 6

I lead, BB calls, CO raises, I call, now BB back raises ( he had been calling the whole way, never raising). CO calls, I call.

CO: 97
BB: 98
me: third place

Lovely. Flop a boat and put in about 1700 drawing dead. Then I get to hear from the BB about how pleased he is with himself for making the expert slowplay and trapping both of us. Ugh.

Playing 20/40 open QQ utg and both blind blinds call A58r they both call turn Q and I put in 8 bets in the heat of it against spewy sb only to be stopped by the dealer and realize to myself "WTF did I just do?" only put on bet on the river though and low and behold the three one's.