In order to win in Poker, you’ve got to be willing to lose

A good start and then the flushes arrived...

I’m currently finding myself in one of those dilemmas after a losing session after getting outdrawn on the river by literally countless flushes.  It seems flushes are what January on the card tables is all about!  It’s my own fault really as last night I found a good game which I know I could have easily beaten and yet I went to bed instead.  Rule number one; when you find a good table and feel confident on it then stay on it!  You feel the difference when the better players enter.

So during this quick early morning session I went ahead and lost around $20s and yet watching the players at these levels, I KNOW, I can beat them so it is a bit frustrating.  I know it so much that I feel it in my own blood and leaves me thinking that I should pour all of my money into this game! (I won’t of course, but I will top up.)

Let’s take my first hand of the session for example.  I’m in the big blind with AK suited and get raised by the big blind, so I’m left thinking, okay I’ll re-raise obviously!  He re raises me and I go all in, confidently.  What does he flip over?  Pocket aces.  Fantastic.

Later on, on the same table, I hold AK again but this time unsuited.  However as I’m in a good position I decide to re raise a standard pre flop raise to my right to a dollar twenty cents which is called.  The flop comes J 💎 K ♠️ 8 ♥️.  He checks.  I raise and he calls.  The turn comes a K of ♦️Giving me three kings with an A kicker.  Strong hand right?  He checks again and I raise again, about one big bet.  He calls.  The river comes a Q and for some reason in my head I go ‘uhoh.’  He goes all in and I call.  What does he turn over? Yes you got it - KQ, the hand I feared, but at this point I couldn’t fold to his all in on the river, no chance.  What a suck out!

So I’m disappointed to lose in this way, after regaining some of my balance after the AA cooler, but I’ll still keep playing my way for good reasons.  One it is rare for someone to be holding aces when you hold a monster like AK suited in the big blind with just two players in.  Anyone know the percentage?  Secondly, the player with KQ had effectively 3 Queens to win (discounting the board pairing and making us both a full house to draw) so he was extremely lucky to have won and I’m happy how I played the hand.  Sometimes these kind of sessions happen in poker.  

These are the kinds of hands players were going all in with!  This gives me a lot of confidence...

I’ve got to be careful though - I’ve got a busy week non poker related and mustn’t let my focus on my life get lost.  At the same time when I do play, if I am too scared to play with my excellent hands due to a couple of losses like this I’ll never win: in order to win at poker you’ve got to be willing to lose as well.

Thanks for reading!  Enjoy your poker and gambling time.

Maroonfish.