Beware of the slow player!

[pokerloser10056]

I hosted a home game a couple of days ago. It is a friendly home game-mainly friends gathering around for a good poker game. The player field consisted of 21 players of all levels. Most are average players with one or two below average and two or three who are above average players. I view myself as an average player but after the hand that took me out of the tourney, I think below average is a better description.

Were at the 5th level of the tourney which is 400/800 and a 50 ante. To this point I have had about four hands that I was able to play-two low pocket pairs, AQ and AJs. I stole the blinds once and am down about a 1000. I am in the big blind, two or three players limp around to me. My hole cards were AK (can’t remember if they were suited or not). I raise to 1600 in hopes of a call or at least picking up the limpers’ bets. Every one folds except the guy in mid position. The flop comes rainbow 6 2 8. I totally miffed the flop so I reluctantly check. They guy across from me thus far has been an above average player. He looks at me and says, “Check”. This is good I think. Turn comes 2, still no help. I again check and the other guy sighs and says, “Yep I have to check too.” At this point I am putting him on AQ-A10 and maybe he has the AK like I do. River comes A. I raise 1000 and he goes all in. I remember thinking I hope he’s not holding a 2, but dismissed this as nonsense and proceed to call him thinking I had his A beat with my higher kicker. I flip over the AK and he shows pocket sixes giving him the FB. I turn red in the face, shake the guys’ hand, and congratulate him on totally duping me and making me look like an idiot. I guess the only good thing about this scenario is that it taught me a few lessons-don’t chase-don’t go all in with TPTK when you only have a few reads on a guy and the ones you do have say he is a good player. And don’t check the turn, if I would have raised he probably would have re-raised making my lay down easy.