I’m not an active fan of playing your gut, hunches, instinct, “feelings,” etc. But sometimes when I don’t listen to my gut and it cost me a really big hand, I have wonder if I’m making a mistake. Annette certain listens to her gut and she’s one hell of a player.
Here’s the story: I’m playing the Bodog Poker Blogger Tournament and doing quite well (chip leader) until returning from the second break. I’m lose a couple of hands and I’m starting to dip into average stack territory. I pick up A
8 on the button.
Everyone folds to the CO+1, who raises all-in. CO re-raises enough to pot commit him but clearly he wanted a heads up situation.
So… I’m an idiot if I don’t think that I’m a major dog here. This tournament is fairly tight and frankly, full of pretty good players (guess these bloggers really know what they’re writing about, eh? LOL). I’m a dog. I know it! But, I can’t shake the feeling that I should play this hand. My gut is just telling me to play it.
After about 10 seconds though, I fold and decide to wait for a better hand to gain my chip stack back.
They flip them up. One has AA and one has QQ. But, you guessed it. The way the hand went, I would hit the nut flush and probably moved back up to chip leader.
It would have been the wrong move at the right time, as they say. If I would have listened to my gut.
Pro poker players get to a point where they can start breaking the rules. I’m wondering if I’m getting to that point?
Later, I bust with TT when someone moves in with JJ. I finished in 18th place out of 53. Still alive (and in the money out of 806) in my other tournament though (yes, I was playing two tournaments at the same time).
If any of the bloggers I played with are reading this, please let me know and give me the address of your blog in the comments. Thanks!
3 responses so far ↓
Kevin // Mar 10, 2008 at 2:40 pm
You did the right thing. Forget the results or what “would” have happened. You knew you were way behind and made a good lay down. IMO: playing your gut is more about feeling what the right action is (and taking action) based on the information you’ve processed in a particular hand. For example, in a tourney I once called an opponents all in INSTANTLY with ace high, because his previous plays led me to believe he had been floating my bets with a draw or nada. I checked the river thinking “if he bets 1/2-2/3 as a value bet I’m going to have a hard time calling”. As soon as he pushed, I called. I felt like he was making a one last desperation move at the pot. And I took it down.
David // Mar 10, 2008 at 3:15 pm
You’re right of course… always feels bad when you watch a hand that you folded (but really wanted to play) hit in your favor. But, as (I believe) Harrington says, “F results.” Making the right play is making the right play… after that “f results.”
Melville // Apr 10, 2008 at 8:30 am
I guess, Kevin is right here. The gut feeling isn’t really for looking in the future but more for reading your opponents.
But I really only guess. What do I know?
PS: David, are you playing 200NL cash games at bodog with the screen name ThePenguin?
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