How do you win money in poker? You flop the guy the nuts, then suck out on him.

EJ

I’m at the end of an eight hour session. I’m up $150-$200 after spending most of the night down. I tell myself I am going to leave before the blinds get to me. So, I get dealt under-the-gun; my last hand of the night. I look down expecting to fold everything and see pocket 4s. Well, guess I’m playing my last hand; I call.

Four other players call the $3 BB bet, until it gets around to the big blind. He makes it $18 to go. I call, and so do three other players — $90 in the pot.

The flop comes 2, 3, 4, two diamonds. The small blind checks, the big blind checks, I bet $50, the next player folds, the next player calls (and I get an gut reaction that makes me think he is strong), the small blind check raises all-in to $250, the big blind folds.

So, it is me, the small blind, and the guy I think was strong. I’m worried he has A-5 or 5-6, but I’m not gonna fold when I am 40% to boat up against those hands, and am absolutely crushing over pairs or other flopped sets.

He has $400 behind. I shove. He calls. The small blind has 9-10 of diamonds for a non-nutted flush draw. I have top set. Late position has 5-6, no diamond. The turn is a 6. This is terrible for me. Yeah, a 5 gives me a chop, but since he has a 6 in his hand, that is one less out for me to boat up. I wish it was a 7 instead. The river is a miracle 6. Boat.

I pull in a $1,240 pot. I play two more orbits and cash out.