Poker is like a Strip-Tease

After bagging that 1st place finish in the short-handed MTT, I was lucky enough to reach 2 more MTT final tables in the last couple of days. Although everything was just low buy-in with the cashes not exceeding $150, it was still nice scores that padded the bankroll

So now I'm strutting around, boasting to my wife that I've got this MTT game licked. I was licking my chops, just waiting for the chance to play another tourney.

Well, I think the poker gods decided that I was too confident for my own good and fucked me around by making sure I got a calling station in the MTT that I played last night. I raised AQ preflop and pot betted the flop with a Q showing and of course the caller had a gutshot straight draw that got made on the turn.

When he raised all in prior to the river, I knew I was in big trouble but as usual I assumed my poker opponent had rudimentary poker intelligence. Because the board was safe. No flush draw, no pair on the board with a Q showing. The only thing that could beat me was a set which was highly unlikely with his betting pattern. Or a 6-7 for the made straight. I gave him the benefit of the doubt that nobody would be stupid enough to play that hand with a strong pre flop raise and more so with the pot bet on the flop. So I called.

I couldn't be more wrong as he did chase his gutshot straight to the turn with the 6-7.

Arrgh ! ..... when will I learn my lesson? It's low buy-in, you get all sorts of players who think differently than logic would dictate or somebody who just wants to gamble. Read the bets, no matter how unlikely the situation may be. I need to realize that some players will play anything. I would have been low stacked but still in the running if I folded to that all-in.

The thing is, I've doubled up in similar situations lots of times before with the same raise all in play by guys who played KQ, QJ or Q 10. So what to do ?

Strip-teasing our minds. Poker is. Just when you think you've seen it all, that last piece of clothing always hides something unexpected.