What did I get myself into?

This was a fun hand, although I made so many mistakes that I’m almost embarrassed to write about it.  I ended up getting lucky; however, it could have easily been cost me 5 small bets and 2 big bets.

I’m at a 3/6 table with familiar faces; I had bought in for $200, and while I hadn’t won any big pots I wasn’t behind, either.  The table overall was pretty tame, very pleasant conversations.  Nobody at the table seems to be on a big heater or anything – basically typical for mid-day poker at The Caribbean.  (The drama tends to start in the evening when more people are drinking.)

I’m in one of the middle position seats, and look down at KsQs.  I intend to raise; however, one of the early position players raises before me.  KQ suited is one of the very few hands I’ll cold call a raise with, but in this situation I don’t really have position – somebody could reraise with a better hand after me, so if I do call I’m taking a risk.  If somebody reraises, making it 3 bets after me I’m certainly dominated if not way behind.  I would need a miracle flop for this hand to work.  Also, to get enough value out of this scenario I really want there to be at least 4-5 people in the hand.  Against a legitimate raise, KQ suited doesn’t win often enough, so I certainly don’t want to play this heads-up or even 3 ways, but if 4-5 or more people see the flop, then there’s enough value in the pot to make up for the times this hand loses, if I do win.

I figure that if I call, it might encourage others to call after me; there is one player already reaching for chips and a few others who seem to be contemplating a call.  So I decide (incorrectly) to call.  This table is too tame to get involved in situations like this; I should have known that but my suspicion is confirmed as people start folding after me – all the way around to a late position player who, to my horror, reraises.  Ugh.

Both the early position (we’ll call him A) and late position player (we’ll call him B) are great players, and I’m not sure I want to get involved in this hand.  Truth be known, if A had folded at this point I would have given up too.  But that’s a lot to expect when you’ve already invested two bets and it’s one more to see the flop.  A calls and so do I.

The flop comes 7s 2h 6d.

A bets and I figure the board isn’t that coordinated – there’s a straight draw possible, but against two preflop aggressors I’m not giving that a lot of value.  I make the 2nd mistake in this hand, and decide to call with two overcards (maybe 2 outs – I don’t count them as full outs as I might be way behind) and a backdoor flush draw (maybe another 2 outs).  I can only really justify 4 outs and there’s a very good possibility that I’m behind something like AA, KK, QQ, AK, AQ if I actually do spike a King or a Queen on the turn or river.  Plus, I haven’t yet seen B act, and he may decide to reraise, putting me in a very tough situation.  Let’s see – at this time there are 10 small bets – so I’m getting 10:1, not really enough for 4 outs.

Since I seem to have an unconscious need for torture, I decide to call.  B – not really a big surprise, decides to raise.  He’s in late position with a hand good enough to 3-bet preflop, so it makes sense for him to raise.  In fact, if I were A I would have considered the idea of checking – hoping that either I or B would bet so I could raise.  At any rate, after B raises, A sighs and calls.  I call.  I know, another mistake.  :)

The turn is the 6s.  I now have a flush draw, so my outs have increased.  I can’t really count a full 9 outs to a flush because it’s a King high flush – it’s entirely possible for someone to have an Ace high flush draw, although in this situation I’m fairly certain that’s not the case.  At any rate I feel like the poker Gods have given me a safety net, as if to reward my spew.  :)

A checks, I check, and B bets.  This is about the time I start to think about B a little more.  I’m pretty certain that A has something good, but B is also a good player, and is one off the button.  What are the odds he’s using position to try and take control of the pot, and get us to fold?  A seems to dislike his situation, as he sighed heavily calling B’s raise on the flop.  He checked the turn.  I’ve seen B in situations like this before.

As it turns out, A folds after B bets on the turn.  I now have a flush draw, so I can’t fold – I only need 4:1 and I’m getting 6:1, so folding would certainly be the wrong move now.  I may have made a lot of mistakes preflop and on the flop, but the right decision now is to see the river.  I decide that if the river misses me, I’m going to call just to see if B is really bluffing.  It’s risky – I’ll have nothing better than K high.  I figure the pot is big enough to pay an additional $6 – if only to find out if my instincts about B are correct.

The river doesn’t help me – it’s the 9h.

I check, B bets, and I call.  B says, “Nice call.”  He turns over QJ offsuit, and I show my KQ suited.  He is justifiably surprised – I should not have been in the hand.  A says “You mean I had the best hand all along?”

Okay so I happened to get lucky and won the pot – but wow, I really got myself into trouble…  :)