Learn Texas Holdem

Nut straight on Flop... Loser!!

This is a recount of what happened a few weeks ago during a reoccurring, $40 buy-in, NL hold'em home game that I had the unfortunate pleasure of hosting.

Before getting to the story, I have to mention that the competition in this home game is relatively weak. Besides myself (and I am not bragging... I still have a lot to learn), the other players on the table lack experience and tend to focus on their hand only rather than the big picture and mainly for this reason, I usually walk away the winner.

On this night, however, that inexperience ended up biting me in the rear. I am sitting in the little blind and at this point, the game was eight handed. Everyone folded to the dealer button, who called the big blind. With the action to me, I look down and I see 7-6offsuit which is not my favorite hand but since nobody raised, I figured I'd pay the three dollars to complete my bet and see the flop as long as the big blind doesn't raise. The big blind declines the option and three of us see a cheap flop.

The flop comes 9h-8c-5c... SWEET!!! I flopped the nuts!! I figured the best way to play it would be to check and hope that someone drawing to a flush would try to steal a small pot with a big bet. I check and the the big blind makes it $12 to go. Just as I am thinking I got him right where I want him, the button comes over the top and makes the bet $24. At this point I figure it is way too risky to let these two see a cheap turn so I push all-in (about $54 total). To my amazement, both of them call without hesitation.

I figured that a one of the two were holding two clubs and were about to get a backdoor flush. Just before I turn my hand over I said "I had the best hand... for now, nut-straight." They both look at me in amazement as they turn over 9-5 and 9-8 respectively. "Are you kidding me..." I thought, "how could these guys call all-in thinking two pair would be any good? they only have 3 outs each!!"

The turn brings a blank and at this time I was going over all the hands that could've beat those two-pair, the hand I had(7-6)was a winner, a set of 9's, 8's, or 5's would beat them, as well as a 7c-6c, which would be the best possible hand scenario, or even a club draw would be preferable to what they had. So what hits on the river? You guessed it... a miracle 5 giving the big blind 5's full of 9's. WOW, that was a bad beat!!.