The Nuts and the Sickest Beats I've ever Given and Recieved

As I stated in my first blog, I am an avid no limit texas hold 'em player. I play almost entirely on Pokerstars and Full Tilt as Cixelsyd23 and Cixelsyd23f respectively (the f is a typo, it does not mean fantastic, fabulous or any four letter word you can think of!)

Recently I've had some thoughts about terminology in poker and a few small ideas I'd like to see adopted by the entirety of poker society. Since my blog clearly reaches all major poker players, I thought I'd state those ideas here.

First, when I am playing a poker hand online, I frequently am talking through the hand with myself, working out what I have and what I put my opponent on...one day a few months ago I had a common thought...I had a gutshot - a gutshot is an inside straight draw for those not familiar with the terminology...I believe its called a gutshot because usually you hit it right in the middle of the straight - tho I wouldn't be surprised if its also related to the feeling your opponent gets when you hit it! In any event, I had a gutshot draw, but it was to the nuts (the best possible hand) - hence, I had a Nutshot.

I'll let that sink in for a minute.

Now, this second one is a bit more complicated, but in essence its a variation on the same theme. Not as often in holdem, but sometimes in Pot Limit Omaha, you will hit a full house that is less than the best possible full house, such as if you hold

77AK double suited

and the board is

7858 with two spades

you have sevens full of eights, but anyone with an 85 or an 87 in their hand has you beat, and anyone with 88 has you crushed.

If you are sitting there with 87 on this turn however, you have the nut full house - which got me thinking

You have the Nuthouse.

I'll let that sink in for a minute.

Now, I'm not one to tell bad beat stories. I don't think they're good for the game or that they accomplish anything. They usually make the storyteller look like a whiner, and really no one cares, because everyone has bad luck at poker, it's just part of the game.

That said, I took a beat today that was as sick as I ever have before, and I wanted to share it. Amazingly, it did not put me on tilt. Truthfully, I think I was so stunned I could only laugh:

Full Tilt Poker Game #4044297823: $11 + $1 Sit & Go (Turbo) (30734353), Table 1 - 150/300 - No Limit Hold'em - 14:44:48 ET - 2007/11/02
Seat 1: 10-2x2 (1,345)
Seat 3: snaggletooth666 (1,370)
Seat 4: drolocoyote (5,100)
Seat 5: FoBstyle (1,470)
Seat 7: Cixelsyd23f (2,955)
Seat 8: hotsh0t606 (1,260)
10-2x2 posts the small blind of 150
snaggletooth666 posts the big blind of 300
The button is in seat #8
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Cixelsyd23f [Jd Jc]
drolocoyote folds
FoBstyle folds
Cixelsyd23f raises to 2,955, and is all in
hotsh0t606 calls 1,260, and is all in
10-2x2 folds
snaggletooth666 folds
Cixelsyd23f shows [Jd Jc]
hotsh0t606 shows [Jh Js]
Uncalled bet of 1,695 returned to Cixelsyd23f
*** FLOP *** [3h 4h 3c]
*** TURN *** [3h 4h 3c] [2h]
*** RIVER *** [3h 4h 3c 2h] [5h]
Cixelsyd23f shows two pair, Jacks and Threes
hotsh0t606 shows a flush, Jack high
hotsh0t606 wins the pot (2,970) with a flush, Jack high

Pretty sick! There is a 95.65% of a tie and only a 2.17% chance either hand will win. I've seen some sicker things I suppose but never been on the bad end of them (I once got it in with AKo against two other AKos and won the whole pot when I rivered a four flush)...

The sickest beat I ever gave out tho has to be the following:

now here's a dramatic hand!!

PokerStars Game #12568261019: Tournament #63783822, $36+$3 Hold'em No Limit - Level I (10/20) - 2007/10/11 - 15:13:02 (ET)
Table '63783822 1' 6-max Seat #5 is the button
Seat 1: Morain (1340 in chips)
Seat 2: Trouble T (1080 in chips)
Seat 3: Cixelsyd23 (2080 in chips)
Seat 4: pietza (1470 in chips)
Seat 5: Merra (1640 in chips)
Seat 6: Robert1003 (1390 in chips)
Robert1003: posts small blind 10
Morain: posts big blind 20
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Cixelsyd23 [Kc Ks]
Trouble T: folds
Cixelsyd23: raises 60 to 80
pietza: folds
Merra: folds
Robert1003: raises 60 to 140
Morain: folds
Cixelsyd23: raises 280 to 420
Robert1003: raises 280 to 700
Cixelsyd23: raises 1380 to 2080 and is all-in
Robert1003: calls 690 and is all-in
*** FLOP *** [5d Kd 3d]
*** TURN *** [5d Kd 3d] [9d]
*** RIVER *** [5d Kd 3d 9d] [Kh]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Robert1003: shows [Ah Ad] (a flush, Ace high)
Cixelsyd23: shows [Kc Ks] (four of a kind, Kings)
Cixelsyd23 collected 2800 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 2800 | Rake 0
Board [5d Kd 3d 9d Kh]
Seat 1: Morain (big blind) folded before Flop
Seat 2: Trouble T folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 3: Cixelsyd23 showed [Kc Ks] and won (2800) with four of a kind, Kings
Seat 4: pietza folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 5: Merra (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 6: Robert1003 (small blind) showed [Ah Ad] and lost with a flush, Ace high

Talk about drama...I out flop the guy despite being a 4:1 dog after the flop, he turns a flush which leaves me with precisely ONE out which I hit on the river.

Crazy.

Poker is fun.

Rob