Staying Focused
Staying focused in a tournament can sometimes be a difficult chore. I usually have very good concentration and stay attentive to the task at hand. However, sometimes I falter and towards the end of the day. During a recent trip to Atlantic City, I found myself in a $120 tournament at The Tropicana with 88 other hopefuls.
Mid way through the tournament, I had Top Pair-Top Kicker on a Q86 rainbow flop. The guy to my immediate right bets. I would like to find out where I am, so I raise.
He pauses, and says, “One of us is going home”, then he pushes all-in.
I ask the dealer for a count because I want to see his reaction to my possible call. The guy flips over his cards and shows 66 (trips). I say “Good hand”, and muck my cards. He thought that I had called. I think to myself, “Thank you for not being focused.”
As fate would have it, later in that exact same tournament, I was in the BB. The blinds were T1000/T2000 with a T200 ante. I had T19,000 chips with 3 limpers. I peek down at:
I check my option.
Pot: T10,000
flop:
I see a flush draw and check without thinking. My plan is to check-raise all-in. The next guy bets T15,000. Seat 2 seat thinks and thinks. I show my hand to Donna. At that time I realize that I am open-ended on top of the flush draw. Shoot - I wish I had taken my time before I checked. If I had realized that I was open-ended as well as having a flush draw, I would have pushed all-in to begin with. Seat 2 finally goes all-in. The SB folds, and I have to push all my chips in. Seat 8 calls. We have a 3-way all-in.
seat 8 shows:
for the flopped straight.
Seat 2 shows
for 2 pair
I show my open-end straight + flush draw.
Turn:
River:
I lose to a full house. Had I had pushed all-in on the flop, Seat 8 surely would have either called, or even more likely, would have come over the top. Seat 2 might have got away from his 2-pair. I cost my self the pot and my tourney life by not being focused. What goes around, comes around.
If that were not enough, later that night, I was playing in a 2/5 nl cash game at Ballys with a $1000 buy-in. There were 4 players at the table who were very loose and pretty bad. Around 3am, I get involved in this hand:
There are 6 callers to me in the bb. I have:
This is the kind of hand that I like to play in the BB.
Pot: $70
The flop brings:
Wow! I flop the nuts with a backup flush draw and a gutshot straight-flush draw! I check to let somebody else lead out. Seat 8 (bad player) checks. Seat 10 (a good player) then goes all-in for $250. Everybody folds to me and I call. The dealer says, “Flip them up.”
I oblige and seat 10 shows
At that point, I realize that seat 8 (who was a real bad and loose player) was still in the hand. He meekly folds his cards while I realize that he was going to call. If I had paid attention, I would have won another $1000.
Bottom line: You MUST pay attention at all times. If you are tired and are having trouble staying focused, perhaps it is time to walk away from the table for awhile.