This week while playing $10/$20 No Limit Hold’em on Carbon Poker, we were in a position to view a classic Bad Beat up close and personal. Names have been changed to protect the miserable.
So, we’ve been grinding away for about two hours, and the table is not soft. But by this stage everyone’s worked out who the maniacs and who the fish are, and things have settled into a mildly competitive session of who can lay the best traps.
Now, on the hand in question, everyone folded out but the blinds. Big Blind raises to $40 rather than checks, and after some thought, Small Blind calls.
The flop comes down 10c-Jc-6h – someone’s potentially holding a flush. Small Blind checks, but Big Blind raises $200. These are big numbers for a $10/$20 game, but not unheard of. Small Blind calls.
The turn brings the Qc – the threat of a flush is now palpable. Small Blind checks. Big Blind raises $200, but Small Blind seems to be feeling confident about something, because he shoves all in. Perhaps he was expecting Big Blind to fold, but instead he called instantly.
There is now close to $11,000 in the pot, and the tension around the table is intense. The players reveal their cards – Small Blind is holding 8c-9c, the natural straight – no wonder he was so confident.
Imagine his horror when Big Blind turned over Kc-Ac. It doesn’t come any more crushing than that.
