Flopping Quad Aces Is Usually Fun

Been kind of a light week as far as playing goes. Did manage to participate -- for a while -- in LeCheese Challenge II, to which I received a late invite. (Thanks again, man!) Held steady for the first few levels of the “HA” tourney (half-Hold ’em, half-PLO), then made a spectacularly donkalicious play in a Hold ’em hand that proved my suspicion going in that I was dead money.

The comedy of errors continued when I moved over to Bodog afterwards and accidentally sat down at a PLO/8 table, $25 max. (I’d thought it was high only.) Barely escaped a horrific first hand where I called a preflop raise with K-K-x-x. I stayed for a while, mostly folding, when I had a fairly memorable event occur.

Was in middle position where I’d picked up . I know A-A-x-x unsuited ain’t the cat’s pajamas in PLO high only, and even less so in PLO/8. I can only go high here, and even there I’m shaky. So I limp in, as do about five other players. Then the flop comes out a mesmerizing .

Whoa. But will I get any action? It checks to me and I check to let someone else build a hand. Here comes the turn:

Okay. Perhaps we’re gonna get some business. “Wouldn’t it be lovely if someone made quad queens here?” I think to myself. Let’s see. Everyone in the hand looks to be about $25 deep.

The potential is there, at least, for some sort of score . . . .

I watch as an early position player takes a moment to decide what to do. Hmm. He’s taking a pretty long time . . . . Maybe he does have the queens! No, wait. He’s timed out. Hang on a sec. What the hell . . . ?

To my horror, I see this little sucker pop up:

No! NO!!! No.

Patience, Shamus. Patience . . . . Ah, crap.

This is not good. Sat there long enough to take a couple of screen shots.

I time out and am treated all-in. Next I see, everyone had checked it down and I took the $1.50 pot.

“Lord,” I typed after having resumed my connection. Unlike certain WSOP champs, publicly-made allusions to some theoretical governor of human destiny only occur to me in highly absurd moments like this one. Got one “lol” in response.

Given that others checked it down, I actually don’t think I missed out on any extra cabbage there. Still, flopping quad aces and then losing your connection ain’t the most pleasant of experiences.

Stuck around a little longer, went over and goofed around for a few hands of 5-card stud, then logged off.

Am starting to develop a real aversion to tourneys, I fear. Can’t remember the last time I felt good about how I played one. Haven’t even tried any of those Silver Star tourneys for which I’m eligible this month. Seem to find much more comfort -- and profit -- at the ring games.

So while I’ll probably be staying at the cash tables, lemme go ahead and promote this here PLO tourney (which I may or may not coax myself into playing tomorrow) as I bid you all a happy weekend: