It was a struggle Friday night at the $6/$12 table: no real variation in my stack. I’d go up a bit, I’d go down some. I’d go up a bit, I’d go down some. I kept thinking that patient, solid play would put me on an upward trend and I could leave with a profit.
Then the Ultra Calling Station arrived, a scene of cheery disposition, heavy makup, and long–and I do mean long–heavily painted nails. The person next to me commented that she called everything, and was he right. Two hands that I think I played well led to utter suckouts that devastated my stack.
The first was when I had pocket kings. It was already raised to me and I re-raised, and, as is common in many $6/$12 games here, it was capped. I got a dream flop for my hand: AK rag, all offsuit. It was bet to me and I raised. It was re-raised and I capped. Our Ultra Calling Station simply called every bet and raise.
The turn brought a 3 and the river a 5, at which point the Ultra Calling Station bet out. I raised and she re-raised. I sat and thought, the question in my mind: Did she make a straight? I was nearly certain that this was so, and yet it was a monster pot, easily 15-20 big bets, and it was one big bet to call the raise. So I called.
Sure enough, she turned over her 2-4 offsuit for the straight. She had called a capped pot preflop with an unsuited one-gap connector and a capped pot post-flop with nothing but a backdoor double gutshot straight draw. And made the hand.
OK, I said to myself, keep calm, play steady, you want this player in the game. I was still planning to play for at least a couple more hours and figured thatI could make it back.
Alas, it was not to be. My cards were…OK, but nothing to really make a run with. I was back to the up some, down some syndrome. I was down some after awhile and decided that I’d played long enough and when the blinds came around, I’d go home.
Just before they did, I found myself with pocket aces. Naturally, I raised, and go several callers. The flop came rainbow rags, yet it was bet into. I raised, and got a few callers (no re-raises), including our Ultra Calling Station.
The turn looked harmless and I continued to push the betting. A beautiful card came on the river, a third ace. I bet and out Ultra Calling Station woke up and raised. Sadly, I was down to my last 2 chips and called.
She had the same hand: 2-4 offsuit. The ace on the river made her runner-runner gutshot draw once again. Against my set once again.
I just stood up and walked briskly out of the club, shaking my head in disbelief.