Get your undies out of a bunch

We all take bad beats along the way. It is not unusual to read about how someone made a bad play and got lucky to knock you out of a tournament, or cripple you. We can bitch about the donkey catching his two outer or hitting runner runner flush. But is it right to critique them on their own blog?

I don't think so. Especially when you have never met the person, even read their blog or have a clue they exist.

Seems bayne was on serious tilt after I wielded the mighty Hammer on him in CC's tourney Thursday night. He felt the need to insult my play on his blog and twice on my own comments. His original thought was "May I be 1st to suggest you would be better off spending your poker dollars with the purchase of lottery tickets." Wow, quite witty. Very original.

That was brought on by the aforementioned hammer dropping. Quick recap: Bayne raises in EP to 200 (25/50). In the SB, I re-raise to 650 with the Hammer. He calls. On the flop, 6d 5d, 10h, I push for 705. He calls with a Q high flush draw. I hit runner runner for the straight.

Bayne called it "a ridiculous pre-flop re-raise and an even lamer post flop push". Ridiculous pre-flop re-raise? I have the Hammer. What, you think I should be folding? Only a wuss tosses it away in a blogger tournament. The re-raise is the proper play. I can push you off the hand and take it down right there. A re-raise should signify strength, especially one that is out of position. Yes, it is a very loose aggressive play. But I am hoping to win pre-flop. And it is the Hammer!

You just called. Thanks! You just told me you do not have a big hand. Thus, that flop looks even better. If you caught your set, fine, IGHN. If not, I can take it down there again. Because I have the Hammer, I am betting at the friendly flop now. Lamer post flop push? Not quite.

The thing that amazed me though is your call. You have been re-raised pre-flop and then are calling a bet that is more than half of your stack. With Queen high. Queen fuggin high and a draw. Somehow only you and Phil Hellmuth make the call and even brag about it being a great read.

So I hit runner runner for the straight. Get your undies out of a bunch. It is not a shameful thing to be beaten by the Hammer. You do know that folding is an option, don't you?

But you weren't done yet. You said you had "Pot odds on my pre-flop call were good if just against 2 overs and I would be left with enough chips to still play if I lost." Sure 600 left is nice. 1350 is better. I gambled. You gambled. You lost. Again, you had Q high and a draw. Nothing stellar. You then say you cashed. Round of applause for Bayne! Good for you. Means nothing to me, but I guess it strokes your ego to brag about it.

You also had this gem "I adjusted play to exploit loose image. You continued loose play with loose image". Oh really. From the 30-40 minutes we were at the table, you were able to judge me as the loose player. Furthermore, you must have stalked me at another table to say that I continued to play loose. Not quite. I played aggressively, but not loose. Well, except for one more Hammer push. Other than that, you really have no clue how I was playing.

But it was this line that I loved the most. It shows you have no clue that one should play the Hammer as if it were aces. Quote "If you looked as far back in my blog you will see I overplayed a Hammer in Hoy as well but there several differences" So you played it once and decided you didn't have the stones to play it again because apparently you didn't win with it. That explains a lot. How does one OVERPLAY the Hammer, especially if they are betting out? Again, you raised, got re-raised and then called an all in bet. With Queen high! Ever think your call may be the worse of the two plays?

Get your undies out of a bunch. It was just one hand in the many thousands you will play.