Why can't players quit when they're ahead?
After I busted out of a tournament at The Bicycle Casino Sunday night, I bought in at a $100 game and while there for several hours I saw something that was very sad.
When I got to the table there was a big stack with more than two thousand dollars stacked up in front of him. That was quite a feat for a game that limits the initial buy-in to a max of $300. But that was the biggest stack he had, because when I left that table at about 4 this morning he was down to about $500. I don't know what his initial buy-in was, or if he had any rebuys, but he was on the verge of tears when I took about $300 off him just before I left.
Being the big stack with chips to "throw around" he always raised the BB (blinds were $3 and $2) to $20, and if there were others in the hand before his action he might raise to $50 or $60. Big stacks can do that to force weak hands out.
But a few times he got caught -- and he actually got caught more than a few times.
I caught him three times -- and the time I took $300 from him was when he had a queen high straight and I made an ace high straight.
But Mr. Big Stack's biggest disaster hand went like this:
In early position Mr. Big Stack raises the $3 big blind to $20. Everyone folds except a player who was in later position who called. The blinds folded. The action was now heads up.
The flop came Ten-Ten-Ten.
Whenever three of a kind flops I say to myself this: If I have AA I'll make a bet and see if anyone calls. If there's a call, I stop betting. But if I don't have AA I fold.
Well, Mr. Big Stack was first to act after the flop and he bet $50. The other player calls the $50 bet.
The turn is dealt and its a 3. Mr. Big Stack bets another $50, and the other player raises to $150. Mr. Big Stack calls. And at this point we wonder who has the big pocket pair, and who might have a ten.
The River is dealt. Mr. Big Stack bets $100 and the other player with only $150 left goes all in. Mr. Big Stack calls the extra $50.
Mr. Big Stack never showed his cards. The other player had A-10 spades and had flopped quads.
A new player who came to the table also took about $250 from Mr. Big Stack.
As I racked up my chips and headed for the cashier I looked at his much, much smaller stack and wondered why he could not leave with two thousand dollars. Did he think he would end up owning the place? Do big stacks think they're invincible?
