Taking The Walk of Shame

[Alan Mendelson]

I've heard the phrase "taking the walk of shame" as it relates to the first person busting out of a poker tournament.

Has it ever happened to you?

I haven't played in many poker tournaments, but when I used to play in small, nightly tournaments at local casinos they were "re-buy" tournaments and I was always able to buy in again to avoid being the first to bust out.

Once, at a free tournament in Vegas (a Caesars promotion) one player busted out on the very first hand (AK vs AA). As the losing player left his seat and started walking out of the ballroom, the tournament director went to the microphone and announced that a player has taken the walk of shame being the first to bust out.

One time at a no re-buy tournament at the Bike here in LA, I played too cautiously so I wouldn't take the walk of shame. My caution probably cost me big money in that tournament. Here's what happened.

Very first hand of the tournament I have Ad7d which is not a particularly strong hand. Weak, suited aces that can't make a straight are not the kinds of cards you would call an "all in" with. But in this case I should have. I was in late position meaning that a lot of players were betting before I was and FOUR players went all in on the first hand. One player had QK, the other three players each had an ace. The flop came three diamonds and I would have won it all -- knocking out four other players on the first hand IF I had called.

I finished in the money at that tournament, but I might have won it all.

[RoeIncarnate]

Was the all in preflop?

If preflop I think you made the right call.

[FABismonte]

I thought the walk of shame was the trip to the ATM after all the cash was lost.

FAB

[Count Room]

It's funny you mention a "walk of shame" Alan.

I don't play live poker, but I always thought of it as a "walk of shame" when I take a long walk back to my car after a bad losing VP session. This is particularly true when I could have quit while ahead and/or in larger casinos (longer walk back to the car).

It just feels like a heavier walk full of drudgery compared to the light spring in my step when leaving a nice winner.

A relative of mine has a joke about gamblers driving the long roads to casino parking garages:

"They drive in fast and they drive out slow."

[Alan Mendelson]

Was the all in preflop?

If preflop I think you made the right call.

Yes, of course the four players went all in pre flop -- and I was following all four of them. How could I possibly think my A-7 of diamonds could be the nuts when any of those four other players might have AA or KK or QQ or JJ?

[Dan Druff]

As a professional poker player, I can tell you that the "walk of shame" does not occur from being the first one out.

The walk of shame occurs in any of the following circumstances:

- You barely miss the money
- You make a stupid play which causes you to bust from the tournament
- You attempt to bluff at the wrong time and bust from the tournament
- You take a bad beat or unusual "cooler" hand (where you have a great hand and unexpectedly lose to an even better one), and bust deep in the tournament

I can tell you that my most heartbreaking moments as a tournament poker player have been times I've been very deep in a tournament. My worst tournament memories:

2006, $1500 buyin Limit Holdem Shootout: After winning my first table, I moved onto the second table (against the other winners), and made it down to heads up with Rep Porter. I was a little behind coming in, but I went on a nice run and Rep was getting low on chips. I had QQ, and the board came low. Rep check-raised me. I knew he was bluffing, and re-raised him, he called. Turn was a jack. Rep check-raised me again. I still knew I was ahead, and 3-bet him. He called. River was a king. Rep fired out. My heart sank. I knew he had KJ and just rivered me. I made the crying call and he showed KJ. Had that king not fallen, he would have finished the hand with almost no chips, and I almost surely would have made the final table (the winner of the table moved to the final).

2007, $5000 buyin NL Holdem WSOP circuit event at the Rincon: With 23 people left (18 spots paid), I had 98 diamonds, and flopped the flush. When a safe turn came, I went all-in, only to get instantly called by BOTH opponents -- Shane Schleger and Gavin Smith. Turned out Shane had Qd4d and Gavin had AdTd. It was my only experience EVER where I flopped a flush and two players also flopped a flush, and that remains true to this day. I busted on the hand.

2007, $1000 buyin NL Holdem WSOP with rebuys at Rio: With 10 players remaining, play would halt with the next player to bust, and the remaining 9 would make the ESPN final table. I already had an online poker willing to give me $20,000 to wear their hat on TV. I picked up QQ in the big blind, and it folded around to the small blind. I was the shortest stack, but the small blind had only a slightly bigger stack. The small blind went all-in. I instantly called. He turned over AK. Since we were so close in stacks, the loser of this was pretty much assured to be the next one out. Flop was a safe 766. Turn was a safe ten. River.... ace of spades. That was the end of me. I missed the TV table and cashed $23,000. The other guy made it to 3rd (most of the players at the final table self-destructed and played surprisingly poorly, while this guy just sat and watched it happen), and cashed $235,000. Ouch.

2012, $5,000 Limit Holdem: With 19 players left, 18 spots paid. I had enough chips to easily play no hands and make the money ($11,000) by the time one of the short stacks busted. However, I wasn't there to just fold to the money. I wanted to win. I got dealt 4 good hands, played them all, and lost them all. The last was AK versus 62, and I lost that all-in. I was the "bubble boy" and went home with nothing. (I was so bothered by this that I declared I was going to avenge this the following year, and indeed finished 5th in 2013.)

2012, $10,000 NL Holdem Main Event: Misplayed aces on the river, calling off all of my chips against a hand that I knew beat me. Busted there, with about 83% of the field gone (needed 90% out to cash).

2013, $10,000 NL Holdem Main Event: After playing 3 long days of excellent poker, I had given myself nine lives and avoided busting countless times by correctly folding when beat. While relatively short stacked (but not desperate), and about 88% of the field already gone, I went all-in with AK, only to run into AA from a player who had just cold-called the original player's raise (to disguise his hand). This was incredibly demoralizing given how well I had played to get myself to that point over a period of 3 days.

[Alan Mendelson]

I was hoping you would post Dan. Great to read, but there was no shame for you in my book.

[RoeIncarnate]

http://www.vegaschatter.com/story/20...So+Much+Worse+