What Could I Do - July 2009 Version

So it has been awhile since I posted regularly and in that time my local game has changed. But as someone much smarter than me once said, the more things change the more they stay the same...

I stopped in to my regular game on the way home from work today for a short session. And I was reminded that "what could I do" is still the most popular excuse for making poor plays. Here's an example from tonight's session: I'm on button with A10 clubs. It's limped around to kid who has been playing relatively tight - he raises to 6bb leaving him a good sized stack of about 300bb. Cutoff calls and so do I. Of course this means more callers and then we're 6 handed with a bloated preflop pot.

Flop comes all spades and ace high. Checked to a not very attentive gentleman (off duty taxi driver) who is sitting on a relatively large stack (200bb) and also happens to be immediately to the right of pre-flop raiser. Gentleman bets the pot. Entire table prepares to muck cards as everyone recognises that gentleman's any two suited approach has paid off. Original raiser who is next to act thinks for a minute and smooth calls. I immediately put him on either made flush or a draw to the K spades. Everyone else folds (including me).

Turn is a blank and Gentleman makes another decent sized bet. Original raiser thinks, and min raises. Now it is clear he has a big flush. Gentleman pushes his stack, original raiser calls and shows flopped nut flush. Gentleman tables 73 of spades for flopped flush, shrugs his shoulders and says, "what could I do?". Besides not playing cards designed to flop second (or third) best hands, I really wanted to tell him the answer was an obvious fold on the turn - yeah it sucks but he was obviously behind and drawing dead. Why put in your last 100bbs when you are drawing dead? But what could he do...