Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 24: Accepting Bad Beats & Lessons in Selling Action
Poker in Wisconsin is going strong, which was evidenced by last weekend’s Mid-States Poker Tour Potawatomi in Milwaukee. The tour, which was visiting the property for a second time, set a state record for largest turnout as 635 entrants created a prize pool more than triple the $200,000 guarantee. As a Badger, I was excited to take a shot in the state’s premiere event.
In preparation for the tournament, I opted to sell some action. The MSPT allows players to enter a maximum of four times (only one reentry is allowed per starting flight up through Level 9), but I don’t like to get in for more than two (one for each day). As such, I budgeted for two $1,100 bullets and ended up selling half my action to seven different investors — some bought 5% for $110, while one did 25% for $550. For what it’s worth, I don’t charge markup (I have a hard time charging people for doing me a favor).
I was ready and raring to go on Day 1a, but my enthusiasm quickly dwindled during the long grind, which saw me repeatedly look down at lackluster cards. I never got anything going in the first starting flight, eventually shoving my last 12 big blinds holding A♣7♣ only to run into an opponent’s pocket tens. A 10x on the flop was all she wrote for my first bullet, but there was still Saturday’s Day 1b.
I got a good night’s sleep and returned to the casino to discover I’d drawn a fairly tough table that included Nick Revello, World Series of Poker Circuit and Heartland Poker Tour champ Bob Chow, and Daniel Goepel who went on to finish seventh in the tournament for $22,427. It was tough going, but I held my own until a big hand derailed me.
It happened with the blinds at 100/200/25 when Chow opened for 550 from early position and another player called. Action folded to me in the big blind and I opted to flat with 9x9x. I could have raised, but I decided to disguise the strength of my hand while out of position. It looked like it was going to pay off, too, when the flop came down 4♥5x9x to give me top set.
I checked, Chow continued for 1,025, and the third player folded. At this point I had two choices — either to call or to check-raise. Again, I wanted to disguise the strength of my hand, and the best way to do that was just to call. I was hoping Chow held a big pocket pair and felt I’d only hit a small part of the flop.
After the dealer burned and turned the 7♥, I checked for a second time and Chow bet roughly 1,600. With two hearts and some straight cards on the board, I knew it was time for a check-raise, which I did to the tune of 4,000. Chow thought for a few moments and did exactly what I wanted, moving all in for 13,450. I figured him for either a big pocket pair or a small set, and I snap-called to discover the bad news — Chow had raised preflop with 8♥6♥ and turned a straight.
I still had a chance to win the large pot and knock out a tough opponent, but the board failed to pair as the 3♣ blanked on the river. It sucked, but to be honest I wasn’t that upset. The hand played out exactly as I’d hoped, and really, how could I have expected Chow to roll over that hand? Kudos to him for playing it the way he did, which evidenced the power of suited connectors early in a tournament.
I think a lot of players get upset when they don’t get their desired result, but in hands like the one above, there’s no need to let it tilt you. It’s like getting it in preflop holding pocket aces against a single opponent. Sure, it hurts when you lose, but what else were you going to do? Of course you’re going to play it the same way each and every time. More times than not you’re going to win, but occasionally you will lose. Call it karma, destiny, or math; it’s bound to happen. Know that, accept that, and try your best not to let it affect you.
I was left with 9,000 after the hand, but that dwindled until I shoved my last 12 big blinds holding 8x8x only to run into 10x10x (sound familiar?). I was extremely disappointed to be out of such a massive field, one that would award the eventual winner nearly $150K. I’d had a profitable cash session earlier in the day, and I thought about firing a third bullet. The only thing holding me back was that I had sold action.
How would it look if I fired a third bullet on my own dime and shipped it?
“Hey, investors. Thanks for believing and investing in the first two bullets, but I didn’t do it. However, I did win it in the third, but you don’t get any of the money. Hope you’re happy for me.”
That was not a conversation I wanted to have, but the urge to fire again was strong. The only way I could justify reentering was to reach out to my investors, inform them of the situation, and get their blessing. That’s just what I did, too. I reached out to each of them and told them of my plan to fire a third bullet. I welcomed them to buy another piece if they saw fit (a few did and for that I’m grateful), but in no way was it expected.
Fortunately my investors understood and gave me their blessing to fire again. The third bullet turned out to be my best (I worked my stack all the way up to 90,000), but ultimately it didn’t make a difference as a horrible level saw me fall with about an hour left in Day 1b. With that, my MSPT Potawatomi Main Event officially came to an end.
The point of my “third-bullet story” is not to demonstrate how much of a degenerate I can be (though I know it did), but to show that when you sell action you have a responsibility to your investors. It’s imperative that you take that into consideration. Reputation is everything in the poker world, so do right by the people who do right by you.
In the end, Fitchburg’s Jason Mirza emerged victorious to capture the $147,529 first-place prize.
“I have busted my ass in this game for years and last year was the most difficult,” Mirza said after the win. “I couldn’t have done it without support of my mom, my girlfriend and fellow players. If you really want something then get after it and work for it, nobody is going to hand you shit especially in poker. Thank you all so much for the love, let’s hope this is just the start of something very special.”
Mirza and I actually run in the same poker circles, and I was ecstatic to see him finally break through. It was a job well done and very much deserved.
As for me, I will once again be selling action for an event at the end of the month — the Poker Night in America $25/$50 cash game at SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia. It’s the biggest shot I’ve ever taken, and I look forward to writing extensively about it in upcoming “Hold’em with Holloway” installments.
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In this Series
- 1 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 1: Making Reads and Trusting Them
- 2 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 2: Playing in Poker Charity Events
- 3 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 3: Throttle Back Before You End Up Punting
- 4 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 4: Punish the Satellite Bubble
- 5 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 5: What is Proper Accumulator Strategy?
- 6 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 6: A Chip and a Chair Story with “SirWatts”
- 7 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 7: 15 Things About Poker I Wish I’d Known Sooner
- 8 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 8: Examining the Largest Overlay in Poker History
- 9 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 9: Differences Between Rebuys and Reentries
- 10 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 10: Five Must-Read Poker Books of 2014
- 11 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 11: When Will You Finally Break Through?
- 12 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 12: Dealing with a Target on Your Back
- 13 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 13: Knowing When to Call It Quits
- 14 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 14: Embarking on a Year-Long Weight Loss Journey
- 15 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 15: Navigating Multiple Decision Points in a Poker Hand
- 16 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 16: Chris Moorman Tells Me How Badly I Play Poker
- 17 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 17: Richard “nutsinho” Lyndaker on Getting It in Marginal
- 18 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 18: Getting Inside the Head of Poker Pro Brian Rast
- 19 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 19: Stupid Calls & Lucky Draws in MSPT WI Championship
- 20 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 20: Talking Ante-Only Strategy with Greg “FossilMan” Raymer
- 21 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 21: Contributing to Jonathan Little’s New Book
- 22 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 22: Consequences of Acting Out of Turn & Tossing in Chips
- 23 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 23: When It Comes to Chops, Do What’s In Your Best Interest
- 24 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 24: Accepting Bad Beats & Lessons in Selling Action
- 25 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 25: Heinz’ Ace-High Call Shows Why He's a World Champ
- 26 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 26: Is Keeping the Short Stack Alive Collusion?
- 27 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 27: Great Laydown or Bad Fold on Poker Night in America?
- 28 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 28: Calling Hellmuth with Jack-Deuce Offsuit
- 29 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 29: The Philosophy of "No-Chop" Chad
- 30 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 30: Preparing to Play the World Series of Poker
- 31 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 31: Staying on Your Grind at the World Series of Poker
- 32 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 32: The Perilous Decision to Call Off with Ace-Queen
- 33 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 33: Using Poker Skills in Reality TV Competitions
- 34 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 34: Esfandiari Explains How to Recover from Bad Beats
- 35 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 35: Tilly vs. Brunson in Super High Roller Cash Game Hand
- 36 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol 36: Unconventional Play Leads to Good WSOP Main Event Start
- 37 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 37: Lessons in Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Low w/ Evan Jarvis
- 38 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 38: Things to Say and Do When You Bust a Poker Tournament
- 39 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 39: How Much Did I Have to Raise to Get You to Fold?
- 40 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 40: Practicing Patience in My Deep PPC Poker Tour Run
- 41 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 41: Analyzing a Questionable SHRPO Main Event Hand
- 42 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 42: Analyzing the Play of Neymar Jr. at EPT Barcelona
- 43 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 43: The Value of a Reliable Poker Reputation
- 44 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 44: John “KasinoKrime” Beauprez Rips My PLO Game Apart
- 45 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 45: Satellite Dilemmas -- To Call or Not to Call
- 46 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 46: Seiver Leverages the River in Super High Roller Bowl
- 47 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 47: What Untraditional Moves in Poker Might Mean
- 48 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 48: Thinking About the Future with Sam Grizzle
- 49 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 49: WCOOP Champ “Coenaldinho7” Offers Up His Biggest Hands
- 50 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 50: The Peril of Shoving Weak Aces
- 51 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 51: The Importance of Not Giving Up in Poker Tournaments
- 52 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 52: Does Asking “Check” Actually Constitute a Check?
- 53 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 53: Thomas Cannuli Impresses Even After Main Event Bustout
- 54 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 54: Dealers Aren’t Always Right
- 55 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 55: Don’t Get Married to Pocket Aces
- 56 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 56: Bazeley’s Survival Instinct Leads to Continued Success
- 57 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 57: Playing “Deuces Wild” on the European Poker Tour
- 58 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 58: The Wildest Hand in European Poker Tour History
- 59 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 59: Death, Zombies & Spending Time w/Phil Hellmuth
- 60 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 60: How the Unstoppable Fedor Holz Managed to Win Again
- 61 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 61: Lessons To Be Learned When You Hit the Big Stage
- 62 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 62: Steve O’Dwyer Explains the “Oreo Cookie Tell”
- 63 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 63: What Would Happen to a Chip Stack If a November Niner Died?
- 64 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 64: Forgetting One Chip -- Should It Still Be an All-In Bet?
- 65 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 65: Todd “sharkslayerrr” Breyfogle on Bankroll Management
- 66 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 66: Cash Game Pro Daniel Arfin Offers Sound Bankroll Advice
- 67 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 67: Honeyman Plays Kings to Keep in Opponent’s Bluff Range
- 68 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 68: Why Do I Even Bother Drinking at the Poker Table?
- 69 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 69: Is Your Favorite Poker Pro Left- or Right-Handed?
- 70 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 70: In Order to Live You Have to Be Willing to Die
- 71 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 71: How to Amass a Big Stack Early in a Poker Tournament
- 72 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 72: Answering User-Submitted Poker Scenarios
- 73 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 73: Saying Goodbye with a Top Five List
- 74 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 74: We're Back, Baby!
- 75 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 75: Jivkov on Exploiting Capped Ranges
- 76 Hold’em with Holloway, Vol. 76: Matt Bretzfield Gets Tricky With Aces
- 77 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 77: Joseph Cheong Gets Crazy with a Pair of Ladies
- 78 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 78: Wyoming Poker Action & Wild South Dakota Hand
- 79 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 79: Calling Controversy at WinStar
- 80 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 80: Going for Value with Matt Hunt
- 81 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 81: Bracelet Winner Ryan Leng on Bad Call
- 82 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 82: Romeopro33 Recounts XL Eclipse Victory
- 83 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 83: Men The Master Doesn't Get Paid
- 84 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 84: Harman Hits Back-to-Back Miracle Turns
- 85 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 85: Jamie Kerstetter on Dealing with Bounties
- 86 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 86: Matt Stout Develops a Limp Dynamic
- 87 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 87: Matt Alexander Caught in Between w/ Two Red Aces
- 88 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 88: John Beauprez on Why He Folded a Set of Jacks
- 89 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 89: Alex Aqel Lets Opponent Hang Himself with Aces
- 90 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 90: David Peters Makes Beastly Call Against Will Givens
- 91 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 91: Poker Lessons from a Game of Risk
- 92 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 92: My Upstuck Diagnosis by the CLC Squad
- 93 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 93: Alex Foxen Coolers Nick Petrangelo in SHRB
- 94 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 94: My $25,000 PSPC Experience at 2019 PCA
- 95 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 95: The Equity of Leveraging Time Extensions
- 96 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 96: Dan O'Brien on Developing Healthy Routines
- 97 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 97: Big Hands From the WSOP-C Potawatomi
- 98 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 98: Simon Deadman Rips Apart My NLH Tourney Play
- 99 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 99: Shoving 10-6 Smack Dab Into Pocket Aces
- 100 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 100: The Revived Re-Entries Debate
