Bad Beat Stories.

[Waterclone]

I have to agree. In my mind, if the money went in pre-flop, none of those are bad beats. The first one you lose 40% of the time. The second one you lose 45% of the time and even with the Jacks, you are only a 70%.

In every case they just need to hit one card to beat you.

In my opinion, there are 2 things required for it to be a bad beat.
1. They really shouldn't make the call. Only a moron would make that call.
2. They need to hit at least 2 cards on the board to beat you. (like if you have an over pair to both their cards)

I don't know the relative chip stacks or who was betting and who was calling, but if the blinds were high and the stacks were low, I can see pushing with all three of those hands and sometimes calling with them as well.

Now, if the flop comes all blanks, and then the money goes in after the flop, all the scenarios move up to bad-beats. With only 2 cards to come, any call they make is a bad one as their odds are worse. But when the money goes in pre-flop, that's just poker.

 

[Waterclone]

Now here are 2 real bad beats. (IMHO)

Me KK. Him AK. I raise preflop. He reraises. I figure him for AK and decide to flat call. The flop is 3 blanks. He bets, I raise, he pushes and I call. Sure enough, the A comes on the river. It wouldn't have been a bad beat if we got it all in pre-flop. Can't blame him him for getting it all in pre flop. But here he missed the flop and still got it all in and then sucked out. Now that's a bad beat.

Me AQd him 68d 10d Jd Qc. All the money went in on the flop when he only had 3 outs. The the non Diamond nines. Of course he rivered the 9 of clubs for the straight.

 

[UG Staff]

In my opinion, there are 2 things required for it to be a bad beat.
1. They really shouldn't make the call. Only a moron would make that call.
2. They need to hit at least 2 cards on the board to beat you. (like if you have an over pair to both their cards)

I totally disagree. For example, if there's a pot with $200 in it, and you bet $800 on your trips, and some idiot calls drawing to an inside straight and hits, there's no way you're going to convince me that's not a bad beat (i.e. they are only drawing 1 card, not 2, and it's still a bad beat). Another example, position 5 raises to 3x BB. Button calls. SB re-raises to all in (15x BB), BB calls, 5 calls, button calls. SB turns over KK, BB AA, 5 QQ and button 22. 4 people all-in. A deuce hits for trips and he takes it. Tha'ts a bad beat also with only hitting one card.

 

[JackT]

I agree... both the rivered inside straight and the rivered trip deuces are bad beats.

But I personally wouldn't say that losing A9s to KQo or losing 66 to KJo are "bad beats" ... For a beat to be a "bad beat" I think the call must be 'clearly incorrect' -- and without knowing (1) the chipstacks involved, (2) who is doing the "pushing" and who is doing the calling, or (3) range of hands chipleader would be going to the mat with there... I am reluctant to call those 'bad beats.'

 

[Waterclone]

Ok. Sometimes a 1 card hit makes for a bad beat. My "need to hit 2 cards" comment was more about getting it all in pre-flop. As I said before, in post flop play, the odds change and so does what constitutes a bad beat. Chasing an inside straight means you only only have 4 outs. That's a bad beat, but only if he didn't have proper odds to chase (which he didn't).

As for the 22, I don't agree. 22 folding in that scenario would have been a horrible play. 22 was on the button and it was the SB who raised all in (which was only 3 times the current bet). Then there several callers ahead. So lets look at the pot and the odds. Everyone else has already put in 15x and the Dealer has already put in 3x, so the pot is 48x and it will cost him 12x more. I always forget when calculating the odds whether you count your bet as well, but he is either getting 4 to 1 on his money or 5 to 1 on his money. Plus, he is the last one to act so he doesn't have to worry about being reraised. You didn't mention post flop play. Was everyone all in at this point?

Anyway, since you hit a set with a pocket pair 1 time out of 5, this is a completely reasonable call. And if someone has odds to make a reasonable call, then it's not really a bad beat, imho.

I was in a similar situation that I would consider a bad beat.

Player 1 opens for $20 in a 1/2. Player 2 reraises all in for $120, player 3 reraises all in for $220.

At this point Player 1 has to call $200 and the pot is currently $360. Player 1 had 66 and made the call to beat QQ and AA. It's a similar scenario, but in this case Player 1 really wasn't getting close to the proper odds to make the call, so it's more of a bad beat.

All of this is my own opinion, of course. You are welcome to differ. Doesn't really matter what we call it. It sucks when we are on the wrong end of it.

 

[UG Staff]

As for the 22, I don't agree. 22 folding in that scenario would have been a horrible play. 22 was on the button and it was the SB who raised all in (which was only 3 times the current bet). Then there several callers ahead. So lets look at the pot and the odds. Everyone else has already put in 15x and the Dealer has already put in 3x, so the pot is 48x and it will cost him 12x more. I always forget when calculating the odds whether you count your bet as well, but he is either getting 4 to 1 on his money or 5 to 1 on his money. Plus, he is the last one to act so he doesn't have to worry about being reraised. You didn't mention post flop play. Was everyone all in at this point?.

Odds of the 22 winning are 12.22%. I think you need to re-think the math on this one. It's a bad bet by 50% (implied/pot odds 4:1, actual odds >8:1)

 

[UG Staff]

I agree... both the rivered inside straight and the rivered trip deuces are bad beats.

But I personally wouldn't say that losing A9s to KQo or losing 66 to KJo are "bad beats" ... For a beat to be a "bad beat" I think the call must be 'clearly incorrect' -- and without knowing (1) the chipstacks involved, (2) who is doing the "pushing" and who is doing the calling, or (3) range of hands chipleader would be going to the mat with there... I am reluctant to call those 'bad beats.'

For the last hand, SB is 200 chip and has a chipstack of about 4,000, BB is 400 with a chipstack of around 6300, Button has 3400. Button goes all in (with KK), SB folds, BB calls with A6off; I say clearly bad play because the BEST he could have hoped for was a PP under 6, where he would have still been a slight dog; (or perhaps something like KQs, where we still wouldn't have been a dominating hand, but that's a real cowboy assumption - which is what I think the play was - a big cowboy assumption), and odds are very good he was calling Ax, with x > 6 which would put him at less than 25% chance of winning, and if he was calling a PP > 6 (another very good chance) his odds were only slightly better.

So, most likely, he's a got a 25% chance of knocking the bottom guy out, and a 50% chance or better that he becomes the short stack. Anyone who thinks this is good play, please invite me to your next game.

(and button had been playing fairly tight for the whole table up until that point, and not stone cold bluffed even one time).

 

[bigyi21]

the best bad beat i have seen

and it doesnt have to do with poker. a friend of mine loves to play the horses. he plays a pick 6 where u have to pick the winner of 6 races. and he has all but 1 race singled which is very impressive. he wins the first 5 races and he comes into the final leg with one horse singled out. if it wins it will pay 80gs on a ticket that cost him a total of $12. his horse wins the race by 6 lengths which is a pretty good margin. hes got the money spent in his mind already dancing in the air only to hear the dreaded words of a track announcer " ladies and gentlemen we have a stewards inquiry". needless to say the horse was disqualified to 2nd because the jockey accidently hit the horse next to him in the face with the whip and even if your horse wins by a mile its automatic dq. just thought id share that story because i found it to be hilarious. he did get 400 for a compensation prize. lol

 

[UG Staff]

Another great example of a 1 card bad beat. I have aqoff on the button, 1 limp, I raise to 3x bb, sb calls, just me and him. flop 3s2s2c. he bets 1/2 pot, I raise to 3x pot, he goes all in I call. He has aj. turn comes j. Tell me that's not a bad beat?

 

[Waterclone]

Shoot me, please.

With KQ, I flop trip Queens, someone goes runner runner a 6 high straight.

With A5, on a flop of 955, we get it all in. I flip my cards. He doesn't. The turn comes a 10 and he flips over 10 5.

I hate poker!

 

[UG Staff]

Well, at least the second guy had a good reason to be in. One of the things I count (that I don't think others do as much) is whether the guy should have been in the hand to begin with. I rather go all in with AA, have the guy call with KK, and have him hit the trips, than go all in with JJ, have the guy call with 93s and hit the flush (even thought the odds are surpisingly similar)

 

[Waterclone]

You think the guy should have seen the flop with 10 5? He wasn't one of the blinds. Granted, it wasn't a raised pot, but some hands I wouldn't even limp with.

I forgot to mention that earlier in the night I had pocket AA and flopped a set, but the board was all spades. Someone flopped the king high flush.

 

[UG Staff]

You didn't say anything about the pre-flop action. And if it's a tournement, I know plenty of guys* who will limp in very early when the blinds are low to see if just what hapenned would occur.


* not me

 

[mitchmaxx]

I play mostly Ring games, and Tournaments, almost exclusively on-line, and I will go in early with almost ANYTHING, just to see how the table is... be a little aggressive, steal a few blinds, before a flop, if there are no raises, and even if there is a raise, but not too big, ANYTHING is possible. How many bad beat stories involve the Big or Small Blind??? I bet at least 75% of them, the Blinds are the most Dangerous with a 2s 6h 10c flop...or something similar to that, I have seen MANY KK or AA beaten by 2 pair, say 8's and 3's , by one of the Blinds...

 

[HavinFuninJersey]

Now here are 2 real bad beats. (IMHO)

Me KK. Him AK. I raise preflop. He reraises. I figure him for AK and decide to flat call. The flop is 3 blanks. He bets, I raise, he pushes and I call. Sure enough, the A comes on the river. It wouldn't have been a bad beat if we got it all in pre-flop. Can't blame him him for getting it all in pre flop. But here he missed the flop and still got it all in and then sucked out. Now that's a bad beat.

Me AQd him 68d 10d Jd Qc. All the money went in on the flop when he only had 3 outs. The the non Diamond nines. Of course he rivered the 9 of clubs for the straight.

Here's one for you - mind you, this was a limit cash game. I guess that's my problem.

QcQd (me, MP2) vs Ac3h (button)

PreFlop: Raise, call. (2 other callers)

Flop: Jc, Jd, Qh; I bet, he calls

Turn: Jh; I bet, he calls

River: Js; I bet, he calls.

Showdown: Me: Quad Jacks, Q kicker. Him: Quad Jacks, A kicker.

Fan-f*cking-tastic.

 

[Waterclone]

Saw that one happen on one of the World Poker tour shows years ago. Maybe season 1. Quad 7's on the board let A high beat pocket kings, as I recall.


What I don't understand is why you bet on the river, and more importantly, why he didn't raise with the absolute nuts.

 

[mitchmaxx]

Here's one for you - mind you, this was a limit cash game. I guess that's my problem.

QcQd (me, MP2) vs Ac3h (button)

PreFlop: Raise, call. (2 other callers)

Flop: Jc, Jd, Qh; I bet, he calls

Turn: Jh; I bet, he calls

River: Js; I bet, he calls.

Showdown: Me: Quad Jacks, Q kicker. Him: Quad Jacks, A kicker.

Fan-f*cking-tastic.

How much did you raise? If the raise was small ( as compared to the pot ) then he wasn't TOO stupid, I fold with a flop like that in the same situation, but if there was say 1,000 in the pot, and the bet was 100 bucks, them what the heck... Why did you bet after the last J was dealt, didn't you put him on an Ace???

 

[mitchmaxx]

How much did you raise? If the raise was small ( as compared to the pot ) then he wasn't TOO stupid, I fold with a flop like that in the same situation, but if there was say 1,000 in the pot, and the bet was 100 bucks, them what the heck... Why did you bet after the last J was dealt, didn't you put him on an Ace???

My bad, I just saw the LIMIT part of the post again...sorry...

 

[mr. f]

Took the worst beat of my life

QQ pre flop middle position, blinds 500 - 1000 ante is 100 in a large tourney, $560 buy in, about 5 from the money. My stack is 16,000. bb calls my 4000 raise. Flop comes up Q22. He bets 4000 to me, I go over the top all in which he calls. Flips over A 9, not suited, not that it mattered with my full house. Turn is a 2, river is a 2, his quad 2s with an ace over my quad 2s with a q and I am out. It felt like someone had ripped out my insides.

I have not been able to play since. I think I need some time to heal.

 

[mitchmaxx]

QQ pre flop middle position, blinds 500 - 1000 ante is 100 in a large tourney, $560 buy in, about 5 from the money. My stack is 16,000. bb calls my 4000 raise. Flop comes up Q22. He bets 4000 to me, I go over the top all in which he calls. Flips over A 9, not suited, not that it mattered with my full house. Turn is a 2, river is a 2, his quad 2s with an ace over my quad 2s with a q and I am out. It felt like someone had ripped out my insides.

I have not been able to play since. I think I need some time to heal.

I would have kicked him in the fuckin NUTS!!! 5 away from the money??? That sucks...