Will the River Deliver?

The worst thing about being first out in a poker game is it gets you thinking. You’re out, alone, and practically kicking yourself for that last bogus call. You can’t seem to sum up the courage to distract the others’ concentration and so you zone out into your own world imagining the possibilities of the turn and river.

Did I play too tight? Or was I too aggressive? Should I have played that folded hand? And what about that Ace 8? You really wonder if you’ve made the wise move or it’s really just the luck of the draw.

Perhaps it’d be better to be out than hanging on by a thread, winning a small pot or two just to prolong the agony. You keep hoping for chances you’re not sure will come at the same time second guessing everyone else.

Sometimes the ponder goes even deeper than that. You’ll, no doubt, reach the point when you start to compare your life thus far to a certain hand.

Of all of them, the one that seems to stick is an Ace 8. It’s an odd hand, really. Halfway between here and there, it’s playability depending heavily on the situation, or perhaps more on if you’re one to take chances or not.

Maybe it was wise to fold on the flop, not having paired it up with anything. Or would you let the fish hooks bait you in, hoping the river will deliver that second lifesaving bullet. It ain’t that deep in the pit, but it will certainly take some aggressive play to fish it out of the spot it’s in. And there’s always the chance that everyone will call.

Any wise player will fold versus pockets. I guess that’s where the optimist in me comes out. Here I am hoping the river will deliver, while every one seems to be paired up either at the pre-flop, flop or the turn. And here I am still hoping the river will deliver.