What is it that causes us to make a call when we know that we are beat? We are virtually certain we are behind in the hand and our outs of so few, they might as well not be there at all. And even still, there’s some little voice in the back of our head that somehow gets us to throw our chips into the pot. Or maybe it’s just me.
Last night at the tail end of a pretty profitable PL25 session, playing out my last orbit on my last table before cashing out, I found QQ. I raised a couple dollars pre-flop and then was re-raised another 5. Immediately I became suspicious of AA, maybe KK. I knew I should get out, but somehow my mouse pointer found it’s way to the call button and clicked. I said to myself, well, I can make a lot of money if a Q flops. Of course, it doesn’t, only 3 undercards. I bet a couple dollars again just to make sure he doesn’t have just AK, and he re-raises all-in. Now, here is where things get fuzzy. Somehow I manage to think for a split-second “Maybe he’s bluffing” and suddenly the rest of my chips are in the middle of the table. Two cards later they are pushed to the gentlemen with pocket kings. At every point of that hand, I knew what the correct decision was, but I still managed to avoid making it and threw all my chips away. So much for discipline.
I still managed a respectable take for the night, but it was such a waste that I spent 15 minutes agonizing about it as I tried to get to bed.