The Infamous AJ

At last year's WSOP main event, Phil Ivey's KK lost an all-in pot to an opponent's AQ. Afterwards he said, "It's amazing. I can never win with that hand, and I can never beat that hand."

For Ivey it's AQ. With me it's AJ. A lot of my bad beats in the past year have come when I either hold AJ or am up against AJ.

I played two sessions today. First session was an uneventful four hours at the Trop. $200 cap 1-2 nl. Made $100.

Went to Paris and sat down there. Was card dead for two hours and stuck $100. I got up to take a break and met a friend at Nosh at Ballys. Really good sandwiches. I came back to the big blind and flopped top two pair on a QJ8 board with two hearts. I led out for $15 and got two callers. $50 on the turn and one caller. River was the heart. I checked and the villain pushed for $110. He was sitting to my left and I asked him, "Did you really call me down with a heart draw?" "Come on, I'm a better player than that," he said. I don't think I was ever really gonna call after he said that, but eventually the dealer called time on me, which was weird cause no player had complained or called for time and it hadn't been very long. The villain said, "No, it's okay. Let him take whatever time he needs." I figured the only thing I could really beat that might sensibly act this way was KT, and everything he'd said told me he had the goods so I laid it down and he showed me 10-7 hearts so I'd know he'd flopped a gutshot straight-flush draw, too.

After that I flopped a baby flush in a raised pot, pushed all-in for $120, and got called by the infamous AJ. The board was AJ2 of diamonds. Needless to say the dude filled up. Busto. Time to rebuy.

I did get back to even and eventually up $45 to finish the 5-hour Paris session, so I was plus $145 for the day.

I don't like playing from behind but it's been happening a lot lately. I want to sit on a big stack and crush the game. You gotta be in touch with your inner Conan to be the most dangerous kind of no limit player. What was it Conan the Barbarian said when asked what is best in life?

"To crush enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women."

The line comes down from a Ghengis Khan quote. Ghengis' version is more ruthless.