I can bet your ‘suckout’ will have been replicated thousands of times since your post. But to me, yes luck was on your side, but from the limited information you gave, I don’t think you played the hand that badly. Yes you sucked out, but from what you said I think you were going for the low. That it didn’t materialise and you sucked out on the river for the high is neither here or there. You called to see one more card and to me were effectively pot commited to call the all-in afterwards.

I would have liked to have seen how the full hand played out (with all the cards available) to give a better assessment. But from what you have posted I would more than likely habve done exactly the same thing.

Look forward to reading your new post.

Here’s some food for thought regarding; “I would like to get better at is determining what possible hands my opponent is on”

The vast majority of the time we give our opponents way way WAY too much credit. This seems to apply up to at least the $20 sng buy-ins.

I realize bad beats are part of the game. And, being “sucked out” on in a big pot means you had the best hand going in in the first place and thats the whole point isn’t it? Getting your money in with the best hand.
I think, what I am trying to say is that I would like to get better at is determining what possible hands my opponent is on.

I am going to continue this with a new post so my answer doesn’t go on forever here.
By the way – I also pay off hands sometimes when I know I have probably lost. I do this when one, I have the chips, and two when I don’t have a lot of information on the player.

Anyway, good hearing from you, I will continue this in a new post.

Seems like we are all struggling to some degree for enthusiasm these days. Myself probably being the worst culprit.

Ok, yeah some thoughts on your post and in no particular order.

“..when I get sucked out on….What I want to get better at is not getting myself in those situations in the first place”

If you going to play poker, those situations are a part and parcel of the game, you can not avoid them. In fact if you tried to avoid them you would be playing beneath yourself so to speak. To avoid them would mean you folding the best hand.

That old saying is pretty much true. ‘Only Good Players Suffer Bad Beats’

Laying down a strong hand is a learned discipline and something I have seen you do on many occasions, fortunately for us there are many players out there who haven’t yet learned this particular skill.

As for the, ‘why the heck did I just make that call/bet?’ scenario. I know I am guilty of this sin sometimes and there is no rhyme or reason to the move. I think at some time or other we all do it. I guess the less we do it the better poker players we become?

Sometimes I just HAVE to see.. I know I am beat but like the proverbial cat, curiosity got the better of me.