How to Lose Big!

Date: 2006.05.01 | Category: Hand Of The Week | By: Phil Hellmuth   

Oh me, oh my, poor Phil! Here I sit on this plane, leaving Las Vegas, pitying myself. How could James Van Alstyne have played this hand for $75,000 more before the flop? How could I have allowed myself to lose such a huge pot?

How could the seven of spades have come up on the turn? Why in the world had Van Alstyne challenged my aces earlier, or survived when he was a huge underdog, giving away his chips — on Day 2? How could I finish in 50th place? Somehow, this picture doesn’t look right.

Welcome to the poker tournament world, a venue of excitement and glamour, but also a venue of huge frustrations and what-ifs. Every tournament that I play in, way too many things happen that seem like they should not have happened. Like players suddenly going off kilter for no discernible reason, and playing hands they shouldn’t play and then beating me with those hands. Or a sound decision that backfires merely because of bad timing. Or a bad beat for all of my chips!