Diary of a beginner 5

By the time my second free roll tournament came around, I was feeling confident.

I had played a number of times in various online rooms and had learned some hard lessons along the way.

The free roll was again at Titan Poker and I was returning to the scene of the crime. Last free roll I was out in about five minutes and placed dead last and didn’t want that to happen again.

On the first hand, I was dealt a Q of Diamonds and a K of Clubs. Someone bet and I called, some folded, but most of the players stayed in. On the flop the dealer flipped a K of Spades, a 3 of Clubs, and a J of Diamonds.

I had a pair of Ks and while that was decent, I didn’t want to go nuts, so I called.

On the turn the dealer flipped a K of Diamonds. 3 Ks. Lucky I was playing online poker because my face lit up and it would’ve given me away. I decided to milk the pot and bet 20. The remaining players all folded and I won my first hand.

Happy as I was with my win, a few questions came to my mind. Could I have won more? Should I have bet earlier when I had the pair of kings? Did I err when I bet the 20 and chased everyone away?

I quickly put those questions aside and savored my first win in a free roll.

The next hand I was dealt a K of Spades and a 2 of Clubs. I called and the flop revealed an 8 of Diamonds, a 3 of Hearts and 4 of Hearts. Last time around I was guilty of going in when I should’ve gone out and it cost me. Having learned my lessons I folded.

I used the same philosophy on the next hand. I was dealt a 5 of Spades and an 8 of Hearts didn’t like what I saw and I did the same thing as in the previous hand.

I was still in the tournament and had lasted more than five minutes and was feeling pretty happy. But I am still a newbie and there are more lessons for me to learn.

On one particular hand I was dealt a K of Clubs and an A of Hearts. I called at $60.00 but one player went all-in and raised $2,180.00. I considered going all-in myself but I chickened out. It turned out he had a K of Diamonds and a Q of Spades. I could’ve won a major chunk of change but didn’t.

I continued to play as the stakes and blinds continued to get higher. Eventually I lost.

I had a K and Q of Spades, and the Flop saw a J of Spades, 2 of Clubs, and 2 of Spades. I called at $80.00 and then someone raised $640.00. I only had $190.00 left and bet it all and lost.

I finished 13th overall, 10 spots higher then my last place finish, and was quite pleased.

I still have a lot to learn, but the journey continues.