THE STORY BEHIND THE J-7-7 HEADER

Regular visitors to Pokersharkpool will undoubtedly realise that the playing cards on the header used to be four aces. This was in recognition of the hand that I got whilst playing in my first ever session of NLH online.

But I have decided to change the header for several reasons. Firstly because I was involved in a huge pot in a recent $25-$50 game of NLH where I flopped quad sevens and my opponent also held a huge hand. Secondly, because this player just happened to be one of the most rude and obnoxious online players that I have ever had the misfortune to meet.

He has bad mouthed me in the chat box, to other players and I have reported him for verbal abuse more than once so taking this guys money in this way was fantastic and thirdly because I want to have a permanent reminder of the hand for all to see. I have already purchased a personalised number plate for my car with J-7-7 on it which I just cannot look at without it giving me immense personal satisfaction.

I have also placed J-7-7 on all my posts on the Hendon Mob forum so I am sure that the “gentleman” involved will be able to see it quite frequently. Maybe it is all a little over the top but it pleases me and that is all that matters. If you were aware of the history of this guy and the history between us then you would understand my reasons.

The hand went like this, he raised to $175 UTG and we are both sitting on substantial stacks. I have the 7c-7h and call the raise on the button. This guy is tilting from a couple of previous beats in my opinion so I feel that if I hit a good flop, he may not slow down. My usual play here would be to raise or fold depending on the player but my hand cannot stand a re-raise and that is what I think would have happened….it was what I felt.

The flop comes Jc-7s-7d so I know that I am going to win this pot and now I am wondering how to extract the maximum. He fires out about two thirds of the pot. I am now thinking that he wants me to try to bluff him off the pot with no hand or to float him and then try and make a move on the turn. I need him to think that I am trying to shove him from the pot.

He knows that I must be thinking that he has not connected with this flop so he is expecting me to try and move him from the hand. So I re-raise the flop without slowplaying my hand and he calls. The turn card brings the As and he checks it, I lead out and he check raises all in to which I then slowrolled him before calling. Something that I have only done once before in my entire life and on both occasions the person deserved it and I have no regrets about doing it because he has done it to me.

What goes around comes around!

But the best part of the story was that he showed his hand and he had pocket aces and hit the top full house on the turn. I thought that he was tilting, got it totally wrong so in effect I misplayed my hand and ended up winning a huge pot…..brilliant! I cannot remember what the river card was, may have been the 4c but by that time I did not care. As soon as I saw that he had not hit the fourth ace I wasn’t bothered.