Although the best players win in the long run, short-term results are often determined by luck. I was playing in a limit Hold’em one-table satellite at Foxwoods Casino with Miami John, a top tournament player. All the other players were eliminated, only John and I were left. On a pivotal hand, I raised with a pair of sixes and got re-raised. The flop came 762 — all diamonds, but giving me three sixes. I bet, John raised, and I re-raised. He called putting all his chips in the pot. John could have had a flush, but I felt he probably had a large pair (maybe Js, Qs, or Ks) and one of his cards was a diamond. If I was right, another diamond on the turn would give him a winning flush. Therefore, as the dealer turned the next card face up, I was saying out loud, “No diamond, no diamond.” The dealer turned up the three of diamonds. I was not happy, but, surprisingly, John said he had no diamond. Since all the betting was over, he had no reason to misinform me. As the dealer prepared to put the last card face up, I was sure I had him beat. However, if another diamond were turned up on the river, both of us would have the same flush composed of the five diamonds face up on the board. Therefore, I was again saying, “No diamond, no diamond.”
The end card was the King of diamonds, making a flush on board and a split pot. Disappointedly, I rolled over my pair of sixes (showing John that I had three sixes) and said, “John, I knew you were good, but I did not know you were so lucky.” He smiled and good naturedly said, “Yes, call me Mr. Lucky.” He then turned over his pair of sevens (showing that he had me beat with three sevens all the way until the last diamond). Except for a fourth six, the only way that I could win any of the pot was for the very thing to happen (both the last two board cards to be diamonds) that I was rooting so hard against.
