July 2006 - THE BEAT GOES ON (AND ON) - By Darin D. of Tamarac, FL
I am the king of bad beats. I get them at casinos, online, and, unfortunately, playing with friends. I get the usual ones most of the time — A-K vs. A-Q, pocket queens vs. pocket sevens, K-Q vs. Q-10 — but my propensity for suffering bad beats has developed into a running joke of sorts among my buddies. Read More

June 2006 - GONE FISHING - By Garrett M. of Los Angeles, CA
Having finally turned 21, the time had come for me to burn my fake ID and take a stab at the big $600 buy-in, no-limit game at my local casino. In the past, I’d been hesitant to play in this game primarily because I was underaged (my fake ID, admittedly, wasn’t all that convincing). Anyway, I’d been building up a fairly substantial bankroll over the previous six months and now I was ready to put it into action. Read More

May 2006 - DEUCES NOT SO WILD - By Danny S. of Chicago, IL
After outlasting all 38 other players in a local Texas Hold’em tournament, my friend Mike and I were pitted heads-up, mano a mano. Because we’ve been friends and poker fanatics for a long time, Mike and I know each other’s playing style backward and forward. In our one-on-one battle, we’d basically been stealing each other’s blinds for about 15 minutes or so when the unthinkable happened: a bad beat from the very depths of hell. Read More
 

April 2006 - THE BETTER BETTOR ISN'T ALWAYS BEST - By Nick L. of Castro Valley, CA
I suffered a bad beat recently that was truly surreal. I was playing in a $6/$12-limit Hold’em game at a nearby casino and happened to have a couple of loose cannons seated at my nine-player table. I really couldn’t wait for my chance to beat one of them in a big pot . . . or so I thought. Read More
 

March 2006 - SOME TRIPS ARE BETTER THAN OTHERS - By Michael W. of Muskogee, OK
After enjoying some minor poker-playing success at my local card room late last year — I’d managed to cash in at nine of 17 tournaments and was up about $800 for December — I felt like testing my skills against some more advanced players. So, I decided to try my luck at the World Series of Poker circuit events in Tunica, Mississippi, in January. Read More
 

February 2006 - ALL-IN THE FAMILY - By James W. of Greenwood, IN
After sharpening my skills at the $10 tournament tables on Partypoker.com for about six months, I recently decided to enter a few larger events. One particular tourney that interested me was the Party Poker Million, in which, for a $600 buy-in, players have a chance to win part of a $1 million payout. Not really wanting to fork over the $600 (plus $40 for the house), though, I entered a satellite tournament three days earlier. I paid the $30 (plus $3) entry fee, played flawlessly against 174 other players, and eventually won the tournament and earned my pass to the Big Show! Read More
 

January 2006 - A DEAL WITH NO APPEAL - By Jennifer S. of Schenectady, NY
I was playing 3-6 Texas Hold’em at my local casino recently, and, despite being dealt awful hands, managing not to lose too much money. The cards I was landing were basically unplayable. The only bright side was that when I folded, I was no doubt folding losing hands, as none of my cards were ever showing up on the flop. Read More
 

December 2005 - TRIPPED UP BY TRIP JACKS - By Jacob L. of Eugene, OR
I’ve suffered a lot of bad beats over the years, but this is surely one of the worst. I’d been playing online one day for several hours, on various tables, and was about even for my efforts. It had already been a pretty rough session for me: I’d landed pocket aces five times, and lost each time! Thanks to some better hands later on, though, I’d worked my way back to square. Of course, I’d also worked a pretty good dent in my computer desk from kicking hit so hard. (Little did I know that I was about to make that dent a whole lot bigger.) Read More
 

November 2005 - TOURNAMENT TO NOWHERE - By Ryan W. of Bethlehem, PA
I recently played in my first big buy-in tournament — a $100 affair at an underground poker room in my hometown — and it was a truly unforgettable experience. Just to gain entry into this covert operation, you had to know someone (or know someone who knows someone), so I felt pretty fortunate merely to be admitted. About 50 players, scattered among five tables, were participating in the tournament, and the top five finishers were to be paid. Five-minute breaks were scheduled every hour or so in order for us to stretch, eat, drink, and, of course, share bad beat stories. Read More
 

October 2005 - THERE'S NO REVENGE LIKE, UM, NO REVENGE - By Richard Z. of New York, NY
I was visiting my hometown in upstate New York earlier this year when an old high school buddy invited me over to play in a friendly game of Texas Hold’em. I say “friendly,” despite the fact that I wasn’t exactly fond of one particular player there. Much to my chagrin, none other than Vincent C., a notorious bully back in the day (I think he was voted “Most Likely to Do Time” in the yearbook), was seated directly across from me at the table. Read More
 

September 2005 - THE COUPLE THAT BETS TOGETHER, REGRETS TOGETHER -
By Jay W. of Broken Arrow, OK
This bad beat story is by far the most frustrating thing that’s ever happened to me. A few months ago my wife, Ashley, and I were playing Texas Hold’em at a $4-$8 table at our local casino. I was in the small blind position and was dealt A-10. Ashley was dealt pocket fives, as I’d soon learn. I bet out and everyone but Ashley and another player folded. The flop came A-5-10. I bet out again with my two pair. The other player folded, but Ashley bumped it. I thought the situation over and, knowing my wife and how she plays, I put her on trip fives. Despite feeling that she was ahead, I decided to call her raise. Read More
 

August 2005 - FROM GOLDEN TOUCH TO LOSING TOO MUCH -
By Michael M. of Oklahoma City, OK

July 2005 - SAVE THE LAST DANCE (PLEASE!) - By Jarad E. of San Diego, CA

June 2005 - BEATEN BLOODY BADLY - By Paul H. of Beds, England

May 2005 - VEXING VEGAS VACATION - By Adam B. of Cottonwood, AZ

April 2005 - ACE IS NOT THE PLACE - By Benjamin K.

March 2005 - THE COUPLE THAT PLAYS TOGETHER, STAYS TOGETHER -
By Scott L. of Austin, TX

February 2005 - GOING TO POT - By Pete N. of Roselle, IL

January 2005 - HI-JACKED - By Matt F. of Sugar Hill, GA

December 2004 - GOOD FOUR NOTHING - By Jeff B. of Knightdale, NC

November 2004 - OH, BROTHER! - By Pete B. of North Arlington, NJ

October 2004 - PERFECT 10s - By Mike W. of Gainesville, FL

September 2004 - BUSTED - By Brett D. of East Lansing, MI

August 2004 - A STRAIGHT FATE - By J.N. of Annapolis, MD

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