A dagger on the river

Some river cards come like daggers through your heart. At first you can't believe that you've been pierced, but you realize in the end. Last night, such a dagger came on hand 58. I'd been dealt Kh 6d, the flop came 5d Qs 4c, and the turn was 8s. When the river came the seven of spades, giving me a straight, I thought my luck was finally turning. Sadly, that was not the case. An opponent who'd made his flush on the river won the pot, worth $25,100. Even though I lost only $8,200 on it, that's the hand that really sticks in my mind. The very card that made a straight for me made a flush for my opponent. That just plain hurts!

When I look at the two hands where I lost more chips than I did on the dagger hand, I don't recognize what I might have been thinking. To be honest, on those other hands, I wasn't actually thinking at all; instead, I was hoping and praying. On hand 52, the first time I hit the felt, I was dealt Qc Ah. The board ran out 3d Tc 7d 5c 2c, and my ace high was the worst of the three hands which went to showdown; I lost $23,522 on that hand. On the final hand of the night, the second time I hit the felt, I was dealt 4h 5h. The flop came 2h Jh 7s, and I held out for my flush draw to the bitter end; I lost $22,743 on that hand.

I've looked at the numbers, and they don't paint a pretty picture. I've now achieved the personal worst I was half dreading. I've lost more money in the last 11 cash game no limit hold'em sessions than any other 11 session stretch of such sessions in my poker career - $388,217.

During current Hold'em session you were dealt 75 hands and saw flop:
 - 10 out of 12 times while in big blind (83%)
 - 3 out of 12 times while in small blind (25%)
 - 20 out of 51 times in other positions (39%)
 - a total of 33 out of 75 (44%)
 Pots won at showdown - 1 of 9 (11%)
 Pots won without showdown - 3

delta: $-80,000
cash game no limit hold'em balance: $4,828,831
balance: $7,278,239