Turned Set (but folded at flop)

This happened earlier today, playing $1-2 no limit Hold’em online.

There was a lot of ongoing chatter in the chat box, mostly friendly.  Some was trash talking, some talking about the definition of a nit and comments about players who buy-in at the table minimum.  One of the chatterboxes had bought in for the minimum, gone bust and re-bought a couple of times.  Two others were the players to my immediate right.

Just prior to this hand, the player two seats to my right (“Villain 1”) typed a comment directed at the player to immediate right (“Villain 2”) [Editors note:  starting to sound like the characters Thing 1 and Thing 2 from The Cat in the Hat] to the effect of “let’s go at each other on this hand.”

I’m on the button and dealt 9-9.  V1 raises to $6, V2 calls and I also call.  The big blind also calls.  The flop is A-6-4 with two hearts, and after the big blind checks, V1 leads out with $13.  I’m thinking about calling here, partly based on the chat box comments about going at each other, which leaves me not convinced that either player has an Ace.  Maybe I can wrestle this pot away from this on a later street.  My image is very good – I have $320 on the table at the start of this hand and have played very smart and tight.  A winning image for sure and I may be able to use that to my advantage.  Or perhaps my pair of nines is actually good, with only one overcard.

V2 raises to $26.  Hmmm… I don’t want to spew away a winning session based on the comments in the chat box.   I ponder a few seconds and decide to fold.  The big blinds folds and V2 calls.  The pot is now $74 (after rake).

The turn card is a 9, which would have given me a set.  Dang!

V1 checks and V2 bets $77.  Double dang!!  Maybe my presence in the hand would have tempered his big bet, but this sure looks like a big one that got away.

V1 folds and V2 shows A-J and types in another chest-thumping comment to V1.

Sigh.

Year-to-date online results:  + $6,734

Month-to-date online results:  + $1,398

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