This is my first post here. Great site and I'm learning (I hope) a lot. Played a lot of poker back in my college days but never Hold 'em, so this is all kind of new to me and I had never played online before (I've always been a people reader so not having that feed back and the almost inevitable tells is strange for me).
So heregoes my gripe session.
The past two times I played at Party Poker I have taken bad beats on what should have been the winning hands (at least from what I could see) except for runners getting their miricle card on the river. How can you play and win anything when you constantly have these kind of players to contend with?
The first hand I held 8Ts and the flop came 9JQ. I start betting up and one guys stays with me. The turn was a rag and the river came K. He's holding AT off suit through this whole thing going for the gutshot straight no matter what I did and by this time I'm all in.
The second time I held QQ the flop came 9TJ. I have top pair and the betting has been what looked like limbers all the way along. I start betting up (I guess it's a kind of semi-bluff but the queens looked good at this point). Again one guy stays with me though it all and catches a K on the river and has been holding AQ off suit all this time.
In both of these hands there was only one possible hand that could beat me and in both cases there was no indication of strength in the betting (unless I am reading something terribly wrong). As near as I can tell neither of these guys should have been anywhere near these hands by the time their cards finally came up.
I guess I just needed to gripe a little but I really would like some suggestions about what to do here. Best I can see from this is to fold on the river any time you have a bet or raise come at you if you don't have the nuts.