What a sick session

I had a gross session today.  I felt like I was in the zone for the first time, ever.  What I mean when I say that is that I was really in the zone.  I mean for real.  I have felt good in the past but today was different.  It was unlike any day I have ever had.  I was in the 1 seat for a while and the guy in the 9 seat was real active.  He made some sick calls and was a real good player.  He had a poker hoody on, which is lame.  There was also the amateur to my right who was tight but a decent player.  

We were all talking, having a good time winning pots of each other and the other idiots at the table.  I moved to the 4 seat after a few hours.  I had a big hand against Mr. Jones, sitting in the 8 seat.  I had QJc.  The flop came Qh 6c 9c.  I led out and he raised me.  He had 100 left and I shoved it in.  He called with the 9h 9s.  I missed.  That took out one of my towers.  Later on, I started playing well, getting some hands.  I made a good value bet with the 56d.  I rivered a straight and a flush.  I bet it and got called.  I also raised in the CO with 55 and got called by Mr. Jones in the BB.  The flop came KK8.  He checked, I bet. He called.  Turn 3.  He checked and I bet.  River was a K.  He checked and I bet again.  He paid me off with 22.  What else?  I stacked Ron with a set of 5's.  I had some big pairs, and picked up some pots with nothing or middle/bottom pair.

This day was so good, I played for 12 hours.  I just couldn't get up.  I didn't even with THAT much.  It was a good 20/hr day.  Not the best but I felt so good.  If I wouldn't have gotten up, I'm sure I would have been able to take a chunk more off the table.

Lunatics and Bottom Set

Lunatic guy two to my left.  I stacked him twice.  

I'm in the BB with the 10 7

The table limps around 6 handed and I check.  Pot is 12.

Flop comes 5 8 9.  Table checks around. 

Turn comes 6.  I bet out 10.  Lunatic raises to 25.  Table folds around to me and I raise to 80.  He moves in and I call.  I think he had about 100.  River is the 9.  Scoop.

So this lunatic reloads.

About 30 minutes later, a guy from middle position raises to 12.  I find the 10 10 in the CO and call.  The lunatic in the SB moves in for 65.  He says that he wants to see how big that guys hand is.  Well, he mucks and I call.  He forgot about me.  Board runs out 8 high and I scoop again.  

Very next hand, I pick up AK and raise to 12.  He shoves his reload of 120.  What is my decision?  After a minute or two, I muck it.  Right play?  I can't tell.

So my buddy, Vic, sits down next to me after he had waited for a long time to get a seat.  I know him to be a TAG, plays good cards, and bets them.  One of the best laydowns I have ever made.......

The table limps around to the guy to my left who makes a pot-builder raise to 7.  Vic calls I call and a couple others call.  I have 3 3.

The flop comes 3 4 5.  Vic bets out 21 into a pot of 35.  I am to his left, so I'm next.  What are my options.  Fold Call Raise. A fold here would be premature.  I can't just muck.  I am obviously suspicious of his holding but can't just lay it down now.  A call could be good as I am in position on him and could see what he does on the turn.  A raise here would also be OK in certain spots. I decided that this spot was not good for a raise as there were 5 to the flop and someone behind us could make a play with 67 or A2.  I also thought that because my set was bottom set, I might get in trouble against a higher set.

I called the 21 and the table folded.  The turn comes a K.  Vic bets out 50 into 77. I tank. Could he have 67?  Very possible. The preflop action was so weak, he could have 67 or A2.  Could he think I was on a flush draw of some sort, like AQs or AKs?  If I have AKs, I hit top pair and still have the nut flush draw but that doesn't seem to bother him at all.  So what could he have? And what does he think I have?  I thought he must have had 1 of 3 things, all of which beat my set.  I decided he had 67, A2 or either 44 of 55.  SO, I mucked.  He showed 4 4.  It was the happiest I have been to lose in a long time.

Sit on It

I find 8h8c in MP and limp.  There are 4 limpers and the BB, Ron makes it 7.  BB calls, EP calls, I call and BTN calls.  Five take the flop.  The pot is 35.  

Flop comes Qc 3c 8h.  Check Check Check, I bet it.  I bet 20.  The BTN calls and everyone else folds.  The pot is 75.  

The turn is the 4d.  I bet 45 this time.  BTN calls again.  

The river is the 7c.  I bet again.  60 this time.  He calls. He said he had AQ.  A nice sized pot.

Another pot involved Ron on the SB again.  There was a straddle and I raised to 17 with the AdKc.  It folds to Ron in the SB and he raises another 25.  So he makes it 42 total.  It's back to me and I really am thinking about it.  Ron is a tight weak player.  I often bet him off hands and he goes away quietly.  For me to see him raise out of position told me that he had a hand.  

I thought of all the options.  I thought it would be OK to fold.  I was in position and I had a pretty big hand so I decided that it wasn't worth a fold here.  While I was thinking about it, Ron showed me his stack size, seemed kinda loose and feeling alright. He put his chips in front of his cards and counted them down, telling me he was willing to go all the way with it.  After he counted it down, he got a little uncomfortable.  I'm not sure what it was...not so willing to put his chips in.  So I thought a raise might be the right choice.  If he has AA or KK, I'm dead but anything else, I'm OK.  I ended up calling.  I was in position and I thought he had a pair but I would have two overs.  Plus, he is weak tight and I might be able to get him to fold something.  

The flop comes 8c 10c 5d.  Ron checks.  ??  I thought he had a pair but why would he check?  Could he have 99?  Seemed unlikely.  Maybe he had JJ or QQ.  I couldn't really figure it out.  I knew I had two overs.  So, I bet the rest of his money, 84.  He insta-calls.  He shows down 10h 10d.  EEk.  A huge hand.  Turn is the 7c and river is the 9c.  My flush kills a set.  A 5.15% comes back from the dead to take down the pot.

Here is the question.  Does anyone actually think in the course of the decision on the flop that you have the back door flush draw?  I did and I'm not sure if it's a waste of time or not.  

1 in 649,740

I hit a royal flush today.  Nothing happened before or after that hand.  I won the 90 dollar pot, got a 500 dollar bonus and everyone in the hand got 100.  Thank you and you are welcome.

Bad Calls and Good Calls

Sometimes I make a good call and sometimes I make a horrific call.  Today, I did both and the bottom line was in the red.  Lame.  I need to start playing better poker if I want to continue to play poker. 

Here is the horrific call.  The table was 6 handed and I found A6s in EP and limped (mistake #1).  A raise would have been better here.  The flop is seen 4 handed.  It is 6c 6d 9h.  It gets checked around (mistake #2).  I should have bet out.  The turn is the 8s.  This time I bet and get called by one person. The river is a 5s.  Villain checks to me and I bet 11.  He raises to 25!?  I call??!!! (mistake #3).  I am bad.  I called just in case he had something like 67 or 64.  He had 7c10s.  That's just bad poker.  

I made a good call with 88 on a board of 92275.  Flop was checked.  Turn was bet, I called and another called.  River was same bet, I called, other called again.  They both had a seven.  I even said that he had a seven on the turn when he bet $7.  I beat both of them.  This was not enough to cover what I lost on the hand I played extremely poorly.

Perfect, Perfect

Biggest donk of all time.  Seriously. Not a joke.  He had his stack up to 800+ and after about 4 hours, he had to rebuy for 200.  An hour or so after that he was about to around 300.  I was near 300, too.  I was waiting to snap him off when I got the perfect chance.

I find 9h9d in the small blind and decide to just call.  The flop is Qh 2c 9s.  Lock.  I check and donk bets and there is one caller.  I raise.  Donk calls.  Other folds.  Turn is a 5h.  I check again.  No draw at all on board.  He bets 20 and I raise to 80.  He calls rather quickly.  I have him on some Q like Q10 or something of the like.  The river is the Qd.  I move in my 180 left.  He insta-calls  and shows Q5.  On the flop, he was 1.3% and on the turn he was 4%.  He stacked me and now I'm considering quitting poker.

Sometimes, luck

Another usual day of hands and no hands and no action and nothingness.  I was down a bit when the most interesting hand of the day occurred.  I was down 75 but had reloaded to about 225.  I was in my usual 4 seat.  

There was a loose-aggressive player in the 7 seat.  I thought he was a good player.  Him and I had been battling a bit.  We were involved in a few hands, one in which I showed down a 78c to take down a pot with a board of AK3A.  He got his revenge later, putting me all-in when I was unprepared to make the move.  He had won a few big pots, showing down quads and 2 sets.  He had some hands, but played them well.  I'm going to call him Clive.  So Clive had been aggressive on all parts of the game.  He took down pots a lot.  Raised a lot.  Ok, so the hand.

The table had gotten tight for about 5 minutes.  There were a couple people missing and there were 2 chops on 2 of the last 3 hands.  I was in the cutoff and it was folded to me.  I was fearing another chop, so I decided to play the 3d 4h.  I limp and the button folds and the blinds call/check.  Pot is 6.

The flop is 3s Kc 3c.  

SB check

BB check (Clive)

I bet 7.

SB fold

BB raises to 22.

Now this guy is tricky.  I knew I had the best hand, as he made lots of raises and bets.  I had a decision.  Should I raise or call?  I didn't want to shut him out of the pot, and I didn't want him to do something crazy on the turn to shut me out of the pot.  I was in position, which is always good.  I finally decided to just call.  A raise here, I thought, would have ended the pot.

The turn is the 9c.  Not a good card.  It brought a flush but beyond that, it couldn't have changed the hand very much.  This time Clive bets right out.  He bets 45.  Before this bet, the pot was 6 +22 +22 = 50.  Now, it is 95.  The action is to me.  A 45 dollar bet.  ???  I just could not put this guy on a hand that I was afraid of.  Maybe he had a better 3.  I thought it was more likely he had a K of some sort.  Maybe he had K9 and he thought his K now beat my K.  I still thought my hand was good.  My stack had about 200 left in it.  I raised to 110.  He insta-shoved.  WOW.  Not what I was expecting.  He had a lot of chips.  About 400. After my 110 dollar bet, I only had 101 left in my stack so I just bet over 50% of my chips.  Now, am I supposed to be able to fold?  I thought my raise had me committed.  I said that I could not fold so I rolled the rest of my chips into the pot and Clive showed the Ac2c.  

I thought he played the hand extremely well.  He had me.  Check raised the flop and led right out when he hit the flush.  It was well done.  I obviously had a flush in mind but from the history of this player and the way the hand was played, I just didn't think that's what he had.  I was wrong.

Of course, poker hands don't end on the turn.  There is such thing as 5th street - the river.

After all this, the chips were in, I got outplayed and then there was the river.

The Kd.  ;)

:( or :)

I'm not sure what to think of today.  I was even on the day but I had like 5 sets.  I look back on the day and can't find out how I only broke even.  There was one hand I lost a good chunk of money on and if not for that hand, I would have been up about 120.  Here is that hand.  

I was in the CO with the 67h.  There was one small raise to 6 and 3 callers.  I make the call and the flop comes...

4h 8d 9c.  There is a 10 dollar bet from the initial raiser and I make the call.  We go heads up to the turn...

9h falls on the turn.  Now, the original raiser checks and I, with my straight and flush draw, bet 15.  He now min raises me to 30.  Hmm?  I call.  

River comes 5c.  I hit my hand.  The good, hidden way - not the flush and it's the nut straight.

So now he leads out for 75.  WOW.  What in the?  Wow does he have a bare 9?  An overpair?  I was not sure but I knew he had to have something.  Next question.  Is there a spot for a raise?  I decided no, a raise would not be good.  I don't beat tons of things and I knew this guy to be a bit tricky.  He also threw in that min raise at me on the turn.  I decide to call the 75.  He shows me? 

8s8h

It's a tough spot and it makes sense.  Can I fold there?  Daniel?  Can I?

Value City Poker

I just value bet my face off.  I have really improved this part of my game.  I had some spots today where I certainly did not have the nuts and was not sure my hand was good but I was able to make good value bets, and got paid on almost all of them.

I had Ad10h in EP and limped in.  The flop was 10d 6h 3d.  I bet right out and got a caller, a guy with a stack around 1200.  The turn was the 8d.  I liked the card and bet it again.  Once again, I got called.  The river was the 9c.  This guy won't go away and in the past I would concede the pot or check/call.  I bet right out again and got a call from Qc10s.  

I had Jc10s in MP in a 4 way pot.  Flop comes As Qc Qs.  It gets checked around.  The turn is Kh.  I bet out and get a caller.  The river is the 8h.  This time I get led into for 20.  In the past, I would simply had called here and hoped I was not up against a boat.  Nowadays, I can get value here so I raised it up to 60 and got insta-called by a naked Q.  

Sets

Sets are my favorite.  They are why I get up in the morning.  Sets are my goal for any given day.  A lot of the time, sets are the difference between a good and bad day.  I hit a set today and played it well.  Here is a rundown.

I am in EP and find the 6s 6h.  I limp in hoping to get a cheap flop.  It doesn't last as the guy to my immediate left raises to 12. A young guy who had lots of money called and so did 3 others.  There is now 56 in the pot and I need 10 more to call.  The pot is laying me 5.6 to 1.  This is not the same as the odds against flopping a set but the implied odds were easily covering that.  So, I call.  

The flop is the 

Kd 3s 6c.

With so many people in the hand I had to decide what to do.  I was in early position and had a tight image so I decided to go with that image and check.  The initial raiser to my left (who knew I had been tight but caught me on a bluff) bets 40.  The young rich purple chip guy called the 40.  I have another decision.  I wanted to raise here.  I was sure of it.  After much deliberation, I came to the conclusion that my hand is strong enough that I don't have to raise. There are no real draws on board, too.  So, I call the 40.  The turn is the Qh.  The board is still extremely good for my hand.  I continue the slow play and check it again to my two opponents.  The man to my left moves in for 87.  The other guy thinks for a while and I am definitely wanting him to call or even raise.  Unfortunately, he folded.  I called the 87 and he showed 99. 

I was quite surprised to see that he didn't have AK or even KQ.  And if he didn't have it, I thought the other guy must have.  But, it didn't matter as I won the pot.  Good hand, good day.  All in a sets work.

Slow Down

Two slow days of annoyingness

I had a guy raise me on the flop with KK.  I had AA and it got all in and he rivered a K.  No hands today.  NONE. Bluffed my way to a very small win.

The Blur

The Blur.  Today was a good day.  Today was a very very good day for this little project we have here.  After a day like today, you feel like maybe you know something about how to play this game.  I bet out with sets and got someone to believe I had a set when he had AA (I had KK).  It was just a day of days.  The cards fell in the proper place and the chips came my way.

So I find the two black Kings OTB.  I raise it up to 11 and the SB reraises to 25.  I didn't think he was that strong but I was wrong.  The BB also called the raise and the reraise.  The flop comes Qh 9h 4c.  The SB bets out 40.  I didn't think he had AA and he couldn't have gotten that lucky to have QQ.  I don't believe he would have bet out if he had that anyway.  So the BB calls the 40 and I wasn't too scared of him.  I thought he had AQ or KQ but more likely AQ because I had two Kings.  So he called the 40 and then I had a decision.  I was very close to folding the hand when I decided I had the best hand.  I made it 100.  The SB thought for a long while and he said that he thought someone must had a set by now.  When he said that I knew he had AA and I was dying for him to fold.  So he eventually folds.  The BB calls the 60 and the turn is a blank.  A black 3.  He checks and I bet the rest of his chips, about 120.  He called and the river was another blank.  I showed the KK and the BB mucked and the man in the SB slammed his hand on the table, saying he had AA.  WOW.

I had a set of Jacks two times and turned a set of 9's.  I had KK against an all-in bet from the guy who said that no matter what, I was going to be behind.  He said no matter what, he would get his money in good.  He had 10's.  He left.

Today was a very good day and it was kind of a blur in that I don't recall too many of the hands that put me on top.  Sets and big pairs.  I also had a flush with the 68d.  Ok, off to softball.

The TAO

So my big pair lost to a set again.  This is happening all the damn time nowadays.  I had KK 4 times today and I won 2 of the 4. One time, it was the set.  Another time, Ed, the old guy who runs me over, bet me out of it.  The third time, I won a small pot.

The fourth time, I was UTG and raised to 12.  I got 3 callers.  The guy I talked about a while back who said that he was going to just give me the 100 he bet, because he had nothing, was at the table.  He is super aggressive and tries to take pots away.  So he is one of the callers in this pot with the KK.  The flop is KQQ.  I finally seriously have a lock.  I check the flop and everyone checks to aggressive guy who bets 25.  I give him a pretty serious amount of acting before I call his bet.  The turn is a 4, giving the board 3 clubs.  I check it again and so does he.  The river is another 4. I bet right out 75 and he calls fairly quickly.  So this one makes up for the 3 I lost with.  Thank you aggressive guy.

So, before this big hand, I had been dumped on just like the norm for the past week or so.  The set over the KK and a few others.  So I get in this pot to the guy to my left.  He had been getting unlucky and had seen how I played and knew that I wasn't getting the best of breaks either.  He knew I was playing good cards.  So I limp with the 79d.  He raises right behind me to 15. I decide to call after 3 others do, too.  The flop comes down 10c 8c 3s.  I check and he bets out.  Everyone folds to me and I call the bet.  The turn is the 7c.  I like the card because he must think I am drawing and that cards does both draws.  I bet out this time, thinking he must have some pair or A10.  The bet is 15 and he raises me to 50.  He only has about 115 total.  So after that bet of 50, he has around 65 or 70 left.  

I really tank, trying to decide what to do.  The tank isn't too long because after a point, he knows I have nothing.  So I tank for a good amount of time and say, "Let's do the rest of it."  He doesn't insta-call so I know it was at least a decent play.  After a minute he calls.  I obviously don't like it, but if I am even close to where he is with his hand, I should have 13 outs.  Maybe a few less if he has the Ac or a bigger pair with the club of that pair.  So, while I only have one shot at those 13 or so outs, I still thought he would fold a decent amount of time.  So he called and the turn was the 9h.  I say, "You caught me but I hit two pair." He was pissed and while he was getting up from the table he said back to me, "You're not going to last long making calls like that."  I quickly replied, "I didn't call anything."

That was the start of the slow climb back to the top.

Gutters

Back to the gutter after getting run over and over and over.  I'm not sure what to do.  I think I have decided that I'm not bluffing anymore.  I can't afford it.  I gotta play a solid as possible until this streak of ridiculously bad cards ends.  I have just one hand to examine today...

I find KQs from middle position and decide to limp.  The table had been limping a lot so I decided to comply.  There are 6 people to the flop.  The flop comes 8s 8c 3s.  It checks around to the man two seats to my right.  He bets 11.  I make the call. So does the SB, an older gentleman who comes with his buddies on Tuesday and Thursday.  The turn is the Kd.  The SB checks and so does the guy who bet 11.  I decide it's a safe flop to bet.  I bet 30.  The SB now raises me to 80!?  I have to pause for concern here.  This guy had been running well.  Making plays and catching lots of cards.  I didn't have many chips left so there was no chance he would fold an all-in bet.  What could he have?  He called 11 out of position and then check raises the turn?  I don't know.  I didn't know if I was even drawing at all.  I folded it.  Not sure if I made the right play there.

So I get beat up and beat up and get my 400 whittled down to a mere $39.  WOW how bad am I at this game?  So I double up with QQ against the nut flush draw.  I sit there and sit there with nada.  Finally, I'm on the button with 63 bucks left.  People limp around and I find the 8c 8d.  I limp on the button and the SB raises to 11.  Four callers to me and I shove.  The BB calls and that induces one other caller.  The SB shows 44 and the other shows the AQd.  I avoid it all and take down the pot.  I get half my 400 back and that's how the day ends.

Stay

I hope I am here to stay.  Today was a good day.  I flopped a set of K's and then the next hand turned a set of 7's.  I never had any real confrontations.  I did have one though...

I was trying to fold my BB thinking that it was the SB.  I had Q5 and the dealer, Mike, let me keep my hand when I was trying to muck.  The flop comes Q5K.  Check and Texas Julian bets 10.  I call it and everyone talks about how now I must have something.  Ewww.  So yea, I do have a hand.  The turn card is a blank.  Julian bets 15 this time and I call again.  The turn brings another Q, filling me up.  This time I lead out 3o and get paid off.  Not much more happened today.  No big hands.  No AA or KK.

The Potential of You and Me

Friday was a day.  It wasn't really bad and it wasn't really good.  The potential was HUGE.  I finally broke through.  I got some cards, I had a good table, willing to put money in the middle.  The problem about potential is that it isn't anything until it is realized.  I had a down day of only 4 dollars while the potential was around 1200 dollars.  That is a huge amount of unrealized potential.  Here are the hands to break down the day...

The table limps to me in the BB and I find the Ac Kd.  No checking anymore.  I raise it up to $15.  I get two callers.  The flop comes Kd Ks 4d.  I check.  One caller bets out $15.  A fold in late position.  I reraise to $45.  He reraises me.  I insta-movein. He calls, only having to put a few more into the pot.  He asks if I have AK and I say yes.  He shows the K7.  The turn card is the Jd and the river is a 7.  That would be a 4/1 dog beating me in that pot.  For him to win the pot, it was more like 95/5, which is worse.  But if you count his chop outs, then it's more like 4/1.  I had to rebuy.  I'm now in for $400.  If I had won that pot, I would have had $380 in front of me.  Next.

Uri is a drunk who kept taking forever to play his hands.  He would raise with J6 and 92 and everything else you can imagine. He raised to $15 a lot.  On one such occasion, I found AA and min raised him to $30.  He shoved and I insta-called.  He showed down the A4.  A four hit the board, but I won the pot.  Ok, I doubled up and now I'm at $400.

Uri, again does the same thing.  I have KK this time and the same result.  He moved in on the flop and I called.  He did have the nut flush draw but missed.  I added some more to my stack.  I now have $580 in front of me.

A new player came into Uri's spot and acted like he was the king of the table, telling people he would call their all in no matter what.  He wanted to be tough and act like he didn't care.  So, I decided to teach him a lesson. I found QQ and after he raised, I reraised.  He called and the flop came down A64.  That easily, my QQ is cracked.  So I check and he bets out 15.  I call it.  The turn  is a blank.  I check and he bets out 15 again.  While I ponder the call, he says, "Sir, your queens are no good."  I already had a plan in mind but this entrenched it even further.  I call his 15.  The river is another blank.  I stick out 100.  He has only about 85 left.  Now, he says that he thinks I have a set.  So, he looks back at his hand and mucks.  I show him the QQ and say that I guess it is good.  Nice play, he says.

There was this young guy to my left the whole day.  He had long hair and a hoody.  When I sat down, he had $700 in front of him.  After a few hours, he had $39 left.  He lost it when he moved in.  So he was on tilt, hard.  He rebought and we were involved in a pot.  So the guy who called my QQ hand raises.  I find AA again.  I raise it up to $40.  Tiltboy calls rather quickly and so does the other guy.  The flop comes 4J8.  I bet out 75 and tiltboy calls fast.  Fold from the other.  Turn is an 8 and I move in on tiltboy.  He calls instantly with JJ.  Flopped a set.  He was on tilt so hard, I really thought his range was quite large, including KK QQ AJ 10's 9's.  I guess when he called the flop so quickly, I should have had him on a hand.  He knew I had AA.  I think everyone did.  So there was 200 lost.

Let's add it all up.  My initial 200 plus the 180 from AK plus the AA and KK from Uri is another 400 plus the 200 from tiltboy. This equals 980 plus the pots I won not discussed here.  Instead, I play very well and got unlucky.  I didn't find myself on tilt at all.  It was a good feeling.  So the potential was huge and the results were not.  Probably good that it was on a Friday, so I can get over it for Monday.  

Baby You're So Cruel

I forgot to blog yesterday so this is about the last two days.  Yesterday was kinda lame just like the other days have been lately. I didn't get many hands.  Really just one to talk about.  

The Texas guy was to my left and after I limped, he raised to $15.  There were two callers after that and then the action was back to me.  I had limped with the 67c.  It is a modest holding and since there were 3 already in the pot, I decided to join in. The flop was innocuous when it fell 5h 8d 3s.  I was third to act and after the blinds checked, I did too.  Texas guy did not.  He bet $15.  The two blinds called the $15.  So there is a bet and two calls in front of me.  I have $79 left and decided that I played it in such a fashion that they could reasonably put me on a set of 5's.  So, I moved in.  Texas guy was next and thought about it for a while, especially a hard  call with two left to act behind.  He called.  Blinds folded.  My plan had not worked.  There was the back up plan.  The turn was a blank and the river fell the 4c.  As soon as he called, he asked if I had a set and I said no and then I asked him if he had an overpair.  He didn't reply so I can't tell for sure what he had.  I am guessing 10's. He was not happy and when I got to work today, there he was, still in that same orange jacket, grinding away.

So today was going well.  I made a good value bet on the river with AA and got paid.  I think the guy next to me had AJ or KJ.  I bet the flop, he called.  The turn was a J and I bet again and he insta-called.  I said that it was a fast call.  He said he liked his hand.  Playing it a bit to bold for me to believe.  So, on the river I bet 75 and he called.

I ran into some trouble when I raised from UTG with 10's.  I got a few callers and the flop came down 9 high unsuited, unconnected.  I bet it again.  This time, the young Asian guy raised it up.  I know he's a good player, capable of making plays if he thinks I have something like AK.  So I moved in.  He had to deliberate for a minute or two but then called, showing KK.  That was a downer.  I was close to leaving, too.  I added on 100 before I left, just in case I had a hand to play.  

A few hands later, I find 69d on the button and limp.  The tall black guy to my left on the SB raises it up, like he was doing, all the time.  The BB called and so did the man to my right.  The flop was 4710 of diamonds.  The SB bet 15, the man to my right called it and so did I.  Turn was the 9h.  SB bets out 30 this time.  Man to my right moves in for his last 20 and I call the 30. River is a 9s.  The SB bets out 30 again and I raise it up to 80.  He called saying that a flush was good.  And it was.  So the hand I lost was wiped clean after this nice little guy.  Back at it tomorrow.

Mysterious Ways

Today was just like the other days but this time I won a decent amount.  How is this happening?  I flopped one set and rivered a full house, very similar to yesterday.  I flopped a set of 2's and rivered the 8.  Check this out.  The flop was 10c 8c 2h.  I have 2s 2d.  I bet right out.  I can't have donks doing crazy things.  I get a caller, Tommy Lee Jones.  The turn?  What could it be?  A great card, the 7c.  I mean that is brutal.  It goes check check and the river is the 8.  I bet out and got paid.

The other hand was against these two donks.  I have the red 7s.  The flop came out 653.  I bet out 11 and got raised by one of them to 21.  The other cold calls the 21.  I am laughing at there donkness.  They both have about 50 and I just shove out 100. They both call and I river the 4.  HE HAW.

Still a slow day.  I had no hands really.  I didn't have AA KK 10 10 or 99.  I had QQ once and JJ twice.  No AK and AQ once.  I can't wait to break on through to the other side and just bulldoze.  

A Sort of Homecoming

Today was another crap day that happened to show a profit.  I finally flopped my first set and got it all in for a double up.  I also had another full house that paid me off too.  I was real short then so it wasn't huge.  I played the hand great though...

I had Jh 10d in the SB and chose to play.  The flop was the 5s Qs Jc.  I checked and called a smallish bet of about $12, putting him on a flush draw or Q, hoping to avoid or get lucky.  The turn brough the 10c.  I checked and he bet out $45.  I really had to think about it.  At this point, I thought he was acting a bit too tough.  I thought he might not have much at all.  I decided to make the call out of position.  If there was a tough spot in this hand it was right here because I was out of position and wasn't sure what to do.  I didn't want to shove for some reason but now thinking deeper, it was probably the right thing to do.  I just didn't want to lay it down so I called.  So the pot has 90 plus 12 plus 12 more at least equalling around 125.  

The river is the Js.  I filled up nicely.  Now, how do I extract?  I thought this guy was pretty tough, a decent player who knows what he's doing.  I decided to play right into that image of him and bet a smallish, scared amount, that doesn't want to get raised.  I bet $50.  He thought for a while and shoved.  I had $70 left and called.  He was a little upset I didn't call faster.  I had to think for a minute.  I've been running terribly so I wanted to make sure he didn't have Q 10 or QQ.  Either way, there was no way I could fold it.  Nice hand, played well.  

Now, tomorrow is another day that I hope to be able to break though.  I have really had a bad run here and I'm sick of it.  COME ON.

9 Handed

I think something about playing 9 handed at the Horseshoe affects the hands I get.  I seriously have not flopped a set in 18 hours of play.  I have had AA twice.  The profitable hands are just gone.  I hope the losing streak I watched Jim battle through a few weeks ago is not creeping onto me and my bankroll.  Needless to say, I had another losing day.  It was not all a waste though.  

I had a few good bluffs.  One time when the flush card hit on the river, I bet it and he insta-folded. The other was against the red shirted older gentleman.  I had nothing.  The problem is, he caught me later when he had something legit.  I also hit a straight twice.  Got paid once.

I got the tourney coming Sunday.  I think it's going to be good to change it up before Monday.  The tourney is a good to chance to not only get a change of pace by playing a different type of poker but also a good chance to get a change of scenery. Hopefully the losing ways are out of my system and I can take this tourney down.

Grind Me

This is a grind and there is no way around it.  I was battling hard today.  I simply could not break through.  

I picked on this loose aggressive player while he was in a straddle. I raised his straddle with the 8c 10h.  Of course, he called. This might have been my mistake, thinking he would lay a hand down.  So the flop came 9h 3s 5h.  I bet it and he called.  The turn brought the 10s.  I KNEW I was ahead.  I just knew it.  So i shoved the rest of my stack in, about $90.  He insta-called.  I mean instantly, he called.  The turn was the 7h.  He showed the Qh 4h.  I had to rebuy. 

Later, I had the AJ in the cutoff and limped to a 4 handed pot.  The board was J high and the same donk was in the pot against the foreigner and myself.  I got all in again and the foreigner turned a straight.  Donk didn't even show.  

I lost with KQ on a K high board.  The flop was the K92.  Turn a 4.  River a 2.  He showed 42.  It was bruuuutal.  

I finally got dealt AA.  I got them twice but not much action with them.  Never had playable hands, really. I want to play and enjoy playing hands like 89d 56h 78s and the like.  I simply did not have good holdings all day.  I will grind again tomorrow. And the tourney is one day closer...

And sometimes you gotta say please....

Welcome to the fabulous Las Horseshoe.  Today was first day at the new Horseshoe and it was great.  The poker room is amazing and the casino itself is the best in the area.  I felt like I was in the Wynn or the Bellagio.  

The poker room holds 36 or so tables.  There are two levels.  The upper one is in the back two steps up from the main level.  It holds 8 of the 36.  They play the higher stakes games up there.  By the time I left, there was a list for PLO and Omaha 8.  I hope I can get into one of those games sometime.  They also had 3/6 6/12 and 2/5 NL and 5/10 NL.  

I played my regular 1/2 and it was a good game.  The dealers were good.  I recognized a few and especially one who took me in that pot when I had the ass end of the straight.  He was cool then and still is now.  

The game itself was slow.  I didn't have many hands.  I never had AA and only had KK once and got NO action.  I flopped a few hands and that kept me alive.  I also had QQ hold up against what I am guessing was JJ.  I bet it the whole way until the A hit the river.  

I had a donk try to hit a flush against my AK and also had that same donk try to drive everyone out of the pot when it was 9 high and I had 10 10.  Thanks for the 130!  Tomorrow is an off day and then I'm back again.  Still looking forward to the tourney on Sunday.  Back Thursday.

Sometimes it's slow

Today was so slow.  I was down $90 and then left up $113.  I can't give too much info because nothing really happened.  I lost to Sal in a pot where he had TPTK and I only had J kick.  I suspected so I made smallish bets to avoid getting raised big.  Got away cheaper than it could have been.

I flopped two sets.  Absolutely no action on the first set, a set of 4's.  The other was a set of 6's.  The board was 5s 6s 10c. There were about 5 people in the pot.  A donk bet $5 and someone called.  Then Joe made it $30.  I made it $80.  Fold. Fold. A slow fold from Joe.  Damn.  He had some chips behind, too.  

Six hours and didn't get AA once.  Uh.  I didn't really lose too many pots but didn't win any either.  Just glad to have an up day and a decent one at that.

I'm back, baby!

I'm recovered from the crazy day that was 'feces and spiders'.  I'm back onto the streak of winning sessions of poker.  I played for about 5 1/2 hours and nothing too crazy happened.  I'll give a rundown.  

I had 9c 5h from the BB.  Flop comes 678h.  Pretty nasty.  I got rewarded with the pot.  The turn was another 6.  Not good.  I bet small each time just in case.  He had the Ah and a pair.  

A hand early on I had Qh 10h.  The flop comes Ah Kh 9s.  I thought about it and decided I wasn't going anywhere on the flop.  I have a couple outs.  The turn was the Jc.  NICE.  I like this card here because it disguises the hand.  If a heart turns, it's obvious. I won this pot against two players.  The A rivered, too.

One donkament played his whole stack to the end with a flush draw and hit it on my two pair.  I talked a small amount of shit and he said to me that when I sucked out on him he didn't say anything.  I quickly shot back, "you should have." He was in for $600 and got up and busting the 3rd time.

I had JJ and made a standard raise.  The flop came 10 high.  Ron checked and I bet $20.  He called.  The turn was a blank and he shot out a nice bet of $25.  I still had him on A10.  The river was another rag and he checked.  I decided quickly I was good as there were no overs and I was extremely confident he had A10.  I bet out $50 on the river.  He called it.  The JJ held up and I heard him whisper to the guy next to him he had A10.  A dead on read is nice to have while I am in a hand.  A skill I need to work on.

Finally flopped a set of A's.  I had wanted to for the last month or so.  I finally did and got a nice pot of Old Jim.  

Back to the grind tomorrow.

Feces and Spiders

Yesterday I had one of the weirdest days of my life.  It was Monday August 26, 2008.  I got up around 8:30 AM to drive Annie to work.  

A little background.  On Saturday, I finished moving out of my apartment.  The storage unit was open for only a few hours on Sunday so the car had lots of things in it.  It was completely packed from Saturday night until Monday morning.  So we get to the car around 8:45 AM and there is a massive spider web in the passenger seat.  One of my guitars was in that seat.  The web was connected to the guitar case, the rear view mirror, and the passenger door.  It was a huge web but we could not find the spider at all.  

So I get Annie to work and while she leaves, I get out the car to remove the web and, hopefully, the spider.  I remove the web and find the spider curled up on the black part of the mirror.  It starts moving toward me.  It runs on its web toward the passenger door and rests on the edge of the door and the wind shield.  I find a piece of paper and smash it into the spider several times until the paper has a brownish liquid on it.  

Ahh.  It's dead.  So I proceed to the storage unit to unload the car.  After 30 minutes of moving, lifting, packing, repacking, and organizing, I get back to the car to remove the body.  I flick at it with a new piece of paper found on the ground of the parking lot.  I get the body loose and it falls toward me, still connected to its web.  For an instant, I feel that it is still alive and coming at me.  But it is not to be.  It just dangles lifelessly from its silk web.

I'm feeling a bit rattled and very sensitive to itches and feelings on my skin.  So how do you relax that feeling?  I thought the best idea was to get someone else into the car so they could make sure there were not more spiders hiding.  An oil change was necessary so I went directly to Jiffy Lube.  Now the oil is changed and I feel comfortable about being in the car.

Crisis averted.  Now onto more important things.  Building a shelf for the closet.  Home Depot will help.  I head to the location on N. Halsted.  I've always been a fan of Home Depot but this visit was different.  I head for the lumber section and get some attitude from an employee.  I ask him for help and he replies "With what?"  Like he is too good for me or something.  Super annoying.  So it turns out you have to to saw your own lumber because they have no room for a power saw.  Wow.  What the hell?  I spend the next 30 minutes cutting pieces of wood for the shelf.

So I finally get home and get started on the shelf.  A few minutes after starting, a maintenance man knocks on the door.  The question he asks is in some broken English.  Is your bathtub OK? I thought that it was fine because it was draining fine the night before.  Well, I had no clue what the hell I was talking about.  He came right in and took a look.  It was about 6 inches full of some green liquid.  No clue what it was but the same problem was happening next door.  The maintenance guy heads back over the apartment next door for the next hour or so.  He must have been banging and clanking and screwing and doing whatever else he thought was necessary to stop the problem.  

Well the problem did not go away.  It was the opposite, in fact.  The bathtub filled higher and higher and it came up from the drain and out of the backup drain.  But it's not just liquid.  I am disgusted to say that it was some solid, too.  The same was true for the toilet.  That's right.  It was coming right back up at us after we sent it down.  After coming close, the water receded.  It was a close call.  But it was not over.  After coming close and going down, and coming close again and going back down again, it was up for good and I mean overflowing out of the toilet and getting dangerously close in the tub.  I immediately grabbed a towel and put it under the door and closed the door to prevent it from coming out of the bathroom.  This was a nightmare situation.  

"That smell, Bob, is our shit."

After overflowing for about 10 minutes, it stopped.  But the water was still standing in the bathroom.  Another maintenance man came and started cleaning it up.  He had a hose with a pump that went right out the window and onto the roof!?  He got the toilet empty and most of the tub.  The rest of the tub was to be fixed with a shop vac.  The other, original maintenance man came back with that and they both starting vacuuming.  The back end of the shop vac starting leaking and spraying out onto our bed and the suitcases and clothes we had nearby.  I yell at them to stop.  I just shake my head.  Idiots.  Ten minutes later, half a bottle of 409 later, and a bunch of wet towels later, the bathroom is ok to use.  The last guy leaves, telling me that I can use it.  Oh man.  This was a 6 hour affair.  It was a long ass day and I didn't even get paid for it.

One day after recovering from that episode, I am ready to get back to the Up and Down.  Wednesday, I am back.