A Much Needed Poker Win

I decided to make my way to Dave's again Saturday to play the tournament and try to work on my game a little. I was floating around the 8k starting stack until after the break when I got moved to Gary's table. Gary raised to 16k and 5 people (including me) called. I had K-10, flop was 10-10-3. Gary bet, I shoved and he called with A3c. He turned a wheel and club draw but bricked the river and I suddenly had 24k. I got moved to table 3 (incidentally, I ended up being moved enough times that I played at all 4 tournament tables at one point or another). I was in the BB for 1200 when the SB raises to 2500. I call with 98c and the flop comes J-8-2. He shoves for his last 4K and I call, he has A9 and misses. With 32K I get moved back to the feature table and then start getting pummelled. I lose 9K to Monsignor when he re-raises me all-in with J-10d against my AJ. Of course he hit his flush on the turn, I'm drawing dead. Crippled, I lose a few more small pots and get moved AGAIN to table 2. I blind off some more until I get AK on the BB. Colin button raises and I shove my last 16K in, he snap calls with A7d and sure enough he rivers a flush. Shell shocked, I get up.

With that we had enough people to open an 8 game table for $3/6 stakes. The game played mostly solid except for Jack being in damn near every hand. I get dealt rolled up K's in stud, bet it like it's going out of style, and lose to Jack's gutshot straight draw that gets there on 7th street. I also turned a straight and flush draw in PLO and lost $25 on the river when I made my flush and paid off Meat's higher flush. I finished the cash game up $9. A win is a win, I'll take it. After a 5AM run to IHOP with the 8 game crew I head home to sleep it off.

I get up Sunday at 1 and decide to meander over to Julie's for the $60. Julie gets crippled early by Kristina when they both flop trips and Kristina has an Ace with hers. In a limped pot I flop top pair Jacks with QJ and lead out. Julie snap calls. On the turn a 2nd diamond comes out, and Julie shoves her stack in. I call and she shows 10-7 for a gutshot and a flush draw. She bricks and I win. I then cripple myself when I call a raise in position with 3-4d. Flop 4-5-10 2 diamonds. I check raise the original raiser and he calls. Turn is the Kh and he shoves half his stack in. I have a monumental brain fart and just shove on him, he snap calls and rolls over AKd. Brick on the river and I'm down to 200. I get K2d on the button, Kristina min-raises and I shove. There's 1100 in the pot and I raise her 2100 more. She calls with A4 and I am out.

I decide to head over to Nautica and ply my trade at $5/10 limit. I was surprised to see Andre at the $2/5 tables, when I left he had over $1600 in his stack. I sit down and fold for a little bit and watch the table. There's an ATM at the end that is in hyper aggressive mode. He's betting and raising every chance he can, and people keep folding to him. Finally someone gets pissed and calls him with a pair of 2's which end up being good. Smelling blood, the regulars and I begin running him down. I get AQ in the blind and call his raise, flop is K-8-2 all spades (I have the As). He bets and I smooth call with a few others. Turn the Js. DA NUTS! He bets again and I smooth call him, down to just us. River is a blank and he bets again. I pop it to $20 and he gets mad and calls, I show him the nuts and scoop a nice one. I win a bunch of smaller pots and after 2 seat fees decide I don't want to pay a 3rd. I cash out up $150, recovering my two tournament losses for the weekend and adding a bit of scratch to my poor, anemic bankroll. I think I need to spend more time at the $5/10, I can play it pretty soft and still make a decent profit.