Sunday, September 27, 2009

Another Rollercoaster Week

Decided to head to Nautica on Thursday to get some cash game in since I couldn't play much this weekend. Sat down at a brand new table and proceeded to win exactly one hand. I cannot get anything going down there, and every hand turned into $35 preflop by the 2nd orbit. I got all my money in with AQh, board ends up Q-Q-10-2-4 and I chop with AQ off. Nice. Last hand I get my final $90 in with AK on the turn with a board of A-A-8-9 two diamonds. Get called by K5d and of course - river diamond that doesn't pair the board. Nice hand, sir.

Well, I couldn't play any of the regular games this weekend due to "family commitments" (read: can't leave kids in car whilst playing). After dropping them off at home I had about an hour and a half before I had to get Kirsten's car back so she could go to work. I decided to go fast-play some $5/10 limit at Nautica. Oh sweet mama, I think I've found my game. They were literally throwing money at me (they use cash, not chips in the limit games). I sit down with $180 after seat fee and parking, and get to work. Some notable hands: I get 2/5 in the blind (only one $5 blind) and it limps to the girl on the button. She pops it and I call (as does the entire table). Flop A-2-4. Checks around to her, she slaps down another $5 and everyone but me folds. Turn 6. Check-check. I know she doesn't have an Ace now, or she would've bet for sure. River 2 and I lead out for $10. She snap calls and flips over QQ, I show the 2 and drag a nice pot.

Later on I get 5-7 in middle position and this aggressive guy on the end pops it to $10 without looking at his cards. I call along with 4 others. Flop K-9-7. Checks to Mr. Aggro and he forcefully bets $5. I call and chinese lady in position calls. Turn 5. Bingo! I bet $10 and chinese lady calls. He goes "5-7 huh? Fine." and calls. River 4, I bet out again. Chinese lady calls (uh-oh) and he says "I know you have 5-7. I'm sure of it". He calls. I sheepishly turn over 5-7 and they both muck their dry kings. He starts talking shit, saying "I knew it, I was right" and I finally said "Way to make the correct read and still pay off". He got steamed and told me I wasn't playing tricky. I told him "Duh, I led out when the 5 hit, I wasn't trying to be tricky". He blew through another $200 before I got up.

My last big hand was against one of the mouthy Arab guys that plays. He pops it from middle position and I call with AJ. Flop is K-10-3. Checks around to him, he bets the $5 and everyone including me calls (I gotta call $5 into a pot of $60 something on a gutshot and two overs). Turn was a J. He bets out $10 again and I start thinking he's on QJ. I call and we take a river, A of spades. He checks disgustedly, and I would've bet $10 but I was almost sure he was on QJ. I check and show Aces up and he gets pissed, slamming his K-10 on the table and cursing my runner-runner. I scoop a nice $100+ pot. The only big hit I took was with QQ. I almost didn't even play it, but I decided to raise with it. Two callers, flop J-10-9 two hearts. Check-check, I bet, call-call. Turn is the 5d. Check, bet. What? Hmmm. I slow down and call, first guy folds. River is a 2 no heart. Check, check. I show QQ and he shows 10-9 for two pair. Nice hand, sir. I hate big pockets in limit, no way to shake the bums out. So, after parking and seat fee I cash up $187. I cut my loss for the week back to $39, which is certainly better than being stuck $226.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Weekend of Tournament Hell

My tournament poker has continued to downslide. There's nothing I can do about it right now, I don't seem to be able to fade the 2 and 3 outers. Friday night at Eddie J's I got seated at a table of complete fish. They were all playing scared and none of them wanted to get paid off. First level (25/50) Aunt Patty raises to 1050 preflop with AK, flops top top with the nut flush draw and shoves. FIRST LEVEL. I lost in two hands, really. First I get QQ, blinds 100/200, I make it 700. Patty calls. Flop 6-6-5. I bet 2K, she shoves. I show Q's and fold, she shows A6. Nice. My last hand, I get AA and make it 700 again. One caller, flop 9-6-4 off. I shove and get snap called by 44. Turn? 4. Nice hand, sir. Cash wasn't much better, nursed a single buyin for 5 hours and then finally busted at 3:45AM.

Dave's Saturday wasn't much better. Very first hand of the tournament, I am in BB with 9-4. Flop 9-9-4. I check, new guy on the end bets 50. I call. Turn? Q. I check, he bets 200. Nice. I call. River? Q of course. I check, he bets 50 again. I call and he shows Q9. I couldn't even raise, I knew he wasn't betting on a bluff. I bled chips all night, called an all-in with the nut diamond draw, other guy turns quad Q's of course. Insult flush on river. I busted in a battle of the luckboxes. I open shove my last 2800 with 77. Jack calls. Brian (Captain Luckbox) raises 3K more. Jack calls. Flop A-J-9. Jack shoves, snap called by Brian. Jack has Q-10, Brian A-Q and I am out.

The cash game showed me a little more love. I got KK and made it $6, Matt G. raises in his first hand of cash to $20. I shove, he snap calls. His AK doesn't get there and I am up. I also snapped one off in Grayday for one of his (many) buyins. I limped with K9 six handed. Flop K-10-9. Grayday bets $10, I raise it to $60. He goes in the tank and asks if he can show. I say sure, he turns up K-8. I try to figure out what I can do to make him call. I slowly roll over the 9 of spades, and he convinces himself I have A9 and calls. I let the board run out and then show him the K. Ship it! Finish cash game up $140, so down $20 overall for the weekend so far. Julie's Sunday tournament was a wash, couldn't get any real run going and the women players were hitting everything. Julie got an absolute gift when Captain Luckbox flopped a flush with a double gut straight flush draw and decided to slow play it 3 ways, letting her fill up on the river card. He then handed her another 8K chasing an open ended straight and missing. I finally bled down to 7200 and open shoved with JJ at the 300-600 level. Cheryl shoves for less with AKd, and another girl in the middle (don't know her name) says "I guess I have to call" and puts 80% of her stack in with AQ. They turn up the hands and I grab my stuff and get ready to leave. Sure enough, 3 out Q on turn and she scoops it. Total for the weekend down $60. Oh well, could be worse I guess.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Another Late Weekend Comeback

After a long day helping Kirsten cater her brother's wedding reception, we decided to head over to Dave's a bit late and play cash. The game was wild from the start, $1/1 blinds but it played like a $2/5 easily. Some highlights: Early on we are playing 7 handed. New guy limps, Jamie makes it $7. TK raises to $15. I look down at JJ and make it $100 even. New guy shoves for $128 (uh oh). Jamie goes in the tank and finally shoves for $150. TK folds and I am obligated to call. I am up against new guy's AA and Jamie's KQc. I win the side pot but lose the main. A few hands later I get Q10c and call a raise by Frank to $6. Flop is K-J-2 2 hearts. Frank checks, I shove for $72. He calls and shows K9s. River Ace gives me broadway. From there I ran it up and sat on them for a while.

We split tables for a bit and I got into a few hands. Father Time got me for $80 when he shoved preflop with AA and I called with AKh. No good. I laid down the bluff of the evening on Grayday and tilted him good. He was in a straddle and had been raising quite a bit. I raised to $12 from middle position with KJ. Grayday bumped it to $45. I didn't believe him at all, and I popped it $247 more all-in. He goes in the tank and asks if he can expose his cards. We tell him yes and he tables QQ. He's talking himself into believing I have KK or AA. I shuffle my two cards and roll over the K, making it look like I had KK and was going to show either one. He instantly folds, convinced I have it. I then roll over the J and he explodes. He goes on a tear, losing a ton before he finally got it under control.

It was also a good night for K. They were just throwing chips at her. One of my favorite hands ever happened to her. Someone made it $6 to go (Rich maybe?) and Grayday did his ole "$15 all day". Rich, Hiphop, and K call. Flop is 10-9-2 offsuit. HH and K check, Grayday goes $25. Rich raises him to $60. Hiphop goes in the tank for a minute and then puts out $200. He had this huge shit eating grin on his face, as if he knew he had picked them both off. He was definitely pleased himself until Kirsten says "I'm all in" for $600. HH looked like someone had sucker punched him. Grayday and Rich fold, and HH is pot committed for his last $160 with his QJ. Turn is a Q and river a 9 and Kirsten fills up, 10's full. Ship it.

The look on HH's face was worth the price of admission. Priceless.

Saturday, September 12, 2009

A Disappointing Friday

Played the $40 at Julie's last night. I knew it was going to be a rough one early, lot of folding in the first couple rounds whilst the women at the table were card racks. I lost a big hand early to Jen and it was downhill from there. I raised with A-10h in mid position, she called from the button. Flop A-10-9 two spades. I bet the pot, she calls. Turn Qc. I bet, she calls again. River? King. She checks and I just know she has a Jack. I check behind and she shows J-9s for the straight. I lost about 3K there and never really recovered. It was another night where I did not get dealt a pair higher than 10's, got AQ once, and AJ a few times. I didn't make a single straight or flush draw. Every move I made seemed to be the wrong one. The crippling blow was 8 handed, I had 8200 left and was in the BB for 1600. Wolverine Dave shoves from early position for a bit less than 8000, and Data flat calls. I almost shove blind but look down at 2-4. I fold it face up and watch the flop come out 3-5-6. A few hands later on the button I get A-5s and shove, Data calls with QJd and hits a Jack. At least Kirsten cashed (4th), so the night wasn't a total loss.

Wednesday, September 09, 2009

Salvaging My Poker Weekend

After the beating I took at Dave's Saturday night I was leery about playing any more this past weekend but I decided to go to Julie's on Sunday night and play the $40 tournament. Started out treading water, went up to about $20K when I busted Kerry's dad. I raised on the button with A5d, he called. Flop A-5-J. He bet into me, I shoved and he called, his AQ didn't get there and I was rolling...for a few minutes. Two rounds later, I raise on the button again with A7d, Monsignor calls. Flop A-4-2 two spades. He check raises me, I shove in and he snap calls his 14K stack off with K8s. Turn? Spade, of course. I was crippled down to $2500 but tripled up with 99 against AK and AJ. By the final table I was back up to $20K when I got really lucky. Monsignor raised on the button with AK, I shoved in with 77 and unexpectedly Cheryl called. Monsignor folded and she showed AA. I flopped a 7 and went on a roll, smashing the final table. The only bad part was sitting next to Patty. She made a point of rubbing against my leg all night, trying to get me upset or tilted. When it got down to me and her heads up, I moved to the other side of the table. Data offered to give her a penalty for the touching, but I wasn't going to give the satisfaction of thinking she got to me or the attention she so desperately wants from me. I beat her in three hands by hitting a 3 out 8 on the flop.

With the tournament cash in my pocket I hit St. Rocco's with K. I bought in for $100 and ran it up to $280. There were some truly horrible players. We ran into the jackass that called Kirsten a "lowlife" at the Parma Hts game because she wouldn't show him her cards. I took glee in busting him in two straight hands. He's truly horrible - he plays every hand no matter how much preflop and pisses and moans every time he loses. We finally cashed out and went to Con's omaha game. We left Con's after a couple of orbits though. I was expecting a more serious game, and it was very casual (and smoke filled). We headed back to St. Rocco's and I bought in for $100 again. I ran it up to $314 before feeling the fatigue set in, I decided to cash while up and waited for K to finish so we could split. Not a bad way to finish up the weekend, my Vegas roll is looking plenty healthy.

Sunday, September 06, 2009

Dave's Labor Day Weekend Cookout.

Nice time yesterday, it's always good to interact with these humans and observe their social behaviours. Yes, I put a "u" in behaviours. The cookout was smaller, not as many people showed up for food as the last one but still a decent spread. Once it got closer to game time the place blew up, 40 people in Dave's basement.

The tournament started out good for me. I was all amped up and focused. I snapped one off in Meats for his first stack with QQ (Meats, why do you raise 1/3 of your stack UTG with KQ?). Lot of new players and landmines. I love being on my game - the reads come too easy. It was sickening to see some of the idiotic plays. For example: New Player 1 raises preflop to $600 (level 100-200). New Player 2 calls. Flop Q-9-8 2 clubs. 1 checks, 2 bets, 1 calls. Turn J of clubs. So, you have straight flush draws everywhere. 1 checks, 2 moves all in. 1 goes in the tank and finally calls, showing KJ with no club. He called off 1/2 his stack on that board with a naked J and....it was good. 2 shows 6-6 (no club either). Board pairs 8 on river and KJ felts a guy. How do they make these plays??

I made possibly the best bluff I've laid down in 2 years when we were down to two tables. New guy raises preflop and I call with K5c. He's been playing pretty stupid and I'm sure I can outplay him postflop if he misses, plus I have position. Grayday's new pal Phil calls behind me. Flop is J-5-4 two hearts. Phil checks, New guy bets 2K, I flat call, Phil calls. Turn 7h. Phil checks, new guy checks, I check. I don't bet here because I want to see what Phil does on the river. If he flushed, no way he checks the river card. River is a blank (I forget exactly). Phil checks, new guy checks, I fire out 8K. I had picked up a tell on Phil and I knew he was weak here, so I was reasonably certain he would fold. (I discussed his tell with RR Dave, he saw it as well). Phil finally slides his cards in the muck and new guy tanks for a minute before deciding it was too much to call with AJ. He folds and I show the bluff and scoop a 10K pot with a pair of Balls (suited). Phil claims he laid down QJ, not sure that's true though. I put him on weaker and he folded, reaffirming my tell. That was my only bluff of the entire night.

I finally busted on a horrendous play. 5 handed (final table bubble) I get 5-5 UTG. I have 30K and the BB is essentially all-in this hand (BB is 3K, he has 45oo total). I decide to open-shove, because I want to narrow it down to me and the random hand, plus the table had been playing tight and I was fairly certain all but the nuts would fold. TK tanks, and I immediately hope he has AK. Nope, he has QQ and calls, and I bust 10th. If I put in a raise there to 10-12K I am essentially committed anyway, he's certainly going to at least call and the flop was low. I would've probably shoved the flop to isolate anyway. My first instinct was to just fold, but I didn't listen to myself and it cost me.

Cash game was also another beating. I tripled up to $300 early after raising with 6-7d and making a flush on the river. After that, it was back to getting my ass kicked. My AQ loses to KK, QQ beat by A9 and A5, and I made a poor read on Phil and folded a hand I shouldn't have. He raised to $12 preflop and I called with KQs. Flop A-K-7, he bets out $20. My first thought was he missed, but I pussied out and folded, and he showed 6-6. Note made. I finally busted after shoving on Mailman with KQh, he calls off $62 with A8s and high cards me. Nice. I can't seem to get any traction in the cash games, I win one or two pots early and the wheels come off. I guess I will stick to tournaments until Vegas. Just 5 weeks to go until I am chilling at Harrah's for a week.

Wednesday, September 02, 2009

A Mountaineer Mauling

Made it down to Mountaineer yesterday for some $1/2 with the hillbillies. Made a couple of bad reads and got pummelled. Had A/K in the cutoff, mid position guy (pretty solid) makes it $12. I call as does a donkey I recognize as a regular. Flop is AK2 w/two diamonds. Checks to me, I bet out $25. Donkey calls, solid guy ups it $75. I shove, donkey folds, other guy calls and snaps off his set of K's into me for my stack. I had to get up and walk that one off. I think I misplayed it, I should've either folded or flat called, the turn was a 2 that made a flush and paired the board. Seeing that card I could've easily folded.

Later on, I get some internet wonders at my table. They start making it $35 preflop every hand (why don't they just sit at the $2/5?) I get JJ, one of them does the $35 thing and I shove over top of him for his last $105. He snap calls, KK of course. Just to rub it in, he has a higher diamond and makes the nut flush on the turn. Oops. Several hands later, I call a $10 raise with 5/7s on the button, flop comes 4-6-A two spades. The raiser shoves his stack in, and I call. He has A4, and I brick out again. I played a 5.5 hour session and didn't make a single straight or flush, didn't flop a set, and only had a pair higher than 10's three hands (JJ twice and AA once). I've been running so fucking bad it's ridiculous. Yes, you can argue the 5-7 hand was a bad preflop call but I had position and got about the best possible flop for it. My streak is still alive at 8 straight visits to Mountaineer without a positive cashout (one break even session).

So, in non poker news I found a baby bunny today. It was hiding behind the service valves on an air conditioner I was working on. It was pretty scared, and it's nest had been destroyed by the neighbor's cat. His littermate had not gotten so lucky, he was mangled in the front yard. I put Mr. Bun Bun in a small box with a washcloth and took him with me. After a couple phone calls, everyone said go put him back because his mom would come back for him. So, I drive all the way back to this call and when I lift him out of the box...he's dead. Stiff. In rigor, couldn't have been dead an hour. I promptly secured the box in several layers of funeral grade plastic bag and interred his remains in our Rubbermaid crypt/trash cannister.

I wanted to get out to Dave's tonight, but I don't own a car anymore (turns out if you stop paying the loan the greedy fuckers come and take back the car). My work truck is lo/jacked to it's not going anywhere except work. I guess it's time for me to go get a beater.