Poker and I Make Up (A Little)

Sorry I haven't blogged in a while.  Summer is usually busy time for me, and with everything going on I haven't been playing much poker.  I had to cancel my Vegas trip after the dismal spring we had kept me from amassing anything that resembled a playable bankroll.  Vegas is depressing when you only have a few hundred to play off.

I have only played a few tournaments in the past couple months.  I went to Pyxis' game a few weeks ago.  13 players, I felt good (for a change) and things went well.  I won a bunch of small pots early, then went on a heater.  I busted Cindy and another guy when I flopped three Aces.  Guy raised preflop, we're short handed so I call with A-10.  Cindy calls.  Flop A-3-A.  He open/shoves.  Cindy tanks and calls.  I can't fold, so I call.  He has KK, Cindy has a flush draw and bricks.  After that hand I had a pretty good command on the table.  I did make one hero fold I shouldn't have.  I got AK from UTG and limped.  Papa Z was short stacked and shoved (as I had anticipated).  All of a sudden Jamie shoves over the top of him.  Jamie had me covered and I knew I was behind now so I folded.  He showed QQ to Papa Z's 44 and won.  The turn was a K, I would've scooped a pretty massive pot.  The final table went pretty quick.  I snapped a hand off in Pyxis that should've won me the tournament.  Folds to me, I limp from SB with 58c.  She checks.  Flop 5-7-9 one club.  I lead out and bet, she raises me.  I am trying to decide if she has 68 from the BB and flopped the joint.  I just call.  Turn is the Qc.  I check, she bets a little over half my stack.  I now have a pair, gutter, and flush draw.  I call.  River is a club and I open/shove.  The pot is so massive she has to call and I table my flush.  She shows KK and curses me.  That pot pushed me over and I made it to heads up where I donked off to a new kid who got hit with the deck.  Every time I tried to take a pot from him he woke up with a monster.  I finally dumped my stack when I shoved from the button with 4-6 on a steal and he snap called with A6.  Ooops.  Second was still OK.

I have been playing a little bit of $2/4 and $3/6 hold'em at Nautica.  That place is a trip, playing limit poker there is an exercise in patience and attention.  If you're not hitting, you're screwed.  There's no bluffing at these limits, so you have to show down a hand.  I sat down with a hundred and lost half my stack on hand #1 when I flopped top set J's and turned a full house.  I lost to a two out K's full on the river.  FIVE PEOPLE played that hand all the way down to capped betting.  It was sick.  I did see the most ridiculous attempt at cheating that I've ever witnessed at a live game before.  We're playing $3/6 and it's close to closing time.  A kid sits down with a rack of white chips and plays a few hands.  He gets dealt into a hand when I am the button.  He limps, I fold and the blind raises to $6.  A few people including the kid call.  Flop comes J-6-6.  The initial raiser bets, two people call.  I look over at the kid and his cards are gone.  The dealer puts out a 4 on the turn.  Raiser bets again, again two calls, again kid sitting there and no cards.  River is a K.  Raiser bets again, someone in between raises him.  Back to the inital bettor who calls.  The three people who've been betting all table ragged J's for a three way chop.  All of a sudden, the kid jumps up and says "I win" and throws AK down on the table.  Everyone looks at him like he's got a lobster on his head.  He reaches over to scoop the pot and the other guys all stop him.  Arguing ensues as kid never put any money in post-flop and no one could see his cards (he took them off the table).  He starts arguing it's his pot, then when everyone including me and the dealer point out he never put any money in or said anything he gets defensive.  He tried to argue they skipped him but he never said a word and no one saw his cards.  Finally the dealer calls for the floor and security, and the kid jumps up, grabs his rack and cashes out before anyone can come talk to him.

For the week at Nautica I was plus $18, not bad I guess.  I can never seem to consistently win there, and the NL tables are getting tougher. 

I went to Data's mix game last Saturday.  I could only stay a few hours since I had to go back to work, but I made the most of it.  I decided to tighten up my hand selection (especially in stud games) and it paid off.  I only won a few pots but they were all good size.  I got lucky, too.  I had rolled up sixes twice (and won both), and turned a gutshot Broadway straight in  Stud 8 whilst inbewteen competing low hands.  I only lost a few hands, and I think I only played one hand bad (I stayed in a stud hand with pocket 7's despite Adam folding a 7 in the door and I ended up making two pair and paying off a better two pair.  Other than that hand I think I did well and finished up $160.  I took a video of a hand of Stud 8, it had been boring until fifth street when it got capped four ways.  This is my first attempt at filming a live hand so bear with me on it: