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.

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.