Weekend update

Pretty decent weekend, even if I did have the worst run of cards that I can imagine in 5 hands, and I don't think there was anything I could do about it.

I went to play on Friday, and found they've finally solved the whole stakes confrontation. They now have the $50 min / $200 max baby game, a $1500 minimum ($10/$25 or $25/$50 blinds depending on who starts the game) no max crazy monkey game, and they've started a third game - $400 min / $1000 max, $5 / $10 blind game. This is fantastic news, as this was the game I used to play, except with a $1k cap now. You might think this is a bad thing, but it actually promotes more action because people don't risk their entire bankroll.

I crushed the game on Friday - walked out with over triple my (max) buyin, and played pretty well, and got lucky a couple times. Also, someone who I hadn't seen since December or January made an appearance and sat down at my game. I like Andy, and he's a good player and I always learn a couple things when I sit next to him.

One hand of note from Friday, illustrating a lesson I learned from Andy:

I'm 2 off the button, and there are 2 limpers in the hand before me (Andy's one of them). I've got pocket 8's, so I limp in as well. The guy on the button, who's on the short stack ($250 or so, compared to my $2k) makes it $50 to go. The blinds fold, and it gets to Andy who bought in for half the max (the trip to the casino was spur of the moment, and the ATM only gives you so much cash), so is a bit handicapped. He thinks for a bit, and then folds. I call, hoping to hit my 8 on the flop.

The flop comes down Q J 4 rainbow. I check, the button bets $50 again, and this confuses me, because he didn't progress (raise the value of) his bet - he bet like he had to bet because he raised. So I wrinkle my nose and call. The turn is a 7, and I check again. Bettor bets $75. Again, this just feels all weird to me - he progressed because he had to, not because he had a hand. So I call again, and the river comes down a 3.

I check, and the button goes all in for $160. Arrrrrgh, why didn't I bet or raise any of the streets? I look over and I ask him, "What do you have? I can't see you raising $50 preflop on Ace Jack or Ace Queen..." He replies, "It's $160 to find out." I sigh and I keep thinking about the hand and how it played and it just all seems like AK to me but still, I'm not sure about calling until he says the fateful words to the dealer: "Put her on time."

That made my decision right there. See, I don't know how well known of a fact it is, but generally when a player is put on time, they're much more likely to fold than to call, and a player putting someone on time probably wants their opponent to fold as well, otherwise it's rather bad ettiquite to do so.

I waited a couple seconds, and then said, "Fine, I call." I usually flip my hand over at this point, but wanted to see what the heck he had. Turns out it was AK of hearts. I flip over my 88, and the whole table goes "wow, good call." Andy leans over to me and says "That's the exact same hand I had! Good call!"

"Yeah, but I think I played that hand all wrong. I shouldn't have had to MAKE that decision - I should have been putting the pressure on him to make the decisions," I said.

Andy told me that with my stack being so large, and his being so small, I should have put him all in preflop and put that decision back on him, in fact, he was thinking of going all in and asked if I would have called. I said that I most certainly not have - there aren't very many hands in late position that I limp in with that I could call an all in on.

I used that information the next night (Saturday) in almost the exact same situation; I limped, an over-player made it $50, he had $250 in his stack, I had $1100, so I said "I put you all in" with my 99, and they held up.

I should have followed my first instincts on Saturday, though - I was playing and someone tapped me on the shoulder and when I looked around I couldn't find hide nor hair of said person, and so started looking around and saw a side profile that I recognized - it was my absolute favorite dealer who had moved up to work at Potowatamee in WI come back to visit Trump. He was playing $10/$20 limit, and there was a seat open and he said "Come sit down and play here, I'll even buy you a beer!"

Someone please tell me why I passed that up? My game sucked that night, I wasn't doing well in the game, and I would have loved to hang out with M for the evening and catch up. My only excuse is my leaving would have made the game short handed, and there were regulars that were at the table that would have BITCHED AND MOANED to no end if I left them short handed and I didn't want to hear it.

I'm such a girl, and I need to fix that, because karma came back to bite me in the butt - I lost ALL my money in about 20 minutes on a series of hands I played correctly, but just ended up losing. Well, I think I played them correctly, you be the judge.

First hand, I am in the BB with Q♦ 4♣. It gets to me and everyone but one person limps in for $10, so there's $90 in the pot. I just check, and the flop comes down:

Q♥ Q♠ 5♥

I don't even bother slowplaing my trips here with the flush on board, so I bet $75. I get called by the major fish at the table, who has been calling almost everything down to the river and then folding to a river bet. I put this guy on a 5 or an underpair. Maybe he has the queen, which means I have kicker issues, but I don't think so.

Turn: 5♣. I now have the Big boat, I bet $150, the guy calls.

I don't even remember what the river card was, it was a brick. I put him all in for $340 more, and he can't get his chips in fast enough. I show my Q, and he shows ...

... well I was right about the 5. I just didn't expect that he had TWO OF THEM for QUADS for the second quad fives he's had that night. Seriously.

Damn. But anyone with that hand is going to lose that money, I really don't think I could have played it any better, especially after the 5 comes on the turn.

I fold my small, and my button is an inconsequential hand.

In the cutoff, I get T♦9♦. Everyone folds to me, so I make it 3 times the big to go. The button calls as does the small, but the big folds.

The flop comes down

Q♥ 8♦ 6♣

This is a GREAT flop for me, considering - I've got a double gutshot, and I can't really imagine that it hit anyone else. The J or the 7 gives me a straight, and it's a sneaky one that no one's going to see. I bet $75 into the $90 pot. The button calls, the SB folds.

The turn is a 9♥. Not exactly the card I want to see, but I get a pair, and so I bet $125 into the now $240 pot. The button goes all in, and I pretty much cry and fold because it's another $350 to make a call and I don't have that good of odds. He said he hit a set on the flop and wanted the flush draw out. Dammit.

This is the only hand I could have played differently - checked the turn to maybe see a river, or saved $125 when he makes a big bet.

The very next hand, I get A♦K♦

UTG+1 makes it $30. He's been making it $30 on a lot of hands, from small pairs to AJ. I toss a black chip in there and say "Raise to $100". He replies, "Well, I guess I'll have to make a set" and calls.

The flop comes down 4♣ 9♦ 7♦ and the little pocket pair checks to me.

If the diamonds aren't out there, I maybe play this differently? Anyway, I assume he doesn't hit, and I've got the redraw, so I semibluff with $200 into the $230 pot.

He says "I put you all in." Sigh. I have $130 left at this point, which means i'm getting ($230 + $200 + $330) / $130 odds to call or 5.8 to 1 to call. I'm 2 to one to get my flush draw by the river, according to Harrington. I call, and flip over my big slick.

He flips over pocket sevens for a set (WHO CALLS $70 with 77????).

The turn? 9♣ - to give him an unbeatable sevens full.

The river? 4♦ - to add insult to injury, I make my flush and IGHN.

At least I was up over a buyin for the weekend.

But next time, if someone offers to buy me alcohol to change games? I'm so there, especially if the game I'm in is BORING.