| 2 Posts in One |
[Oct. 15th, 2006|10:45 am] |
Well, since the whole "online poker is now illegal" crap, I didn't play for a while. Now that things are a little bit clearer, I fired up PS and jumped into my usual .02/.05 NL game. For those of you who are new to my blog, this is my little blog of me switching from a poor, losing limit player into a winning NL player. That's why I'm at such a small stake. But actually, things are going kinda well and I'm actually thinking about staying at this level for a while. I'm not sure yet. I have to figure out what I want to do. Do I stay at this level and just be a recreational player...play a few hours a week for a couple extra bucks here and there? Or do I want to try to move up in stakes and be more serious about it. I don't have a lot of time to play, so I'm leaning towards the recreational side of it.
At any rate, I played Wednesday and again Friday, but didn't get a chance to post about it. So this post is both sessions in one.
Wednesday went well. First table I was at, I got no hands. Played a couple of orbits and decided to try another table. This table, the cards started coming. AQ early on and I won a 1.27 pot. Next hand, Q6s (clubs) in the SB, three limpers in front, so with the BB, that would be 4 (+ me)...yeah, I'll complete. And, I made several mistakes on this hand. Flop is 10-10-J, with two clubs. I'm first to act and I maybe should have bet here, but I didn't. It gets checked around and the turn is the 9 of hearts. Now there's 2 hearts and 2 clubs on the board. Again I check, the BB folds (even thou there wasn't a bet), everyone else checks. River is the ace of clubs, I got my flush! Not the nut flush since someone could have Kx of clubs. I'm not worried too much about a full house because we probably would have heard from someone with a FH by now. I bet .15 into a .25 pot, two people call, the button raises to .95. This is where I screwed up. He has 2.19 left. Like I said, I shouldn't worry about the FH, and what are the chances he has the ONE card that beats me (the king of clubs) AND he has a second club in his hand? Stupid me just calls. The two other guys fold. The button flips up 5-2 of clubs for a freaking baby flush and I take the pot, but I should have stacked him.
Later, I flop the nut flush (LOVE when that happens!), but only win a .95 pot. Sometimes, hard to get paid off with a hand like that unless someone gets a hand. I get pushed off my pocket queens when someone check-raised me all in for his last 2.03 when the board came up 9-7-7 with two clubs. I don't feel like racing with QQ if he has a flush draw and he was in the SB (and called my 4xBB preflop raise) so he could have a 7. I get lucky again when my A5s makes a flush on the river. An orbit or two after that, I decide to leave that table and join another...not sure why.
But I'm glad I did. Nothing really going on early on...I raise with KK and everyone folds. I go a couple of orbits with nothing happening, then get AA one off the button. Two limpers in front and I raise to .25 thinking that will get rid of the blinds. It doesn't as the SB calls me as does the two limpers. Flop is good for me...2-8-T rainbow. I get nervous with big pairs because the chance to lose a lot is great. You have to be willing to let them go and sometimes I don't. So, I wouldn't mind if I win right here. There's 1.05 in the pot and it's checked to me. I shouldn't have bet so much, but I bet $1. A little concerned when the SB calls me. What could he have? I immediately think set. That's what I do...immediately think the other guy has me beat. I'm not as bad as I was, but the thought still creeps in there. Plus, you figure he has something or he wouldn't call. The two other guys fold. The turn is another 8. Great. If he made a pair of eights on the flop, he now has me beat. He checks. I figure he'll let me know if I'm beat by check raising here. I can't check. That's weakness and if he bets the river, I have no idea where I'm at. I bet $1 into a 3.05 pot. He calls. Damn. What does he have? I'm usually ok at reading hands, but I can't figure this one out. KK? QQ? He probably would have reraised me preflop. JQ and he's staying for the gutshot? I've seen it done at these low levels. River is a harmless looking 6 of spades. He checks. Screw it. He can't have anything good if he keeps checking. Obviously, he's worried about what I got. Put up or shut up time...he's got 3.31 left, so that's what I bet (there's 5.05 in the pot). I'm surprised when he calls. He flips over JJ and I take a nice pot. Tough spot for him as all the cards on the board were undercards to his pair. But he has to think about what I might have...I raised preflop...you got to think about AA, KK, and QQ there. Sure, I could have had AK or AQ and he would be good. But to throw the rest of your money in there on the river? Maybe he thought my bet was too big and I was trying to buy the pot? I don't know what I would have done in his situation.
Nothing much happens after that. I see another couple of orbits and call it a night. I seem to be doing fairly well at the switch to NL. Seems like I'm losing small pots and winning big ones. I mean, I've lost a couple big ones too, but I've won more big ones than I lost. So, for this session, I'm up another 7.29.
Started (on 8/12/06): $500 Before Session: $517.42 Session: +7.29 After Session: 524.71 Running Total - Up 24.71
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And now I'll swing right into my Friday session, which didn't go so well. I've been running well and have wondered if it's luck or skill. Luck left me a little tonight. Still a positive session, but not by much.
First table, again, no cards, so I leave...down .22. Second table, third hand in, KK UTG+1. UTG limps, I raise to .20, all fold, UTG+1 reraises to .35. He's got 4.90 in front of him and I'm willing to go all in if he pushes. I raise to .75, he calls. Flop is 4-J-A with two spades. He immediately pushes in his last 4.50. Well, hell. I think for a while and fold. While there's a lot I beat, I am losing to AK, AQ, AJ, AA, JJ. All possible hands he could be holding. The only thing he might reraise with that I do have beat is QQ. So now I'm quickly down $1 on the night. I have four winning sessions in a row, and 7 out of the last 8. This could be a loser of a night. A couple of small losses later, and I flop the nut flush. I manage to make a little money off it. The 8 of clubs hit the river, putting four clubs on the board. The other guy made his straight with the eight, but the fourth club hurt me. If only it was a different 8...I would have stacked him. Dang. The table starts breaking up, I have no table image (I was pushed off a couple hands), so I leave...down another .59.
Third table was a little better. A couple orbits in, I get A&o in the BB. Get two pair on the flop, but there's two diamonds. I play it fast and someone who probably was on a flush draw calls me down to the river and folds to my river bet. I win another small pot later with AQo. Another orbit or two after that, I pack it in and book my big big big .25 win! I keep the streak alive!
Started (on 8/12/06): $500 Before Session: $524.71 Session: +.25 After Session: 524.96 Running Total - Up 24.96 |
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