Ending the skid

It took a few tries, but I finally ended the losing streak at Northville Downs in a big way. Here's a summary of some of the biggest hands, in what was a +550, 5 hour session.

Chop?: First hand of note, the guy from the 88 v 99 all-in preflop a few weeks ago that I lost. He is very active, always calls 3 bets, and is generally the most active at the table. After a limper, he raises to 12, and I 3 bet to 36 from the BB with AcKc. Limper folds and he calls (I am playing about 175 deep). Flop comes KTx, I bet 45 and he calls. Turn is a J, I shove and he goes into the tank, asking if I have aces. I don't even look at him and just stay fixated on the board. He folds, and claims AK. I call BS on him, reminding him about our 99v88 hand. But I muck without showing. Later on he still claimed he had AK, but whatever, glad he folded in that case.

Bad beat: A bit later I get it all-in on the flop with AxKd on a board of KxTd4d v 9d8d, and a diamond immediately turns. I miss the diamond re-draw for about a $250 pot.

Nice bluff: Limped pot, I have 76. Flop comes T73. Early limper bets 10, one caller, I call. Turn is an A, both check to me and I check behind. River 3, flop bettor bets 20. I am 100% sure he has a ten here, and after a fold, I raise to 75. He folds and shows a T.

Missed bluff: A few limps, and I limp with 75o in LP. Flop comes Ad8h4d. Active guy from first hand bets 10, I call in position, and rest fold. Turn is a 3h, now I have a double gutter. Active guy bets 20, I decide this is a good spot to raise, as I think he raises at least 80% of his aces pre-flop. I raise to 65 (which may have been a little small in retrospect). He calls suprisingly, leaving himself 110 behind. River is inconsequential, as it doesn't complete any draw, including my own. He checks, and his turn call felt too strong to me, and I pussied out and checked behind. He shows Td2d for ten high, which is good in a pot of $200.

You're all-in???: Limped pot, I have A5o in the BB. Flop AAJ. Checked around. Turn J, I check, LP bets 10 and I call. River is a 9. I check, he bets 15, I raise to 45, he jams for like 80. I call and he rolls over QJ?? Said "I just couldn't get away from that". These are the kind of people that I haven't been finding lately.

Cooler: After 2 limps, I make it 14 with AA. Tightish BB confidently raises to 35, I go into hollywood mode, and then 4 bet to 85 (with 165 behind - he covers). He confidently calls. Flop comes 943, he very confidently bets 100, and I shove and he calls. He has KK. The river is a Qd to scare the shit out of me, but I hold in a big pot.

The nuts: I think it was a straddled pot, and I saw it with QT. Flop came KJx, and one of the limpers bets 25, I have about 275 and he covers. He's proven to overplay a few hands (he called a 115 all-in after putting 20 in with 3d2d, with a player still to act and won), so I call. Turn is a beautfiul 9. He bets 25, which is disappointing. I raise to 75 and he calls. River is a total blank, and checks, and I play with chips a while and bet 120. He goes into the tank, and I try to vibe weakness. He says "either you have QT or nothing", and then he calls. Never saw what he had.

Wow: Another limped pot, I limp with 33. Flop comes 977. Checked to me, I take a stab for 10, one of the blinds call, and guy next to me calls. Turn is a 5, both check to me and I check behind. River is an interesting 3. Check to guy next to me, who is pretty bad and will call in a lot of spots where he is clearly beaten. He aggressively bets 25. I raise to 85 (opening the door to disaster), and he pretty quickly goes all-in for something like 125-130 total. I say "Oh man", or something like that, he asks if I have 9's, and then rolls over 97 without me calling. Not sure if he thought I called, or he was trying to be nice, but obviously I folded, saying I also had a full house.

Biggie: Another limped pot, I limp with 22, SB (guy who paid off my 120) raises to 9 (he has done this at least 25% of the time of late). There are 4 to the flop, and it comes 542, SB bets 19, and bad player (playing 225) from last hand VERY confidently raises to 40. I smooth call the 40 not really sure how I am going to proceed with the hand, and SB calls. Turn is a 5, filling me up. SB checks, bad player confidently bets 100. I smooth call again, and SB folds. River is a T, and he stacks the rest of his chips, puts them in his hand, and then surprisingly checks. I stick out a stack of 100, which covers him. After 10-20 seconds, he calls, and I roll over my hand and am good.