A wild, deep game gets even wilder

With live racing still going on at Northville Downs, the cash games seem to be a little wilder, with the occasional horse player trying their hand at poker, and generally a busier than normal poker room that creates more of an action-y vibe.  I got in to the room around 730pm with plans to play for the rest of the night. 

The primary players driving action was Abe on my immediate left, a very loose action player, who plays way too many hands and I consider generally to be bad, though he can at least put you to tough decisions.    He was playing reasonably deep stacked the whole game ($300-600).

Eric, who I have played with before, could be pretty good, but on this particular night he was drinking and playing way too LAGGY.  In general he plays too many hands.  He knows me by name, and generally gives me a pretty wide berth.  He was on his 4th buy-in before he started winning, and built his stack up to around $900 when the night was coming to a close. 

Later on Shaun got into the game, which drove the action to an entirely different level.

I would estimate 1/2 of the pots were straddled, and a lot of the raises even in unstraddled pots were unusually large.  That created a table atmosphere where I could raise larger with my premium hands as I was still likely to get value.  

The session started out rapid fire, as I picked up 4 pocket pairs in my first 5 hands. 

Hand #1:  My first hand of the night, I picked up 88 in the BB, in a pot that got limped all the way around.  My options were make a big raise to try to thin the field, or check.  Since quite a few of the players looked sticky from past experience, I elected to check.  The flop came 3 overs and I check folded.  It felt weak, but I didn't particularly like the raising option first hand of the night.

Hand #2:  Another limped pot, of which there weren't many the rest of the night, I complete with 33 in the SB.  Flop comes 6h3h2h.  I lead 6 into an $8 pot, and get called by button, who I have never played with before.  Turn is Ts, I bet $15, and he calls again.  River is Kc, I make a weak bet to $21, and he raises to $42.  His line felt so much like a recent 2/5 hand I played at the Bellagio where a guy slow played nut flush into my bets that I was blinded by that and ignored the immediate great odds the pot was offering and folded.  He showed T6 for a turned two pair, that I'm sure he felt was best.

Hand #3:  Very next hand, my stack at about $155 as I haven't even had a chance to top off, I get KK.  Loose bad player raises to 15 in EP, one caller, and I make it 55 on the BTN.  Bad player calls and we are HU, and caller goes all-in for less, with me having about 100 behind.  Flop is Q9x, he checks, I bet 51, he shoves and I call.  Board runs out and my hand is good. 

Hand #4:  After folding in the CO, I pick up JJ in the HJ.  After limps I raise to 21 and get 2 callers.  I flop an overpair and they check-fold to my bet. 

Hand #5:   In a straddled pot there are several limpers, and I make it 35 in the CO with KK.  Abe calls on the BTN, along with Eric and one other player.  Flop is Ac9c8s, checks to me, I check, and Abe immediately declares all-in for $280 (into a pot of $140).  Both fold to me and I'm pretty sure I'm going to fold.  I think there's a reasonable chance he has an ace, as well as a reasonable chance he is on JT.  He tells me unsolicited "Whatever you want to do, run it once, run it twice...."  I debate a little further, thinking more and more that he is drawing, but decide there are better spots to get it in, and fold.  He shows JT. 

Hand #6:  Eric is stuck about 2 buy-ins now, and raises to 15 (playing about 130 or so).  He has literally been raising at least 25% of the time, so suffice it to say he doesn't have to be very strong here.  After one caller, I 3 bet AcTc to 55.  Eric goes all-in after a few seconds, folds to me and I call and hold up vs A9. 

Hand #7:  A newer player who I could characterize on the tighter side opened UTG to 12, and after 2 callers I called on the BTN with T9s.  Flop is 4 ways, and comes Q86, giving me a double gutter.  He led $21, which didn't strike me as particularly strong, and got a call from one player.  The original raiser had about $200 going into the hand.  I debated my options, and didn't feel like his lead felt very strong, so I decided to raise, with the plan of probably calling if he shoved, and shoving most turns if called.  The raiser thought for a bit and then called, and the other player folded.  Turn was a total blank deuce.  He checked and I confidently slid out a large stack of reds.  He thought for about 15 seconds and then folded, showing a Q when he did.  Eric wanted me to "show the bluff", and I quickly considered it but decided not to pour salt in the wound of the guy who folded. 

Things calmed down for a while, as I tightened up and the cards weren't particulary attractive for a while.  Was considering racking up and leaving a $400-500 winner, but with so much money in play I decided to hang around.   Then things got interesting, a player named Shaun wanted to flip Eric for his stack.   Apparently as back story Shaun had been on a massive heater, and had just taken 8K from a PLO game at a bowling alley. 

Eric didn't want to do it, so Shaun bought in for $200, after asking to buy more and getting rebuffed.  FIrst hand he goes all-in immediately and loses to a player with QQ.  Very next hand after rebuying he does the same thing and beats the same players AA with 93.  Then the very next hand he beats a different players AA with 98.  All of these were all-in pre.  Suddenly he has about $600 in front and is still raising to $100 pre every hand.  He said his goal was to ruin our game, or take Eric's stack. 

Hand #8:  I limp AdJd in EP after a limper, and Shaun raises to $40 from the BB.  Limper folds and I call.  He says "Alright, we're gonna play some poker."  I respond with a question "Are we??"   Flop is AQT, he checks, and I check behind.  Turn is a 5, he checks again, I bet $50 and he folds.

Hand #9:      Shaun had gambled his stack away again, and was back down to $200.   This hand brought up an interesting ethical spot, that I am curious how others would handle.  Straddled pot by Eric (not sure why anyone would straddle or raise now with Shaun driving action on literally 100% of hands).  Tommy calls (young player I have played with and beaten up on several times, very fun to have in the game though, and he originally set the unofficial straddle record when he did it for $160 sometime last year), and then I limp the straddle with AA.  A few seconds before that, he asks if we mind if he buys in for another $200.  Nobody objects and I say ok (following my limp).  Then he raises to 100 before the chips are delivered to him.   I ask him "Is that playing this hand?", and he says "Yes.".  Tommy calls (leaving himself 80 or so more behind.  Then I shove, and both players call.  Tommy had JTs, and I have no idea what Shaun had.  The board paired with 9's, but nothing else of significance, and my hand was good for a pot of nearly $1K. 

I don't feel like I did anything wrong here by allowing it, as he had originally asked before the hand started, but still felt a bit conflicted by it.  I know all he wanted to do was gamble, and he had no ill will about the hand in any way. 
After that hand, the charity had sold out, so I played a few more hands and left a 4 figure winner for the session.  Good times, and a nice little boost before the MSPT which I am planning on playing in at Firekeepers. 
 

A great session, for more than one reason

I arrived at Northville Downs for what was likely to be a 3-4 hour session before meeting the wife and her family for dinner nearby.  I got there right at noon, and had to wait for about 20 minutes for the first game to start.  We started with 5 players, a then the 6th player arrived shortly thereafter.  That group composed the people involved in all of my spots/hands of the session.
I feel it was the best that I played in a while.  Maybe it was because my decisions weren't the most difficult, but you will see in one of the hands below I avoided getting stacked in a spot where I probably should.

The key players were as follows:

AYK:  Aggro young kid, you know the type, plays there a decent amount, thinks he's the best in the room.  The reality is that he could be decent, but because he thinks he's so good, he plays WAY too many hands.

Al:  Pseudonym for this guy, he's basically a major fish who I love having in my game.  He can really frustrate players with the hands that he makes, and the lines that he takes.  But I've noticed in playing with him that he has a critical flaw, that is amazingly transparent to me yet somehow nobody else.  He tends to overbet, or bet very large with a nut type hand, and tends to make small bets, and even extreme underbets when he doesn't have a strong hand.

Setting the tone:

The very first hand, AYK is on the button and straddles to 5, the blinds fold, and I raise 22 UTG/HJ to 20, as expected the button calls and we are HU to the flop.  The flop comes with 3 unconnecting overcards, I believe it was Q high, and I cbet 30 and he folds. 
I felt that it was important early on to establish an aggressive image, and not allow the AYK to take control of the table. 

First big spot

Playing about 225 deep, I open QQ after a few limpers to 15.  Al re-raises on the button to 50.  He bought in for 100, and just won a fairly big hand to get his stack above mine.  This guy is super loose, and very aggressive with pre-flop raises, but not particularly aggressive with 3 bets, especially larger 3 bets.  I considered all of my options.  Certainly shoving QQ couldn't be that bad against a fish like this.  I also considered folding, as the size of his 3 bet gave me some pause.  In the end I thought I could call, and gauge his post flop action to determine if I had run into AA or KK.  I called, and the flop came KK5.  I check, and he strongly bet 100.  I thought for a bit and stared at him and he told me:  "I don't have a king."  As an aside, at that point a player to my left asked what the rule was on talking during the hand, knowing full well that the rule there is no talking allowed.  I appreciated that the dealer said something to the effect of "There's some things I don't hear.", as I don't particularly like the rule, especially when I am getting information volunteered to me.  The dealer basically told him, probably wrongly per the rules of the cardroom, to basically mind his own business when he wasn't involved in the hand. 

I asked him if he would show and he said "Sure, why not?", and I mucked face up, he proceeded to show me AA, and I immediately felt even more strongly than I already had about the hand. 

Ace Magnets

A bit later I raise KK after a few limpers to 15, and get 3 callers, all OOP to me.  Flop comes As9s4s.  Checked to me, I'm pretty sure I had the Ks, and I bet 25, first limper shoves for 39 total, rest fold.  I make sure I have the Ks and call.  He has AJ no spades.  Board blanks out and I lose.  At this point I feel pretty good about the fact that I've lost with QQ and KK, and am still only down about $25, despite not winning any showdowns. 

Another one with Al

Al opens the pot first or second to act to 15, SB calls, and I elect to just call in the BB with JJ.  Flop comes king high, we check to him, and he bets 15, SB folds and I call.  Turn is a blank, I check, he again bets 15 (bet sizing!!!) and I call.  River is a K, I check, he checks and shows TT.  Maybe I should have gotten more $ on this hand, but it helped further reinforce my bet size read. 

I get rolling

UTG (young kid short stack) opens to 15, Al calls, and I call with 99 in the BB.  This may not be the best call, but I am not purely setmining.  There are plenty of boards and actions where I am willing to continue.  Fortunately I don't have to worry about that as the flop is Q95.  I check, UTG shoves for 60, Al quickly calls.  I then shove for about 170.  Al folds JT face up.  I turn my cards over and he says he is probably drawing dead.  I never saw his cards as I rake a nice pot. 

Bluff inducement

This hand I got creative as the hand played out.  For background, I saw Al raise a smallish river bet to 50ish on a stone bluff, and get called.  For this hand, I raised A6o to 12 in MP (which I hated immediately after doing it, knowing that Al was likely to call me in position).  We ended up HU to the flop.  Flop was QJ8.  I checked and he quickly checked.  I'm 100% certain he would bet here with anything that remotely connected to this board.  Basically any pair, any gutshot, etc....  Turn was another Q, making board QJ8Q.  I checked, he bet 15, and I thought about it and called, thinking I was good.  River was an A, now I lead out 15, in hopes of inducing a raise.  He doesn't disappoint, and raises to 51.  I call knowing that if he does have an ace, that we are chopping the pot since there is no way he AK here.  He mucks without showing, and I do the same after being pushed the pot. 

Biggest hand

I open UTG to 12 with AA.  I get called by Al, and another player, and then AYK 3 bets to 50 with another 200 behind.  I 4 bet to 125, 2 players fold, and the AYK thinks for a while and calls.  I am putting him pretty strongly on QQ or JJ here, with a very outside shot at AK.  Flop comes Ax9d8d.  AYK checks, and I think for a while, and decide to give him some rope here, with only a 1/2 PSB left.  Based on the action, a free card can't hurt me, and may give him a chance to push me off of the KK that I am trying to rep.  The turn is the Ad, giving me quads.  He checks his cards, presumably to see if he has a diamond, and then shoves.  Obviously I call and he shows JJ.  Immediately after this, which means he is down about 2-3 buy-ins, he switches tables, presumably to find greener pastures. 


The rest: 

Other than that, I played pretty solidly, continuing to pick up occasional pots with Cbets.  During that same time Al was on fire, picking up pots with a full range of hands.  The most egregious, though it was a small pot, was when he called a flop bet on a board of Td8x4d, with 7d3x, and went runner runner to make a winning flush.  He also called a flop bet with a gutterball, and then ran runner runner 2 pair to scoop another pot.  About 3.5 hours into the session, I got the call to leave, and Al was racking up as well, along with another player, essentially killing the game.

The best part of it all was that I was able to make over 2 buy-ins, while at the same time Al was able to run his 100 into over 1K, thus ensuring that money makes it back into the poker community. 

A poker post?? Wow!

I was able to get away from the home life for my 4th short session since Marissa's birth.  It was a busy Veteran's Day Monday at Northville Downs, and to show I don't discriminate, I thought a good way to spend it would be to try to extract money from both Vets and non-Vets alike.

My table was fairly active, a lot of straddling, a lot of pre-flop raising, and even some 3 betting.  So not ideal, but a lot of the 3 betting was spewy, and there was way too much calling of 3 bets.  Therefore, still beatable, and potentially very profitable, but higher variance at the same time.  I started out winning a few smaller pots, and opened up a bit, but I folded to 3 bets on back to back hands, in both cases I had KJ, and I was back around even, and my image had started to erode.  I began playing a little too passive for a few orbits, and potentially even a bit timid, and bled through about $75-80.

Hand #1:  I topped off my stack, and UTG picked up AKo.  I raised to 10, and got called by a good sometimes overly aggressive player two to my left, who had been making my life a little difficult (Over aggro for short), and eventually was called by 5 other players as well, including both blinds, making the pot $70.  Flop was AQ7r.  Checks to me, and I bet 35, pretty sure I was going to commit unless there was a raise and a call after me.  The CO (older guy who covered) called, the button and SB also called (both with only about 50 more behind.  The turn was a 9, and now the SB shoved for 50, I reshoved for about 150, CO folded, and button called.  Somehow both players had KT, and I dodged the jack to pick up a nice pot, and I was suddenly ahead about $100. 

Hand #2:  A few hands later, 8 handed, I raised a weak limper on my right with 6c5c to $12.  I was called in 3 spots, including the limper and one of the blinds.  Flop came Kx9c7c, giving me a gutshot, flush draw, and even a gutshot straight flush draw.  Checked to me, and with still a player to act behind me, I felt I had to c-bet, so I bet $30, and got called by the short stack SB, and then the weak limper raised to $130, leaving himself about $80-90 behind.  I was clearly left with no fold equity, so despite hating it, I felt I had to fold as I think a hand like the nut flush draw is in his range of hands to make this move.  The SB went all-in, and I got to see the hands.  The SB had KQ, and the weak limper had 97 for bottom two pair.  To add a bit of insult to injury the river was the 8c for a straight flush for me.  Still the right play regardless of the result.

Hand #3:  I open 7d6d 7 handed, and am again called by over aggro guy (I realized I should be tightening my raising range early on since I was getting called often and found myself OOP to him, and believe me, I did, it just seems like I was raising all of my suited connectors), as well as called by one of the blinds.  Flop was Th6s2c, checks to me, and I decided to check to let aggro guy bet, figuring he would fire with almost 100% of his range here.  Betting is probably better here, but I figured I would let him take the initiative, as my plan was call down mode.  Turn was a 3s, I checked, he bet 40, and I elected to call, figuring him still for absolutely nothing.  River was another 6 giving me trips, I checked, and he bet 80 - leaving himself about 80 more behind.  I hemmed and hawed about raising him, but in the end just decided to call, as my read was that he was bluffing, and I didn't feel there was any value in a raise, as it would just be called by a hand that had me beat.  I was shocked when he rolled over As6s and I lost the pot.  His turn bet was what solidified the fact to me that he had nothing, as despite being over-aggro, he tended to check the turn when he had marginal showdown value.  I guess picking up the flush draw emboldened him to bet (as it would have for me as well). 

I should explain my thought process further, as I think it's where I went wrong in the hand, though in this  case it wouldn't have mattered had I bet flop and bet turn.  This guy also seemed to float an awful lot in position, and I felt that I could be put into a really tough spot every street by betting out and double barreling....though in the end that's exactly where I ended up.  If I bet the flop and he calls, his hand still isn't very well defined given his wide range.  By check calling, I was keeping his range at its widest.   

Oh well, obviously I am a little confused at the spot I put myself into....folding pre-flop may be best when dealing with an opponent like this, or changing seats at the table. 

Hand #4:  Over aggro guy has started bleeding chips to other players, and is definitely not playing sharp, borderline tilty, and he straddled on the button to 7.  Two very loose semi-aggro players call in the blinds, and it's folded to me in the CO with KQo.  I feel like this one is very close, and could make a case for all of my 3 options.  In the end I think Raising > Fold > Call, and I elected the high variance route and raised to 35.  The button called, along with only one of the blinds (all stacks are roughly equal around $200ish).  With over  $100 in the pot, and only about $170 in my stack, I decided I had no choice but to commit if I hit top pair, unless something extraordinary happened like a player raising and showing me his cards after doing so in order to get me to fold.  As far as C-betting, I wasn't sure what my plan would be, though I was thinking about cutting out a half pot bet at most boards if checked to me.  The flop was QJx, the blind checked, I bet 50, over aggro guy shoved, blind folded and I called.  It turned out I had him covered by $1.  He had KT for an open ended draw.  We ran it once (I never offered twice and it wasn't discussed), and  my hand held up for a big pot.

Hand #5:  Button straddles for 5, and the table dynamic has slightly changed, a little less aggressive.  The straddler has not raised his straddle yet.  A few players limp, I elect to limp the CO with Js9s.  Button checks.  Flop is KT8sxx.  Checks to button, he bets 10, one player calls, and I call, but I hesitated, and intentionally looked kind of weak, trying to act like I had minor showdown value.  Turn 3s, checks to button again, and he bets 22 with about 180 behind, other player folds and I was really close to raising, but felt that the weakness I showed earlier in the hand would be seen through and I would get looked up light, so elected to call.  River was 6s giving me the flush.  Since players instinctively check when a flush hits, even a backdoor one, I decided to try to bet large and look bluffy, and bet 65.  He thought for about 30 seconds and called with what he said was a rivered two pair.  In any case I think leading large got me the most money on the river, as he wasn't likely to call a check-raise in my opinion.

In the end I won a bit less than a buy-in, for a very swingy but profitable 4 hour session.  A few parts of my game seem a bit rusty, but I also felt like I was seeing things for the most part very clearly.  I may not have been mixing it up as much as I could have and fighting for every pot, but at 1/2 that just isn't necessary for the most part.

Favorite Poker posts

This is specifically for Frank Panama, who recently commented on my lack of recent blog posts.  Unfortunately, I don't have any new content, and may not for a while, as my wife is due to give birth in a little over 2 weeks.

But, assuming the few readers I have haven't read through all of my archives, here are a few of my favorite poker posts:

#5:  Learning NL 'Holdem
Right at the beginning of my NL journey.  Sometimes you lose sight of the main goal, and that is stacking people.  This post shows that I knew it right away, and it's sometimes important to remind yourself of your goals.

#4:  Greektown 2/5 Game
Holy shit....Greektown had a 2/5 game going?  Wait, they had 2 of them???

#3:  Most Idiotic Hand
How could I not mention having a large raise called on the river by 9 high?

#2:  21K!!!
I wish the recap had more hand detail when I wrote it, but it's still a nice memory of my biggest tourney score.

#1:  Golf trip report of a lifetime
This post is long, includes very little actual poker content.  But it does include a great deal of degeneracy, and a huge winning rush if you fight through it til the end.

Sunday, Bloody Sunday

The title is appropriate. It was a bloody Sunday session for me this weekend. After grinding out decent winners early in the weekend, I had high hopes for adding to it, on Sunday which is historically my best day by far. Unfortunately, the results were not good.

A great start

A fish/donkey raises to 10 UTG (he has 100 behind - have played with him a lot recently and typically he flushes 300+ per session with awful overplays/bluffs/etc.), an older woman calls, and normally I would try to isolate the fish on the button with AQs, but decided to flat this time, to try to let him make a bigger mistake if I hit the flop. A woman in the blinds called as well. Flop is Q93. Fish bets 25, old woman folds, I flat call with the hope of letting him fire a final barrel at it. I am probably calling any card on the turn, with the lone exception maybe being a King. The blind folds as well. Turn is a 9, and he shoves the rest of his chips in. I call and hold against his KJ, so up an early 120.

They love their top pair

Tattooed guy limps, there is another limper and I make it 14 on the BTN with KsJs. Tattoo calls and rest fold. Flop Ax8s3s. Tattoo donks 15, I make it 50, and he pretty quickly calls. He has 125 or so behind. Turn is a low blank. Tattoo checks, and I check behind....I've pretty much decided he is married to his hand here and not likely to fold. River blanks out, he checks, and I give up and he shows A7o. I feel really good about this hand, as I think a turn/river shove is fruitless.

Good bluff

After a few limpers, I limp 6d4d in the CO, lady on btn limps, and we see flop 6 handed. Flop Tc8d5d. Flop flush draw (gutshot straight flush draw). Checks to me, I bet 10, the button puts 10 in the pot almost in unison, making me think she thought action was on her and she was betting 10. I get 2 other calls. Turn is a 3s, making my straight draw now open ended, along with my flush draw. Checks to me, I bet 40 - the small flop bet followed by a large turn bet has been a recipe for nice profit in the past. The button quickly calls (about 125 behind), rest fold. River Ah. I debate what I think is my standard amount of time, and then declare all-in. She almost snap calls with JhTh....for flopped top pair. She claimed to be agonizing over it, but the call was literally within 10 seconds of my bet. I do like how I played this hand, but one thing to consider when discussing the hand with Ryan, is why bother even playing it, despite my great position. I need to hit the board hard, and at the same time have somebody else make 2 pair for me to get paid.

Very next hand - Hello overplay!

I have topped off my stack to $200, and I raise Kc9c to 12 in the HJ. Older guy on button calls (210 behind), and fish from first hand calls (73 behind). Flop is KQ4r. Fish donks 15, I raise to 60, and surprisingly the button calls, and then the donk calls. My plan was to iso the fish, but the button calling 60 is a huge warning sign. For some reason though, I was strongly putting him on a draw like JT. Turn is another 4, donk shoves his last 13, and based on previous action I need to just call here. Instead I shove and he snap calls with KQ. River is an A, which means I would have won with AK or AA, two of the hands I was repping. Unfortunately I didn't have those.

In hindsight, I think just calling the flop bet was the way to go. That way, I give the donk rope, and also get to learn more about the buttons hand cheaply. Basically flushed 140 there.

Very next hand - WTF!!

I again top off to $200, and limp 97o in MP after 2 limpers. No excuse for the play, but obviously steaming a little. We see a flop 7 ways, and the flop comes A97, giving me bottom two. Tattoo from the A7 hand bets 12. Folds to me and I raise to 50. Folds to Tattoo and he re-raises to 90. God it feels like he has two pair here, but hands like A9, 99, 77 and even A7 are sometimes raising from the SB, so I slightly discount those. Based on the fact that it could look like I am steaming, and his prior play with only top pair, I elect to shove, and he snaps with A9 and holds up.

This hand I am on the fence on. In an ordinary spot, I think I could simply fold this, but with my steaming/losing dynamic, I think there are a lot of players that will go to war with just an ace here. Curious to hear other thoughts on this one.

The final hand

My stack is at about 175 on my final rebuy, I have been quiet for about 30 minutes. Two limpers and I make it 14 with AA. Button (150 behind) calls, and one of the limpers calls (200 behind). Both were new players, so they don't know how I have been running/playing/steaming. Flop is Q88. When the flop came out I was watching the button and he shook his head, which I took as a huge suggestion of strength. The limper leads out for 25 now. I flat, and the button flats. Turn is a 7, limper checks, I check, and button checks (????). River is a 4. Limper bets 25, I am 100% sure I am ahead of him, but fight off the urge to raise as I am still suspicious of the button. Button now raises to 100. Limper folds, and I go into the tank. I tell him this is the most obvious 8 in the world, and he laughs saying something like "You guys were betting it for me." I mutter something about running so bad today, and then fold my aces face up. He shows me 88 for flopped quads!!! So while I feel bad about the result, I feel very good about actually making the professional play when I was steaming and laying it down to obvious defeat. I'm fairly sure I lost the absolute minimum here.

Overall a really bad session after a promising start. The cards definitely weren't co-operating. I had AA and 99 once, lost them all, and in fact I can't recall winning a single hand with a pair, though I didn't have many either. But the main problem was I got caught bluffing once, made a total overplay in the K9 hand, and then the 97 hand that I am still on the fence on.

High variance session

Sunday is historically my best winning day at Northville Downs, and with a baby girl on the way in 4 months, there may not be a lot more Sunday sessions in my future. So I decided to head over there. Immediately I ran into some interesting, tough spots....and then the session got really interesting.

Bad start: Playing 7 handed, UTG (playing about 300, loose and dumb) raises to 10, 2 people call. I re-raise QQ from the SB to 45, UTG calls without a lot of hesitation, rest fold. Flop is AJTccx. I check-fold to a bet of 40 and he shows KQ.

Gotta fold, right?: A bit later, I open with 99 to 10 UTG, and get 2 callers, both with position on me. Flop is 642hhx. I lead 20-25 and the button calls (very loose, semi-aggressive in some odd spots). Turn is a 6, I check call a bet of 40, intending to call any non-heart rivers. River is 7h. I check, he shoves for 80. I folded and he said he had 76. I tell him if that's the case than that was a bad river card for him.

Thought this may be a huge one: Open TT UTG to 12, one player calls, loose player from Hand #1 re-raises to 24, button cold calls, I call, other player calls. Flop T42sdd. Checked around. Turn 7s. I bet 40, short stack all-in for 65, loose re-raiser and button folds, I call, river 5h and I am good.

Dodging a huge bullet: All players are 325 effective. UTG (player from hand #2 who claimed he had 76) limps, UTG+3 raises to 12 (he is reasonably tight opening, certainly not anywhere near as laggy as I am), I decide to flat QQ right after him for safety, as well as to keep UTG in the hand. Rest fold and UTG calls. Flop 944r. UTG checks, original raiser bets 18, I call, now UTG check raises to 70. Original raiser 3 bets to 150 (this is KK minimum), I fold, UTG now looks pained and calls. Turn 8. UTG checks, original raiser says all-in, which UTG snap-calls. UTG shows Ad4d for flopped trips, while UTG+3 shows 99 for flopped full. I think there is a reasonable chance that if I 3 bet my QQ, at least one if not both of the players call, and I likely lose my stack on that board.

Bad flops continue: I raise 99 on the btn, and what has become the table fish calls in the BB (KQ guy from the first hand). Flop AKJ, he ckeck calls 16 on the flop, turn 7, both check, river K, he shoves for 50, I fold.

The day gets really fun: ATM Eric shows up (I didn't give him this nickname. He is all around a really nice guy that pisses a lot of people off by throwing money around in a ridiculous manner). This is my 2nd time playing with him, the first time being at the Heidelberg. That session I got all-in preflop with him for 225 with TT v 98s, and also doubled through him at 2/5 with him drawing dead. When he got to the table I realized that my normal game would have to go away, and any hand I played I would have to be prepared to go to the felt with. When you play with him, the game can be hugely profitable, but like the old hyper turbo SNG's on Pokerstars, you have to be prepared to take some miserable beats. I looked in my wallet and saw I only had $200 in reserve, on top of the $200 I had on the table at that point, so I started plotting my reload plan if necessary, as these situations don't come around often.

Gamble gamble 1: Eric raises to 10 (his first buy-in of 200 was down to 75), I 3 bet to 30 with AJo on the btn, he shoves and I call, and my hand holds vs his T9o.

Gamble gamble 2: Eric raises to 15 (he is down to 125 on his second buy-in of 200), I 3 bet to 45 with JJ from the blinds, he shoves and I call. Board runs out 532A4, and he has 96o to take the pot.

Gamble gamble 3: Eric straddles for 5 from the button (he has about 125 again), blind calls, UTG calls, I raise to 25 with KK, Eric shoves, rest fold and I call (he says "Me and You again?"). He tells another player that this time he has the best hand. Board runs out A3xKx, and his 43o is no match for my set of kings.

A real flop and turn: I limped 88 in EP, Eric raised to 10 (he's playing about 200). Duke calls in the blinds (very loose laggy player, between him and Eric at the table you have a dream action table). Flop comes 996r. Checked to Eric who bets 30, Duke folds and I call. Pot is about $90. Turn is a Q. I check, and Eric starts stacking out chips, then appears to change his mind and stacks them and goes all-in for $158. My initial inclination was to call, but the way he stacked out the chips gave me some pause, as it was in a different manner than before. Even if I call and am right, if he has two overcards he still has 6 outs. I was looking away from him, and then when I looked at him, he was leaning back, with his arms crossed (which is generally uncomfortable body-language). When he saw me looking at him, he immediately leaned forward and put his elbow on the table looking at me. The deliberate show of strength shifted things toward a call for me, and I put the chips in. River was a 5, and he says "I have a 5", and rolled over K5, and I took down a big pot.

This hand is a perfect example of how the guy can run over timid players. A ton of players would call the flop bet, but then meekly fold to the shove on the turn, but against these guys you have to take stands with marginal hands and be prepared to stack off extremely light. There is no point in even calling the flop bet if you aren't perpared to let him bluff the turn. Sure, he could have a 9, or a queen in that spot, but as you can see, there are also a shit ton of hands he can have that are drawing to 6 outs, 3 outs....or less.

Straddle record: Less than a month ago, Northville began allowing straddles from any position and for any amount of money. Eric (now he is in for $1150) previously held the "un-official" straddle record at $78, but was told it was beaten the other day with a straddle of $80. So he decided to button straddle for $85, with about $150 or so behind. SB folds, and Duke very forcefully raises to 210 in the BB. Rest fold to Eric who shoves for $240ish total. They roll their cards, Eric has K8o, Duke has ATdd. Flop is 8 high with 2 diamonds, but Duke misses all of his outs and Eric scoops the pot. Now Eric is approaching $500 in stack size, and is getting very dangerous.

Dream hand....or not???: I limp in EP with 77 (I have $500), Eric raises to 15 (playing $600), Duke calls in one of the blinds (playing about $360), and I call. Flop is T74dd. I notice Eric is palming about $50 in chips, waiting to bet. Duke donks 25, I call, Eric folds. Turn is a 3x. Duke bets 45, and I raise to 135. He calls without a lot hesitation. River is 6h. He jams for $158 more. Board is now T7436, with a missed diamond draw. Initially I am trying to figure out what hand that would donk the flop would have a 5 in it. A diamond draw with a 5 could have done that, but I don't think he would want to open the door to Eric making a big raise and pushing him off of the draw. Then I notice that 98 also got there. This is really starting to give me pause.

When he shoved, I was staring directly across the table at him and we held eye contact for a while. I stayed staring at him because I wanted to see what he would do when he finally got uncomfortable. It took a while but finally he smiled and waved. I asked if he would show if I folded, and he said "I'm not sure." Eric had stepped away from the table during the hand, and when he got back he called the clock on me. The whole time me and Duke were talking a bit to each other, with the dealer continuing to admonish us that we couldn't talk about our hands (dumb rule in a heads up pot I think, especially where one player is all-in). The dealer was doing a horrible job of telling me where the clock was, and then she said, "You have 8 seconds to decide.", and I immediately blurted out "I call." He rolls over AT, and I table my winner. Most of the table is shocked that I called, and generally impressed. After thinking about the hand more, maybe the call is a little more trivial given how big the pot was relative to the bet (it was about $350 going into the river).

After that I won a few more pots of decent size. I was starting to get really hungry as I skipped lunch, started to develop a headache, and also had a fantasy baseball draft going in a few hours, so I decided to bail and cash out a winner of $674. It was a super wild, high variance roller coaster, but fortunately I was able to come out on top.

The Anchor

It's never fun being the one to bring down your team. But that's precisely what I did last night in a session at Motor City Casino. First, let me explain "team". Me and my buddy Ryan were down there, and we were splitting equity 50/50, despite sitting at different tables, and different limits.

By the time I got there at about 9:45pm, Ryan was already in a 1/2 game, and I was waiting on both the 1/2 and 2/5 lists. I didn't get into a game until close to 11pm, and it was the 2/5 game. By that point, Ryan was already up 400, giving me a little bit of a cushion to work with.

First hand of significance

I was already down about 75 after a failed continuation bet, when I opened with AdQd to 20. I got called by 2 players, one of which was extremely loose and who I had pegged as a weak spot at the table, but he had position on me. The flop came Qx7x2d, really good for me, and I bet 40, and got called by the loose player who had position on me. The turn was about the best I could hope for, the 6d, giving me TPTK and the nut flush draw. Maybe I should check raise here? I decided I wanted to keep the initiative and bet 95 (pot was 140), and he folded to my disappointment.

Cooler

An EP player raised to 15, which tends to be on the small side for this game, and usually ends up being a speculative hand. There were two callers, and I called with JTo from the button. I actually think JT is the most overrated hand in NL holdem....maybe it's because I never seem to make a big hand with it, but I just tend to think it's overplayed. That being said, calling 15 into a reasonably big pot, with the best position seems like a no brainer. The flop came JhTd5h. The preflop raiser checked, next player checked, and the CO quickly bet 45. He was a hispanic player who had been flopping around quite a bit, and showing a good bit of aggression to that point. I elected to raise to 120, due to the draw heavy board texture. The other 2 players folded, and the villain decided to quickly shove for 380. I think there's a very good chance of him having a combo draw here, and TT and JJ are pretty unlikely. So the only real hand I am afraid of is 55. So I called reasonably quickly. The turn was a 9h, which just about guaranteed to me that I lost the pot. The river was a blank, and he slowly rolled over 55...obviously thinking he was beaten too.

After the hand, I considered whether or not I could have gotten away cheap by smooth calling the flop, since we would have both likely slowed down on the 9h turn, but I think that is just being results oriented.

Crazy hand in main game

After moving to the main game, I saw a crazy hand. Another player who just got moved to the game raised preflop to 25, and got 2 callers. The flop was 876 with 2 spades. The PF raiser (playing over 1200) overbet the pot for 160, the loosest player in the world who is also aggressive called (also playing over 1200) called, and another player went all-in for 185. The turn was the Kc. The PF raiser checked, and the loose player immediately declares all-in. The PF raiser SNAP calls for almost 1150. The river is a blank, and the shover shows AsKs, for TPTK and missed flush draw. Amazingly that is good, as the short stack had Qs3s, and the snap caller didn't show, though he said he had TT???

Valuetown?

The two loosest players in the game limp (the first one being the winner from the hand above). I raise KK to 30 (playing about 400), which in hindsight is small considering who the limpers were, as I was almost 100% sure that at least one of them would call. I should have raised to 40-45. The SB (stack of about 250) calls, and then both loose players not surprisingly call. The flop comes QsQc5s. They all check to me, and I decide to check, which I think is fine, since to get any real value from the hand I probably have to check at least one street in this hand. The turn is a 4h. They all check to me, and I think I make a mistake and check again....as I would never check a Queen on both the flop and turn. In hindsight I would bet 60-70. The river s a 3x, making the board QQ543. They all check to me again, and at this point I feel that I can value bet, and get looked up by almost any pair. I bet 60, the SB calls, and the rest fold. I roll over my Kings, and he rolls over AQ. No matter what I am pretty sure I lost as close to the minimum as possible, unless I check all 3 streets.

WTF?

After losing another hand, I am playing short, with about 275-300. One player limps, and I raise to 25 with AKo. There are 3 callers, and then the hispanic from earlier shoves for 125 from one of the blinds. I overshove all-in, and then the guy who snap called TT earlier in the huge pot goes all-in, and he covers me. The board comes out with a Queen on the the flop, and a T on the river. Obviously I know I am beat, but I'm not sure by what yet....the hispanic turns over AQ, the second time in a week where I lost with AK allin pre to AQ. Then the overshover shows JhTh, and rivered me for the sidepot, for a brilliant end to an ugly session.

Reload

I decided to give it another go at 1/2, and was up about 100 when this hand occurs. Very LAGGY guy who just doubled up with 66 after calling an all-in raise on a Q high board, raises a limper to 24 (only playing about 150). I have AKo, and 3 bet to 80, and he shoves for 150, which I obviously call, only to run into AA. I play a little while after that, but just mostly fold and decide to call it a night, down over a grand.

Aftermath

This is where the anchor part comes in. While I am getting my ass kicked, Ryan is taking names at 1/2, and is up over 500 since we were sharing (he also won 400 before I got there). So thanks to Ryan, despite losing 1100+, I only end up behind about 375. Of course I felt awful about this result, as losing someone else's money is even worse than losing your own. In the previous 2 times we split action, I won more than Ryan and had to give him some money, so this was bound to happen, it was just unfortunate that I got killed while he was doing the killing, so now I owe him a kick ass session.

Fortunately after I left, Ryan continued killing and ended up making over 1600 in his own session of 1/2.

Las Vegas trip report (part 1)

Sunday, January 15th

Flew out at about 8pm. There were some logistical issues that the airline decided they couldn't solve until on the plane that delayed the departure (they sold too many tickets....apparently waiting until people are seated on the plane seemed like a good time to solve it). Finally we were off a bit late. Making the flight much more palatable was the TV on the back of the seat in front of me, where I was able to watch satellite TV for free.

After checking in at the Venetian, I immediately went down to the poker room for some 1/2 action. I ran A7 into AT into 77 on an AT87 board, but got away with losing the minimum. My KK found an ace high flop and resistance as well. I ended the session down $125 after 4 hours, and it felt like it could have been a lot more.

Monday, January 16th

Setup day for the booth, in the morning I was able to get some play in. I started at about 830am, opening up a new game. What an amazing bunch of nits. I did get the fortune of running AA into another players KK. Unfortunately, he was the only short stack at the table, with only about $100 in front of him. I pissed away some money late, and ended up $37 ahead for the 1 hour.

After a trip to In N Out burger for some lunch, I had some more time to play, so I sat down in the 2/5 game. Most of the 2/5 games I play have a max buy-in of $500, but at the V the max buy in is $1K. This game was one of the more aggressive I have played in, with a lot of 3 betting, and players were making large bets, far larger than I am used to in the 2/5 games around Detroit. Typically bets were 3/4 pot to exceeding the pot. I had to fold AK post flop after being 3 bet when OOP against a guy who looked a little nitty. Probably should have just mucked pre-flop. I basically allowed myself to get run over to the tune of a $240 loss in an hour.

After booth setup, we headed to Smith and Wollensky's for dinner. I had heard great things, and ordered the filet with a full lobster. The lobster was good, but the filet was slightly overcooked, and was suprisingly devoid of flavor. I actually used the steak sauce that was on the table, which was not desired. I would give the meal a 4 out of a 10, considering the cost.

After dinner I headed over to MGM with Ben to play some 1/2. The difference in caliber of player was remarkable. I don't remember any remarkable hands, but I totally ran over the table, turning a profit of $490 in a little over 3 hours. Some of my tweets from the session "The game is much easier when flopping sets! Gonna be tough to make big money at this table, but humming along right now." and "Killing it at MGM. Maybe it's the booze, maybe it's the run good mojo I've got going on, but this group is easy.".

Tuesday, January 17th

After a busy day at the show, we headed over to the Rio to catch the Seafood buffet for dinner. I went there with a plan, and that plan was to eat as many crab legs and gelato as possible, and to not allow any filler (prime rib, potatoes, etc...) into my system. I succeeded in my goal, making probably 6 trips in an hour. I also added some of their small lobster and sashimi in as well. Overall a great meal.

After dinner, went over to the 1/3 game at the Rio. The game was kind of nitty, and not very fun. I managed to turn it into a $200 loss with the following hand, among others. I raise PF to 12 with KK. See the flop heads up with a squirrelly young passive guy. Flop comes AdKx9d. He checks, I bet 17 and he calls. Turn is 7x. He checks, I bet 35 and he calls (slightly on the small side, I know). River is 8x. He leads out for 40 of his stack of 82. I don't really see too many JT's in his range here, so I shove for his last 42, and he calls, turning over JdTd.....yup, I guess that's the one JT that may have called two streets.

After leaving that boring game, I decided to play some 2/5 at the Venetian. I was intent on not getting run over this time around, which would prove to be my detriment. My 2nd hand I opened UTG+1 to 20 with QQ. UTG+2 called, and then UTG+3 re-raised to 80. Folds to me and I consider my options. Since it was my 2nd hand, I have no reads, except for UTG+2 looks likely to fold. The 3better was about 45-50 years old, quiet, and Asian. I decided to take the aggressive approach and 4bet to 190, and he called in position. If not done before the flop, I probably should be done with the hand at this point. I was actually kind of hoping for an Ace high flop, since I felt that KK was a huge part of his range. Instead, the flop came 632, and I shoved (he had 280 left and I covered), and he called with KK, and I missed on the turn and river.

Where was my patience??? Folding QQ absent any reads in this spot while OOP is kind of elementary, but I was so intent on not getting run over out of frustration that I let that get the better of me and pissed away almost $500.

Wednesday, January 18th

After another busy day at the show, we headed over to Paris to eat at Mon Ami Gabi, a very underrated French steakhouse. I had a delicious Filet o-Poivre, and the server even gave us all a free dessert after my boss had jokingly said that we had terrible service the last time we were there (not true to my recollection). For dessert I had the Creme Brulee, which along with the entree was delicious.

After eating, I decided to stop by the game at the Flamingo. I didn't have much cash on me, so bought in short for $160. As expected, the game was a bit of a nit fest, mixed in with bad players. The highlight of the time was when I made quad 2's in a pot of $14 to get a high hand bonus of $50. After about an hour or two, I cashed out ahead $100. Following that, we headed to the Mirage. Ben's flight was leaving at 6am, so he decided to not bother sleeping. Even though I had to be at the booth at 7:45am, I stayed up with him. At the Mirage, I started immediately getting hit by the deck.

The first big hand, I opened with 88 to 10, and got 2 callers. The flop came KJ8, and an aggressive fish check called my flop bet. The turn was another 8, and the fish led into me for about 1/2 of the pot. The river was inconsequential, and the fish shoved, which obviously I snapped and showed my quads. He "claimed" that I needed the 4th 8, which I don't buy for a second. That hand also got me my 2nd high hand bonus for the night, this one for $75. As they took my ID to process my bonus, the very next hand I called a raise in the BB with KcQc, and saw a flop of JcTc9x, flopping the nuts with a draw to a straight/royal flush. I actually played it passively, letting the fish bet the flop and turn, and I also checked the river, but unfortunately he checked behind. After that the fish rebought and moved immediately to my left.

A little while later I was rolling, up to about 900 in my stack (from my 300 buy-in). A few minutes before, a young pro who had been playing at TI earlier in the night sat directly to my right. He seemed to be a pro, as when he bought in he wrote it down in a planner, and had a rolodex full of players cards, and he also seemed to be grinding a $600 weekly bonus at the TI. On to the hand. Pro (stack of 280) opens UTG to 7, I 3bet to 22 with 99. Fish (stack of 225) cold calls immediately after me, which I dislike since his range is pretty wide, and I know it will invite the pro in with a wider range than he would normally play against me. The flop is 962 with 2 hearts. Pro checks, I elect to check as this seems like a very good spot to slowplay, and I also think there is almost a 50/50 chance the fish bets after I check. Unfortunately though, he checks. The turn is an offsuit 3, pro checks, I bet 35, fish immediately calls, and the pro immediately raises to 105. At this point there is only one hand that beats me, the 54, but I believe he has a lot more hands than just 54 possible. I think 66, 33, or 22 may play it the same exact way. I elect to shove, the fish folds and pro quickly calls, telling me he has the nuts. The river misses and I lose a monster pot.

Had I bet the flop for $35, if the fish called, I'd say there was a reasonable chance that the pro would have peeled with his gutshot as well, so I am trying not to be too upset with the result. But it was painful to have a great chance at being up $900+, but instead being up about $300. I managed to chip up for a few more minutes, and eventually walked away up about $375 at the Mirage, and nearly $500 for the night.

Next up: Thursday and Friday's action and some introspection