Saturday, November 15, 2008

E-GADS! Not three in a row...

11-15-2008
Had to let this one settle in before I told the tale...finished a marathon session last week in a 1-2 NL game that I should have left much earlier but just would not do it. You see I was that guy in highschool that got all the signs that the girls were digging me but had no idea until I went to college and they told me about it, two summers later, FRAK!!! Well I am the same way in a bad game, got all the signs to get out but I don't. I think I know what a bad game is for me now.

I went six dealers until I got a playable hand, 30 min a down, three hours, I mean is that a long time? Yes. My first playable hand, not including the big blind, where I had to fold to all raises and check down to the river and muck, anyways, my first playable hand came during the last dealer where I picked up pocket nines in the hi-jack, I pop to 12 after two limp in, the button calls and big blind re-pops for a bunch...into the muck I go! The button re-popped himself and they got it all in pre-flop, button aces, big blind kings. Button snaps off the big blind. BIG SMOOVE GET OUT OF THIS GAME! Six dealers later I get three hands in a row, yes six dealers later. The hands pocket nines, raise, get four callers, ace hits the board bet into me, call, raise, I fold. Second hand, pocket eights, raise, get five callers, ace hits along with queen, again, bet, call, raise, re-raise, I fold. Third hand, pocket 10's, raise, four callers, flop is AK10, bet into me, raise, re-raise, all in...my lord, I fold. The jack hits the turn and a deuce on the river. Goondingy, GET OUT OF THIS GAME! I am not telling bad beat stories, this is how I know when to get out of a game, six hours and four hands! Gotta get out, the final nail in the coffin, about three more hours later I pick up pocket fives in the cutt-off and I have a maniac to my left, he has raised 95% of the time and admits to being a maniac and wanting to change but cannot. It was quite funny, anyways, I open with my fives, get re-popped by the button, min raise and get two callers at $24 to me. Shoot, okay, $12 more, i call to close the betting down. The flop is QQQ. Checks around to me, now here is what I figure, let me make a bet, I get a call, that's the other queen, I get raised I may be beat but I may be able to call, but hopefully this bet will shut it all down. I cut out $50 and bet, MANIAC pops it another $100, the first caller contemplated for sometime, (HE SAID HE HAD POCKET 10's), but folds and everyone folds around to me. I look at the maniac, who when is confident is very talkative and full of fun, at this time he is stoic and stares straight ahead. I ask how come he's not talking. Folks, another reason to leave a game is when you don't have anymore bullets to fire (rebuys) and you feel like you are scared to lose what is in front of you. Well the maniac does not say anything, but the whole time I am thinking, sixes, sevens, eights, nines, tens, and jacks. I'm thinking now, why the hell did I bet, drek, I could be beat but the kid is stone quiet, not like him, he thinks he's beat, but maybe he did it with AK, "GOON you're good here, just call, and check call the rest of the way," I say to myself but I don't want to lose what's in front of me. After about three long minutes I fold and as I am folding I want my cards back because why would he raise with the queen, well I reverted back to the kid that did that to me with AQ when two hit the board two weeks ago. So I let it go. The kid finally breathes and says to me, I did not want that other kid to call, I was pushing FOURS!!!! ARGH!!!! UGH!!!! SHYTE!!!! I knew I was good but could not commit, if I was Davey I think I may have raised right there, he has this knack for seeing those things better than me. Well, after that it was over, I continued to grind away getting nothing but face card deuce, etc. It went like that for hours, very embarrased because I should have recognized when to get out, yet okay with the way I played for the most part. Going to take sometime off and get ready for this Christmas thing but I got someone to hook me up on full tilt so you might see me in there sometime soon. 'nuff for now.

Stay nice as rice and mello as jello!

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Harrah's Week Two, 11/01/08

Returned to Harrah's this past Saturday and met up with Bill and Davey. They were on table 15 sitting next to each other and the game looked...hmm, not good. Though they did have that cat who thinks he's nice that I would not have minded sitting in the game to break it off in him. But alas I would be put on table 23, I think, by the poker room cage. Before I got there I talked to Davey and Bill for a minute, Davey was up quite a bit, but I know how he plays and I am sure he opened this table up, and had probably pissed a few people off, but that's my boy. Bill was chilling waiting for his time. I got called to my table and said my see ya's and told them that I'll make a table change and be back soon.

So I sit down, (mental checklist, tight aggressive, watch for a bit, play position.) I get in under the gun, look down at AQ of spades and make it $12 to go in the 1-2 NL game. I get three callers. The flop is JJ2, big blind bets, I call, turn pairs the board again, BB beats I call, river is a blank, BB beats again, I call. WHY? WHAT THE HELL CAN I BEAT? MAYBE A BLUFF! MAYBE!!!! Well he shows AJ off and I muck quickly and smile at myself...first hand, mental checklist out the window and $75 down.

Another thing that I like to do is get to know the guys next to me or at least be nice to them, you see I am a very large guy and quite intimidating, so that it is easier to take money from them. Well it worked, had a very loose weak aggressive player to my left and a nice young weak tight kid to my right. We talked and it was more small talk then anything. I was back on my game plan and up a couple hundred at this point. The guy two to my right was another decent player who had about six hundred in front of him due to hitting quad kings versus pocket aces, where they got it all in on the flop, he turned the quads...lol! At least that was the story I got when I got back from the bathroom.

Well, here is how being nice sorta works out. I am in the big blind, 7-4 off, three limpers to the flop, weak aggressive, descent player on the button and weak tight in the small blind. The flop, 10 7 7 rainbow, YAHTZEE! Check around to the button, $10 bet. SB calls, I call, the rest fold. Turn card, 7, UNO!!!! Well, that was the first thing that came to mind. SB bets $20, I call button calls. River is a deuce. SB checks-"WHAT THE HELL!"-I can't check behind, because I notice the button wants to check also. Shoot! Well I cut out $70, slight overbet, or it looks like it and bet. The button stands up and looks at me, "You got quads?" In the amount of time that I am typing this I had to answer, which I did, "Yes, I do." I tried to sound like a liar. He said that according to the way I had been playing he believed me. I did not like that he said that but oh well, I really was hoping for a call, he folded. The SB with about $100 left goes, "Do you really have quads?"
I answer, "Yes, I do," now with a lot of confidence.
"Will you show if I fold?"
"NOPE!" I said quickly. Now I figured he was not going to call.
"Well, I gotta see them. Right?"
He cuts out $70, and slowly pushes it across the line and quickly flips up his 10 8 off. I show my 7-4 off and pull in the pot.
"Guess you were telling the truth," as he smiled at me, pushed away from the table and said good game as he cashed out.
I don't know if he called because it was easy to give me his money or because he thought I was a liar, I'm going with easy because I think I was likeable.

Well the game eventually broke and I was up real nice for a 1-2nl game. I move to another table where the action was a little crazy. Four way limped pots and a $20 bet when the flop would hit...YUMMY! I entered with about $350 and after an hour I was down to $125, freaking crazy, I had to let a lot of big hands go. Well I straddle, I have my reasons for straddling in a loose game. I may give that away another time. There are six callers including the blinds, here is a funny thing, the big blind completes and at this point I am raising with whatever I have to take this pot down, when the one seat, about middle middle position, throws out four red chips. The dealer said you already called. He looks a little frustrated so instead of raising, I look down at 10-5 off and knock the board. The flop comes 10 5 2, check around to the guy who wanted to raise. He throws out $20, this guy who has been playing slow, min raises quickly. YIKES, I think, big hand. 5's, deuces? Folds around to me and I just call the $20. Folds to the bettor and he re-raises all in, about $60 more. I look down at what I got left and go F it! I'm all in, the other guy beats me in the pot. The two guys to my left say I like your hand, the original bettor turns over pocket kings, the slow player who got fast all of a sudden turns over pocket deuces. I still have not turned my cards over. The kings go, "what you got man?"
"I'm in second and you're in third place," I respond.
The turn is five. "I just took first place, fellas."
The river is an ace, I show my 10 5 off and they don't look happy. The original bettor goes, "shoulda raised."
I get up after a few big blinds and get away up $60, from that second session and head home. I may get to get away again for a third week in a row...wish me luck.

Stay nice as rice and mello as jello!