There is one NL underground club in Toronto where I have almost never, if ever, had a winning session. I haven't played there much, but there it is staring me in the face. Probably the only poker room anywhere where I am in the red overall. I know the primary reason for this -- I hate full-table 1 2 NL and this is what I have always played there. Inevitably, I play almost every hand for $2, call with almost anything for $6 trying to crack someone for their stack, etc., etc. I play horrid poker. Also, I abhor full table NL ring...just exhaustingly boring to me. Well, it was 130am and I was wide awake AND I felt like playing live NL ring. So, over to The Unit I go to play 2 5 NL. Now, I have only played 2 5 NL live once before, and that time after a horrid hand of 2nd nut full-house over nut full-house costing me my initial $400, I managed to break even after 4-5 hours. Tonight (or this morning, depending on the life you live), I was determined to play a solid and fairly tight game of 2 5 NL. I told myself on the way there -- do not make moves in multiway pots, do not play suited connectors for a 5bb raise out of position -- basically, play solid, position poker. Just take home a small win, $200 or so, and get this demon off your back and prove that you can play 2 5 NL half way decently as there MUST be alot of money floating around in all the underground NL games in the GTA. NL is the game of choice these days, so why not try playing a limit that is interesting and see how I do.
The game is min/max $200/$500. Usually I like to buy for the max if any stacks at the table are at or over that amount as I can can with huge implied odds to crack big hands. however, I only know 1 player at the table so I decide to be cautious and buy in for $300. After no cards for some time and maybe winning 1 small pot I'm at $250. I have pigeonholed most of the table, so after I win a pot to get to around $330 or so I add on another $100. Basically only 1 big hand all night, but that's all it takes to win a few hundred at 2 5. 7 handed, a player with a fairly wide range of raising hands raises UTG to $20, I have black aces. I decide to conceal the strength of my hand and smooth call. I'm going to get away from this hand with heavy action on a scary board. The small blind, horrid player, comes along. 3 handed to a K74 flop suited in spades -- brilliant. UTG bets $20 into a $65 pot, I know the SB has $70 or $80 left and that I'm not moving off this hand, aces with the nut flush draw. I know SB calls with a king, so I make it $80 and SB folds. UTG calls fairly fast. I put him on AK or KQ. Turn appears to be a blank, making the board K748 with 3 spades. Now, I'm slightly afraid that he's slowplaying a flush or a set, but I'm almost convinced he has KQ with the Q spades. Pot roughly $$220, I bet $130 and have $200 behind. He thinks for 2-3 minutes and then calls -- ok he does not have a made hand and he muttered that he still has outs. KQ, he has to have KQ with Qspades. River offsuit Q for K748Q...um eeeeek! He thinks a minute then checks. I'm hoping if he has KQ I can represent the flush and win -- I bet $209 all in and he folds. He had QT with the Q spades -- drawing completely dead on the turn. That was the only large pot I had played since I sat, noone there really knew my play and he calls all the way with a naked single card 2nd nut flush draw.
Nice.
Only stayed an hour or so after. Roughly 3 hours total, +$250. Mission accomplished.
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