Most sessions seem to come down to a few big pots as to whether you have a winning or losing session. Especially when you only play for a couple of hours. So, it's 11:30pm and my sleep pattern is still all fucked-up (the rain really does not help with this), so I head to the monthly 10 20 game at The Office in Mississauga. It has been a couple of months since I have played live 10 20 LHE and after winning $250 the night before in a brief NL session I felt like I could win another $300 or so in this game. I'm not out for a big win, I just want to win $1000 or so in this week off of work.
So, I get there at midnight and sit with 6 or 7 other players, of which I am only familiar with 3 or so. I end up playing for only 2 hours. I'm up $450 at that point and I get "that feeling" of not wanting to lose back my profit and decide that that's enough for the night.
Three key hands to the session, in chronological order.
First hand:
We are 8 handed or so and this is how the hand plays out -- I like my play but am curious as to what others think.
UTG calls (Johnny T no less), I call with KQo, folded to the SB who completes and BB checks.
Players SB -- extremely loose, horrid limit player.
BB -- extremely tight, horrid limit player.
UTG -- Johnny T who I have not played with in a year and a half and he just sat, so no real read.
Me -- UTG + 1
Preflop pot 2bb
Flop K hi all hearts SB bets, BB folds Johnny T calls, I debate a raise knowing I am likely ahead of SB and thinking JohnnyT likely has a big heart -- I call and wait for the turn to pop it if no heart falls (I have no heart). Pot 3.5bb.
Turn offsuit Q giving me top 2 -- SB bets, JT calls, I raise with top 2, SB calls, JT reraises (pot now 10,5bb) -- so he most likely flopped the flush, but again I do not have a good read on JT and he could have top pair with a big heart, I call given that I have roughly 10.5:1 on my money to make a fh with 10.5bb in the pot and will be paid by a bet on the river, and SB folds. Pot 11.5bb.
River blank and I call (12.5bb pot) and am shown T9 suited of hearts -- I always call on the river HU in this spot as I feel it is a winning play in the long run, win 1 in 11 and I'm ahead.
As an aside, Johnny T played some solid poker in the couple hours I sat with him, much different than my previous experiences with him. For those of you who don't know JT, check out www.pokernightlive.ca
Second hand:
77 UTG. Table is 8 handed or so, I look down and think of mucking, then think of raising. I noticed last month that my positional play had been poor wrt preflop hand selection and after tightening-up slightly I have yet to have a losing session. So, I call. Why do I call? I think the table was playing fairly tight preflop at that point and I figured the flop would be cheap. Soooooo, it comes back to me 3-bet or capped (I don't recall) 3 ways as 2 loose-aggressive players decided to remember that they were loose aggressive. I call 2 or 3 more bets cold, feeling I can win 16bb on my 8:1 shot of flopping a set if I hit given who is in the hand.
The players:
ME -- UTG
UTG + 2 -- bad player who reraises and 2 paint preflop regardless of action to him.
MP -- DQ, laggy preflop player, decent postflop player
BB -- JT again
So, we see the flop with 6-8bb in the pot.
Flop -- doorcard is the 7, sweet. 762 with 2 hearts. Pot is big. I'm going to win a big pot or lose a big pot to a straight or a flush. Pot is big, no way am I slowplaying, I want to take this down ASAP. I bet, bad player raises, DQ reraises, JT folds, I cap and bad player thinks and folds, DQ calls right away -- likely flush draw/straight draw or overpair. Pot 11-13bb.
Turn -- completes the flush but not the straight, I can't recall the card. I bet out as I can't allow a free draw to a 4th heart. DQ raises, ok he has the flush. I call. Pot 15-17bb.
River pairs the 6, I bet and he makes a crying call and I rake in a nice-sized pot.
Third Hand:
Very soon after, I pick-up AA UTG. I raise, bad player reraises, DQ reraises, JT calls, I hesitate and make a what-the-fuck-the-game-is-loose cap. Everyone calls. 4 handed capped pot. Pot 8bb.
The players are the same as the last big hand.
The Flop -- T9x with 2 diamonds. I bet, bad player raises, DQ reraises, JT folds (I think), I cap, bad player folds, DQ calls. Pot 13bb.
The turn -- pairs the ten, never a great sign when you have an overpair. I bet, DQ just calls. Hmmm, still drawing? Pot 15bb.
The River -- ACE! Are you kidding me, I hit 2 sets in 10 mins? Nice. Bet, called. And he shows a ten and mucks. Pot 17bb, nice.
I play a few more rounds, the game is still very good although it has gotten short, which is my specialty. However, I have obtained my monitary goal for the night and don't feel like playing aggressive, short-handed poker with it's inherently increased variance after winning $450 at an almost-full table. I get up and I go home.
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