Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Late Night at the L

I started my night over at the Fishbowl only to find that no games were playing. I moped upstairs and blew 60 bucks playing the Price is Right slot. That machine has given me much solace after a bad beat, but someone must of noticed and tightened it up.
I decided to head home, but halfway to the highway decided to go to the L. I walked into a crazy game and got 10d 6d on the big blind on my first hand. I limped to a flop of 8d 7d x. I bet my draw at 15 and got called twice. The turn was a pretty 9. I checked it the big stack who tossed in 50. I smooth called it and watched a pretty blank hit the river. I opened for 50 and got raised by the big stack to 100. I shoved everything in and showed my straight. The big stack looked shocked and muttered how she didn't see the straight out there.
I'm feeling good now, I'm up to 300 something off a 140 buy in after my first hand. The next hand shows me a couple of 4's. UTG raises it to 13 and 5 callers come on board. 6 4 3 with two hearts hit the board. I make it 25, UTG makes it 75 and Big Stack bumps it to 150. I count and recount my stack and shove it all in. UTG looks forlorn. He has about 100 left and stares hard at it for a couple minutes before tossing his over pair in. Big Stack looks confused. I take this as a good sign. She guesses at a set of 6's or a set of 4s. I try not to indicate anything. She asks if I'd shove on a flush draw and I shrug, but I think she reads that I don't have that. She dawdles for a bit before finally calling.
The turn is 10h and I start to worry. I don't think she has a flush draw, I'm not sure what she has, A6 maybe... couldn't be two pair... the river is a seven and she flips up 5 7 clubs. She flopped a straight.
So I doubled up and gave it back in two hands. I go out and rebuy. Coming back I knock around for a bit, slowly draining my stack. Finally my two pair get busted by big stacks flopped set and i'm steaming. I took a walk around and played some texas hold em table game. It's a nice slow way to lose your shirt. When that stupid game knocks me down to 20, I decide to throw good money after bad and buy 20 more reds.
I sit into a new game with three stacks of over 2k. That can't be a good sign. My first hand is JJ. I raise to 50, get 5 callers. This is what we call a loose game! The flop is J 10 9 with two spades. I check it like a donk and the buton knocks it up to 100. I really can't do much but go all in with my set, tho something in my knows I'm way behind. We wait to the river and i show my set. "Needed a queen." the raiser mutters before mucking. Now I'm feeling a little better, I've tripled up with all those callers and am ready to play. A few hands later I catch AA and raise to 30, a short stack goes all in for 58 more. I instacall and his QQ doesn't catch.
Two hands later I'm on the button with KK. The straddle gets called all around and I push it up to 65. The straddler moans. "You straddled his button man, he has to defend that!" the guy next to me says. I'm thankful for that help. I get three callers and the flop hit K J 10. It's checked around and a 7 pulls off. One of the big stacks makes it 75, hoping to snatch that monster pot. I stare and dawdle for a bit, then go all in. Everyone folds around to the raiser who smiles, "I would've checked KK there too!" It's a good read so i show it and smile as I rake my chips.
A round later I'm UTG with 7 8 suited. I raise the straddle to 12 just for kicks and 4 callers come in. The flop is 10 6 6. The straddle raises to 25 and gets called all around. The turn is a 10 and I act like I'm suppressing a smile as I knock over one of my red stacks and throw out 50. The straddler folds (55 i later learn) and the other callers bow out. I flash my bluff to the guy next to me who whispers "good bet."
Last hand at that table I catch AA again. I raise to 60 and get one short stack caller. I pick up about 50 chips like i'm getting ready to bet the flop. It hits 2 A 3. I slightly move my betting hand and catch it back. I hastily check trying to broadcast KK or QQ that just got nervous. I know the caller has AK, and he makes my day by dropping his last 100 in the pot. I instacall and he announces he's drawing dead before I show my AA. I think he figured out what was going on there. At this point I have close to 800 and decide to take a walk for a couple minutes. I come back and the table is breaking up. I move over to the new table where a couple of fish complain that i'm bring too much money in. That's a good sign.
I play some decent poker, but don't move up much for the next hour. I bet out AK in the small blind and get 3 callers. The flop is J 3 3. I bet 45 and the guy to my left goes all in for 98. I'm hoping no one else calls, because I read him for a J and wouldn't mind a race for an extra 50 bucks. Two guys call and a 4 peels off. I bet out another hundred trying to chase them off. One guy has deuces and knows that he's ahead of me but folds out. The other guy must have a jack because he stays in. The river is a K and he checks to me. I go all in and he bails. The all in guy had J 8 and smiles meekly as he gathers up his coat to leave.
Eventually we were down to 3 players and we were playing a friendly game. It was 1 3 with a constant straddle. I catch some good cards, but check it down a lot to be nice. I'm at around 900 or so now, so I'm not willing to risk to much.
One hand has me catching Q9 on the button. I call a 15 dollar raise and the flop is Q x 9. Small blind checks and big blind opens for 25 with a black chip. I call. The turn is a blank and Big blind says 25 and points to the black still in front of him. I raise him to 75 and he calls. The river is a queen. I start to bet and then stop. "you have a queen?" I bet out 100. He calls with his Q8 and I add to my tidy stack. I gave most of that back a couple hands later. The final hand of the night, I have Kd 10d. I call a 25 raise and the flop hits K 8 4, two hearts and a diamond. The guy bets out 50 and i call. The river is a blank heart. He bets out 50 and I call again. The river is a total blank and he opens for 100. Now I'm thinking. The pot is big, and I assume he either has a better K than me or a made flush. I tank for a bit and finally call just to know. He flips up Q 9 and concedes a good call. I don't think it's actually a good call given the circumstances and the fact that I called thinking I was beat, but the big pot looks nice as I rake them in and rack them up.