ThePokerResource.net: A Rounder’s blog

I really thought Friday was going to be a good day. I drew a fantastic table�no name players and a number of pretty bad/loose players. I was feeling good, drew a bunch of starting hands, and had a good starting stack of 2500 with blinds starting at 25/25. Unlike my first three events, I drew a lot of hands, big suited cards, decent pairs, big aces, and I also splashed around in position.

My first hand was a pair of tens and I made a big raise to 125 after one limper. An old grandpa called behind me and we took it heads-up. Flop 10 A 10. Sweet. I made a small bet of 125 into a pot of 325. He made it 300. I hemmed and hawed and called. Turn was a 6, I thought about betting small on the turn but I checked and he checked behind. River was a brick and I grabbed some chips to figure what I could get out of gramps and I saw him grabbing his chips signaling a clear call. I bet 725 and he called with AK. Sweet. Not bad. I was hoping to get his whole stack on the turn but I was feeling good at 3800 at a very good table. It was sort of like my Day 1 table at the Mandalay 10k event, big stack with bad players. If things went well and our table didn’t break, I could have a big stack by the end of the day. Unfortunately, every time I built up, I got knocked back down.

In the SB, I had AK. Three people limped and the button who had amassed a decent stack (home game player, loose with a decent understanding of cards) made it 100 to go. I’ve gotten pretty gun shy with AK since I dumped off all my chips in the Mandalay event with this hand against aces. So I just called after deliberating a re-raise to 300 or 350. I’m pretty sure that it would’ve cleared the field but I didn’t want to play a large pot with this hand out of position. We took the flop five handed and the flipper rolled off K Q 4. It got checked around. Turn was a 6, two diamonds. I checked again, wanting to play a small pot and not knowing whether anyone flopped KQ or a set. Checked around to the pre-flop raiser who bet 200 into a pot of 525. I knew it was a weak bet and I didn’t fear him, but I was more afraid of the field. I just called and after two folds, a young kid min raised to 400, the pre-flop raiser thought and then called. I didn�t like my spot but I called. Unfortunately, I didn�t announce the strength of my hand so he could have KJ, but with that hand I think he would’ve led on the turn. River was a black 8. I checked and the kid bet 600, the pre-flop raiser folded and I called, given the size of the pot. The kid turned over a set of fours. In hindsight, I wish I would�ve played more strongly pre-flop and made it 300 or 400. I also could�ve raised the turn to 500 and pitched when the kid moved in on me. Instead, I called off 1000. I wasn�t too happy with the play and the outcome of that hand.

I kept staying involved. Raising with big aces, limping with Q10 of clubs, flopping KJ with two clubs and bricking off twice. I raised with 10 7 of hearts after four folds to 150 (blinds 25/50). Only the BB called and I flopped gin. Q 8 4 all hearts. BB checked and I bet 150 into a 325 pot. He called. Turn was a jack of diamond and the BB bet 150 into a 625 pot. It definitely wasn’t a bet of strength. I sized him up and raised to 600. He reluctantly called. River was a baby heart and we checked it down. He had Q2 of spades. Nice, again I was up to about 3500.

After everyone folded, I raised to 150 with AQ on the button. The BB said something about me always raising the button and called. Flop came Q72 with two clubs (I had the ace of club). He checked and I bet 150. He called. Turn was a baby and I bet 300, he called. River was a nine, he checked, I bet 400 and he called, announcing two pair. I shook my head as he tabled 79 suited. Given the betting, how was my hand not good? Every time I got up close to 4k, I got knocked back down in the next few hands. I also knew that the table thought I was playing pretty fast.

On my final hand, I raised to 300 (level 3, blinds were 50/100) UTG with queens. The guy who beat me with 7 9 and who thought I played fast called and the kid who had a set of fours called. We took it three-handed and the flop came pretty good 2 3 5 rainbow. I wanted to bet big to let them know where I stood and to get rid of a big ace (overcards with a wheel draw). I fired 800 into a 1050 pot thinking to myself that I would fold if someone moved in on me. The 7 9 guy thought for over a minute before folding. I gave him a big ace and I wanted him to lay down, given that he thought I was pretty much a cannon. The kid, unfortunately for me, moved in on me. He had me covered and I went into the tank. I started the hand with just over 3k so to call would cost me my last 2k. His betting screamed of a set but I kept thinking back to all the hands that I could beat, which were many. I also was getting a bit frustrated by always getting knocked back down chip stack-wise and I didn�t really feel like playing from a short stack again like I usually do. I thought that my hand might be good, especially against nines through jacks, and winning this pot would put me in great shape to accumulate all day. I called after much deliberation and the kid tabled exactly what he’s supposed to have, a set of ducks. Turn 5, river 10. Definitely a difficult spot, but I’m supposed to be good enough to lay that hand down. I wasn’t too happy with how I went out and the lost opportunity of a golden table.

-PR