While The Cat's Away...

09/01/07

Amy had a shopping day planned in LA with a couple of her former-college roommates, so guess what I did? Give yourself a gold star if you said, “Chumash.”

I got there about 11:00 and sat at the 3/6 limit game while I waited for the $60 NL table to open up. I played 3/6 for about 40 minutes and then moved over to the NL table. Got a lot of crap cards and ended up down for the day, but had a couple of memorable hands…

1) At the 3/6 table, I post the BB from seat 6 and the guy in seat 8 pops it to $6, 2 other callers makes it $22 in the pot and $3 for me to call – so I do with my weak Kc3c. Flop is 2s, 6d, Qs – which I check. Seat 8 bets $3 and everyone folds back to me (now, seat 8 is tilting pretty badly – in the 20 or so minutes I’d been seated at this table when this hand took place, I’d seen him lose top pair holdings 3 times, 2 to flushes and 1 to a straight that the other guy was all in and hit on the river – so I’m thinking that I can take this pot from him if a spade hits), so I call. Turn is a 9c and I check-call his $6 bet. River is the 4s, and I pause just a half-second before leading out with $6. He immediately yells, “God dammit!” and throws his cards face down into the muck – and continues to rant about everyone hitting their draws against him and how he can’t believe it. Meanwhile I just toss my cards away, tip the dealer, and steal a decent little pot.

2) One of the first hands at the just-opened $60 NL table – I was in seat 7 and in the SB, 6 people limp and I look at 45o, and put my $1 in – BB checks and we’re off. Flop is K36 rainbow for an open-ender, to which I bet $6 – and all folded but seats 2 and 5. The 2c on the turn gave me the nut-straight which I checked, seat 2 bet $10, seat 5 folded, and I called. I checked the river Th and seat 2 bet out another $10 – to which I pondered a moment and raised to $30. He insta-called and I showed the small-blind-special, and scooped a nice pot.

3) Nearly an hour after hand 2 above, I hadn’t played very much and I caught a prime chance to steal. From the BB I check as 5 of us are off to the flop – which was all spades; 3s, 5s, Qs. Now, I don’t have spade but I do have a Q (Qh9c to be exact) – but I’m chicken and I check. Everyone checks – hmm. Turn is the Jd and we all check again. River is the As and I lead out with $4, and everyone folds. Sometimes it pays to be seen as squeaky tight.

4) A new and very loose player sits down in seat 5 and he loves to gamble. Under the gun I look down at KJo and limp in with it (I know, it’s dumb to do from this position but KJ was the best hand I’d seen in an hour and I had a moment of weakness), seat 2 limps and the blinds call/check. Flop is 23J rainbow and seat 5 bets $5, which I and seat 2 call. Turn is a 7h putting 2 hearts on board and I decide it’s time to lower the hammer; seat 5 bets $8 and I raise to $25 – seat 2 hems and haws for a full minute before flashing his KJ into the muck, seat 5 calls. River is the 6c and seat 5 bets out $20 – now I hem and haw wondering what the hell he could have that has me beat, and I call to which he shows Jc6s for 2 pair on the river. Bleh!

5) I was back down to ~$60 and I picked up KhJh in the BB. Seat 3 had min-raised it to $4 and 5 of us were off to the flop. Flop was Ks, 8c, 7h to which I bet $6 – and seat 3 raised to $15. I’m wondering what he could have that I could beat and the only hand that I can come up with is KT – more likely he’s got KJ, KQ, or even AK… But I do have the backdoor straight & flush draws, so I call, as does seat 8, and the river is the Tc. Well, if he’s got KT, I’m drawing very slim, so we both check to him, and he bets $20. I fold, but 8 calls. River is the Jd, which (yes, I know) would have given me 2 pair, but also puts 4 parts of a straight on board. 8 checks and 3 moves all-in. 8 folds and 3 mucks – damn, now I’ll never know if my read was right…

Anyway, down $80 for the day and the poker drawer is at $1,180. I still think I’m playing too tight, and I need to do more semi-bluffing or even the occasional bluff-raise if I can get any sort of a read that my opponent is weak… Well, I’ll try to keep this in mind during my next venture.