With Friends Like Me, Who Needs Enemies

Went off to the Chu on Turkey Friday (11/23) with Trent and Bob - shortly after we arrived, they opened a new 60 NL table so all of us got to play together (me in seat 2, Bob in seat 5, Trent in seat 8). I played tight and solid and ended up busting out both Trent and Bob at one point or another (hence, the title for this installment). Played for ~2 hours and ended up ~$220 for the day - most of this coming on the last hand. You want details?

1) In the SB and there are 4 limpers (including Bob) and I look at Ad8d and decide to try to get rid of some people, so I raise it to $10 - Bob and seat 1 call. Flop is Kd, 8h, 5s and I make a $10 continuation bet to try to take it here, Bob calls and 1 folds - now I'm hoping for a diamond or an Ace. Neither come on the Turn, but it's even better in that it's another 8. I decide to try to push Bob out here and bet enough to put him all in - but he calls me, and flips over K9. A blank on the river gives me the pot and I decide that I'd better buy him lunch...

2) In late position, I look down at TT and get ready to get involved in this pot... Seat 7 raises to $8 and then seat 1 re-raises to $25. Hmmm, suddenly my tens are not looking so good anymore. I bail, and it's folded around to 7 who calls. Flop is T83 rainbow and I'm kicking myself for folding. Both players go all-in and the Turn and River put small cards on the board. Seat 7 had QQ and seat 1 had JJ. Good move on my part to fold there, but a bit of a bummer on the result.

3) From the BB I look down at KhJd and check after 3 limpers (I figure I probably couldn't get them out with a bet - maybe wrong, but lots of calling going on at this table...). Flop is Kd, Js, 8s for a semi-vulnerable top 2-pair, so I bet half the pot ($4), and it's called in 2 places - and I figure that if the Turn is a blank, I'm going to push hard at it. But the Turn is an unsafe 5s, and I check. Now I notice that seat 7 is "bouncing" (I can see his shirt moving indicating that he's bouncing his legs), and he bets $10. Seat 1 folds and I take a moment to pretend to ponder... I finally "decide" to fold but I show my cards, hoping that he'll do the same (I want to see if I'm right). Everyone is saying "wow, I can't believe you're laying that down" - and seat 7 does show, the Ts3s for the flush. I thank him for showing and chock that little bit of knowledge away for future use.

4) The biggest hand of the day for me was the last hand I played. From early position I raise to $7 (my standard raise) with AcAd, seat 4 calls, seat 7 calls, Trent calls, and seat 1 calls ($35 in the pot and 4 opponenets, not what I wanted). Flop is an interesting 3d, 9s, Ts. Seat 1 bets $15, and I raise it to $40. Seat 4 then raises enough to put me in (~$90 total), seat 7 folds, then Trent moves in for his last ~$45. Holy crap. It's back to seat 1 and he calls 'time', which is fine with me 'cuz I need a moment to figure this out too. I figure that I'm up against 3 of the following hands; flush draw, straight draw, set, either top-pair/big-kicker, or another overpair. I'm hoping that it's not a set and I'm sure that even if I'm still ahead right now, I am less than 50% to win this hand... Seat 1 finally calls and I'm looking at nearly 6:1 odds for my last $45 - so I make a crying call and see that I was right. Seat 1 has QcJc for a straight draw, Trent has As8s for the flush draw, seat 4 has pocket kings, and my aces were indeed still in the lead. Turn was the 9c and I just have 1 more card to dodge... River was the 5d and I push back my chair, lift my arms and say, "yeah baby!" (or something like that). With this hand, Trent is busted and doesn't want to buy in again, so I gather my chips and head off to buy both of them lunch at the casino cafe.

Net = $220

Poker drawer = $1,820