Feb 23, 2008 – Chumash, $1/$2 NL ($60 buy-in)

I talked Josh into coming back with me, and we played for ~3 hours – me at poker, Josh at poker and blackjack. Ended the day at +$120.

Some hands that I can remember…

1) I just couldn’t help myself… I got Ac6c in mid-late position and limped in with Josh in the BB in seat 7. Flop was Kc, Jh, Tc giving me the nut-flush draw, but Josh bet out $10 – seat 8 called and I decided to chase, and I called; everyone else folded. Turn was the 5c (yay), and we all checked. River was the Jd and only I called Josh’s $15 bet. He’d flopped a straight and I ran it out on him.

2) In middle position I picked up 8’s and just limped with them, and ended up with 5 to see the flop. Flop was Qh, Qd, 8h and we all check to seat 4 (the cut-off) who bets out with $10. Seat 8 calls and I call. Turn is the Jd, - which seat 8 checks to me. I decide that I’m going to bet hoping that it looks like I’ve got a Q and am afraid of the flush draw, so I bet out with $20. Seat 4 immediately raises to $50. 8 folds and I move in for another <$10. He calls and while the dealer is straightening out our stacks, he gets nervous and says, “you got a boat?” I just nod and he disgustedly flips over QsTc. River is a red 7 and I pull in nearly $140.

3) I made a bad move on another hand … I limped from UTG with 9’s and had several in the pot – and the last to act was BB in seat 1, who just checked. Flop was Q, J, 7 and I decided that I was going to try to bluff at it. Seat 1 bet out $8, and I raised it to $25. Everyone folded, and Seat 1 called. Turn was a blank, 1 checked to me and I bet another $25 – 1 then moved all-in for another $40 or so, and I had to muck. He showed KK – nice trap I fell into…

4) From EP, I call the $2 with Ah9h after seat 1 limps from UTG, and there’s 5 of us to the flop – which is a very nice Th, 7c, 6h giving me nut-flush and gutshot straight draws. Seat 1 checks, and what do I do with them – I check. Huh? I check because I can see that seat 3 wants to bet. He bets out $8, which is called only by me and seat 1. Turn is 5h, and we both check to seat 3 again – and he bets $8 again, and again, we both call. River is the Js and seat 1 checks again. I take a risk in my assessment of 3 that he’s willing to bet one last time, and I check – and (yes!), he bets; another $8. Seat 1 calls and I pause, then raise it to $20. Seat 3 grumbles and folds, but seat 1 calls and I roll over the nutter. I’m fairly sure 1 had the straight, seat 3 says that he had 2 pair. ~$100 to me – woohoo!

Donked off $50 on that poorly-timed bluff – but, on the bright side, I still ended ‘up’ for the day. I have trouble reading players right next to me, and I think that was one of my problems with that hand – I could only see half of his face and so I wasn’t really looking for baseline tell behavior. Anyway, like I said, bad move on my part and a nice trap on his part.

Poker drawer is at $2,160.