Small Profit for the Week

The net result since my last post is about 3k to the positive. I had a couple of small wins then lost 6.5k Thusday and won almost 7.5k yesterday. The day I lost big was totally my fault as I sat in a tough 10-20 game and found myself on the bad side of a couple rivers and an ugly setup. The point is I should not have sat in the game because it was me against the Bellagio regulars who don't really give anything away.

Up until last night I ran pretty bad most of the week. I took the day off yesterday opting to sit by the pool with Kathy and followed it up with a little shopping at the fashion mall across from the Wynn. She arrived late Thursday so we could spend some quality time before her friends arrived last night for a 3-day stagette.

I'm off to meet by buddy Jon for a steak dinner and then will be off to the tables one more time. I have not yet booked my ticket home because I will be playing the HOSE event tomorrow and if I make it through to the final table I will have to be here until Tuesday. If I get knocked before then I will book a flight for Monday.

Overall, I'm happy with my play. There is a lot of money to be made here however the edge in the 10-20 is noticably small because it is usually made up of the regulars who know what they are doing and if you run bad you lose. The 5-10s play big for 5-10s and for the most part are made up of fish and rocks so really it is a stress free game that should turn an average profit between 2-3k a session. In hindsight, I should have stuck to this game everyday as I would most likely be up more money. Oh well, live and learn.

Key hands:

Hand #1:

I had 87 of spades UTG and limped. Everybody folded to an aggressive fish on the button who raised to $50. He had about 3k and I had him covered so I decided to call. The flop was 456 all hearts. I checked he bet $120. I decide to call here thinking I have the best hand, but I don't want to build a big one until I see one more card that isn't a heart. The turn is the K of diamonds, I check he bets $260. I raise to $600. He ponders and reraises to $1600 leaving himself just over 1k behind. I think for a bit and feel that with a big flush he would have raised less to keep me in the hand. As well, his heart was pounding like a guy who just finished running a marathon so I felt at best he had a hand like KKK and was nervous about what I would do. I decided to push allin, he pondered and eventually folded. He later told me he had AK with K of hearts. Hmmm, I think more like AK off as I think he would put his last 1K in with the heart redraw giving what was already invested. If he did have the heart I'm happy he folded because the way I run it surely would have fallen on the river.

Hand #2:

UTG preflop raise to $40 and I call from the big blind with K4 of hearts after 4 call. The flop is K64 two clubs. I check preflop raiser bets $140 and all fold to me. I raise to $420 and he calls. The turn is an offsuit J and I lead out $600. The preflop raiser makes it another $1000 to go. At this point we are both over 10k deep and he is a relatively good aggressive player. I feel I'm in a vulnerable spot out of position. I had noticed he limps with small pairs from early position and felt that the only hands I could be losing to were KK and KJ. On the other hand, I could be beating AK, AA, or K plus flush draw, which he is very capable of raising the turn to check the river if he didn't improve. I decide to flat call with intentions of calling a big river bet if a dud fell. If he bet the river it would likely be a bluff or KK. I think with KJ he would check fearing I flopped a small set. The river was an offsuit 3, I check he checks I show he mucks and says 'so sick'. Hmmm, I spend $30 more to see a flop and I outflop him...so sick. Next time don't bet thousands against me with one pair after I check raise you on the flop dumbass.

Hand #3:

Playing in the 10-20 game against a very aggressive tricky bluffing machine. I have JJ and reraise the bluffer who opens 50% of the pots, making it $400 to go. He calls and the flop is 855 two hearts. He checks I bet $550 he calls. The turn is an offsuit K he checks I check. River is another 5 and he bets $900. I ponder for awhile and feel I have to call as he could so easily have a busted straight or flush draw as his range is any two. I cannot beat K8, K with flush draw, 88, or the case 5. As it turns out he has a real hand AK of hearts. I'm kind of lucky we don't play a bigger pot there. He tells me against anyone else he would have jammed the flop, but told me he liked me so he played it soft. I believe it as we generated a good rapport leading up to the hand, and he most certainly had a lot of gamble in him.

Hand #4:

Same game but now down to 5 players. Myself, 3 Bellagio regulars, and some young drunk kid that just sat in the game. I raise off the straddle to $14o with KJ of hearts. The kid, in his third hand of the session, defends. The flop is A73 two hearts. He checks I bet $200 and he check raises to $550. The kid has about $3000 behind the raise so I call hoping to hit my flush (my percentage of hitting a flush has steadily increased to about 1 in 15 so I felt I was almost getting the odds). Anyway, the turn is the 7 of hearts and he checks. I fire out for $700, he hesitates for about 10 seconds then declares allin. I call right away as it is so likely he has a smaller flush or a hand like AQ with Q of hearts. Of course, he tables 33 for a fullhouse and I'm drawing dead.

Hand #5:

Same game but earlier in the night. I raise to $80 UTG with QQ and get 5 callers. The flop is 1075 rainbow and I check, likely to raise but also to see the action to the hand. It gets checked around and the turn is a 3. I fire out for $320 and am smooth called by a very solid player then get raised another $1000 by a different tight player. I end up mucking convincing myself that the kid must have turned a set of 3s to make that move. After the hand he said he bluffed, sure.... What was interesting about that hand though was later on when talking to the solid player, my buddy Amron, he told me he had AA and was first intending to slow play, but once I checked the flop he said he thought I was checking to raise with 1010 and decided to check for pot control. Very interesting....I thought I blew the pot. Usually he would bet for information regardless, I guess he felt very strong about that read. Anyway, thought that was an interesting hand.

Hand #6:

In a different 1020 game couple nights back I had AA. I rather tight player limped UTG and another tight player raised to $120. I made it $380 to go and had 4 callers, which was rare for this game with a raise, reraise. The flop came down J53 two clubs and they all checked to me. I bet $750 and they all folded to the last guy who check raised me all in for another $2500. This player does not put his chips in lightly so I knew he was big. I did not have the A of clubs so he could have an AK or AQ of clubs hand. With KK he most likely would have reraised with all those callers and took his chances I didn't have AA. So that leaves the flush draw QQ or JJ. I was in a tough spot and figured 50/50 he would show me JJ. Someone put the clock on me rather quickly, which I thought was in bad taste as I usually made decisions faster than most, but I took the time bank down to 3 before finally deciding to call. He shows JJ and I lose.

Hand #7:

Last night in a 510 game I had AA and raised to $50 after one fish limped. We end up heads up and the flop came 642 with two clubs. He checked I bet $100 he called. The turn was an offsuit 9, he checked I bet $300 he check raised to $600 with another $1300 behind. I decided to flat call as he could have any two and I felt I could ascertain his strength by how scary the river is and how big his bet would be. The river pairs the 2 and he fires for $450. I really felt I had him beat and should put him allin. I deliberated for a minuted but eventually chickened out and just called. He shows Q9 off, nice flop call... I was mad about not putting him in. I think he may have called if I shoved based on later play in the night.

Hand #8:

I had AQ off and limped off the straddle as the game was very loose with several calling stations. First, I hate that hand and second, I could not isolate this field for $100 so may as well see if I can hit a flop. As it turns out a couple call and the straddle who has shown to be rather tight raises to $120. He was reasonably deep so I decided to call with position and three go to the flop. The flop is Q82 with two spades. He bets out $250 and I decide to call to see how hard he pushes the turn. I think I had the best and could extract value later in the hand if he checked and I bet through, to get paid off by 1010 or JJ. We end up heads up and the turn pairs the Q, he leads out again this time for $500. I decide to raise with the flush draw out there and if he had a big pair he may call through. I make it another $800 on top. He ponders and shoves all in for another $1400. I call the river pairs the 2 and he shows KQ suited. Damn, chop chop.

Hand #9:

In the same game have Q8 of hearts on the button after several limpers. A mega fish who is deep thanks to a couple suckouts makes it $100 to go from the small blind. One guy calls so I decide to see a flop as the fish may be steaming from losing a pot on the previous hand. The flop is 872 rainbow and he leads out for $200. The other player calls, who is also deep, and I decide to call to see the action on the turn. At this point, I think I may be winning as the fish could have anything and the other guy is likely calling with a pocket pair between the 2 and 7 (he is too tight to see a flop that hits the 7 or 8, hopefully he didn't flop set). The turn pairs the 8 and the fish leads out $500. The other guy folds and I decide to flat call so I don't lose my customer. The river is a 3 and the fish leads out for another $500. I knew by the turn that the fish had a hand and with the small river block bet I knew he was afraid I had the 8. I decide to raise another $1,200, unfortunately he folds 1010 face up. Would have like to get paid there but at least I got another $500 out of him on the river by not raising the turn.

Hand #10:

In a 1020 five handed game I get KQ of diamonds on the button and raise to $80 and both blinds defend. The flop was J104 two hearts. They check I bet $210 and am check raised to $500 and I call as I think he is strong and with a 9 on the turn I could get paid big givin we are both over 10k deep. The turn is a Q and he fires for $750. I don't really think I'm winning here, but I think I can take this one down with a raise. I had not shown any bluffs for awhile and he could easily give me credit for a straight. I raise him $1500 on top and he tanks for awhile, finally folding J10 face up. Whew....

There's a lot more hands to talk about, but I've run out of time, gotta go for dinner. I have had alot of interesting hands play out this week with alot of tough decisions. I did not get very many no brainers and was put to the test with marginal hands in big pots. Hopefully I can make one more big score tonight and follow it up with a good result in the tourney tomorrow. So looking forward to the tourney tomorrow....

I'll probably not post again until I fly home next week. Looking forward to getting back to spend some time with Kathy, Braeden, and my buds. As well, I hear the boys are itching to take my money in the stud game...game on.

Cheers,