this and that and even again

So, few days ago played 4 $550+$20 heads-up SNGs. Lost the 1st one to this awesomeness. I feel like I'm getting coolered so much lately to the point where I'm seriously wondering if it's just a major leak in my game. I dunno, I'll give it some more time, but geezus I hope the terrible setups take a freakin' break (more to come on this unfortunately...). Next 3 SNGs I play the same terrible tight calling station and go lose, win, lose. Bah...

During the SNGs I scraped together $500 in one table of $5/$10. So, down $660 for that session.

Two days ago had a few interesting hands, swung up and down a bit and finished up $500. Hand histories are on my laptop, but basically I had a sweet double-up hand for a $3,200 pot with AA all-in pre-flop versus AK. Donation! Then I donkeyed away $1,000 by flopping a K with AK, trying to trap, and running into KK. Gotta love drawing dead (I'm glad it's rare). I pulled off a couple solid $500+ river bluffs too.

Had one tough hand where MP (middle position) raised, button called, and I called with QQ in BB. Flop was T93, two diamonds. I check, MP bets $125, button raises to $375, and I fold. I just didn't have a good feeling from the start. I very much had the button on a semi-bluff, but the original raiser could easily have AA or KK (or even a set) as he was quite tight with his pre-flop raises. So anyway, the original raiser pushes all-in with JJ, the button calls on a nut flush draw, and my QQ would have held up by some miracle. So, if I just play like a doofus I most likely triple up as we all had full buy-ins (might have lost the JJ if I jam the flop, but who knows).

Went to the Penguin Club (I asked about their name and it's officially Player's Club I guess but they didn't really seem to firm on it or even know for sure themselves, so I like Penguin Club better so that's what I'll use) yesterday to play some $5/$10 and I was happy to see the game switch to $10/$20 within an hour of starting. I eventually suggested making it $10/$25 because that would involve way less change and a faster game, so we did it. So, back to the normal $10/$25 game as it seems most of the regulars in the game prefer that, even if it is a little more short-handed than $5/$10. I don't really care to play in a $5/$10 game with a bunch of rock short-stackers who mostly just interfere in my hands against the deep stacks.

Anyway, I started alright, thought my luck was turning around, and then ran into the good old Rosie wall again. I have never, in 3 years, had someone OWN me so badly. If we were playing for Sklantsky dollars, then I'd be a rich man (if you don't have a clue what I'm talking about, just nevermind, read Sklantsky's poker book, it's boring). Rosie has this incredible talent of whenever the pot gets over $1,000, he wins....always. It doesn't matter what I have or how far ahead I am, he finds a way and I'm always left with these tough gay decisions. I won't bother playing out all the hands, but he 2-outed me THREE times that I can remember in decent pots, counterfeited or rivered my 2 pair THREE times, rivered a bigger straight on my flopped nut straight, etc, etc, etc. If I didn't like Rosie and if he weren't such a gentleman at the table, I'd want to strangle him! I did, however, lose my cool a little in this game and I don't like that happening. I feel foolish and defeated. I wasn't mad at Rosie, or the dealer, or myself really (well, maybe on a couple calls, but gah...), but mostly just at the bad luck. And being mad at bad luck is a waste of time.

So, to make a long story short, I did hit a few hands throughout the night, but couldn't get much going while getting coolered by Rosie every other rotation. Joe, Rosie, and I played 3-handed for about 3 hours. Over half the hands had a straddle which made the game $10/$25/$50. Early in the 3-handed I was up about $4,500 and went on a $7,500 downswing as Rosie took my chips and immediately gave them to Joe who was a hitting machine and getting paid off left and right. I was so cold for the first 2 hours of 3-way play, nothing was working. Fortunately, I took down a few medium pots and crawled back to even before we called it a night.

Joe and I battled a few times, not too much and not too deep. I think we played each other about even (skill-wise), but he definitely hit a little better in our heads-up hands. He's really tough to play, but I know I give him problems here and there too. It's been a while since I've hit a really nice hand on him...I always feel vulnerable in the hands.

Joe and I had a couple interesting hands (neither had a straddle):

One hand I had 65 on button. Flop is 643. Rosie (who is on pretty big tilt because he is down even though kicking my ass) bets out $50, Joe raises to $200, I call (I know, little risky, but given the context of the gameplay I think it's fine), Rosie calls. Turn is a 2 (no flushes), Rosie checks, Joe bets $600, I call, Rosie folds. River is a T (blank), and Joe grabs for chips pretty quickly and fires out $3,000! The pot stands at about $1,900. I am pretty much instantly thinking fold, it's gotta be 75. Then, I start trying to convince myself Joe is trying to bet me off a chop (he did it against Hung, barely unsuccessfully, just a little while before), then snap out of it and make the fold. Joe showed 75 thinking I didn't even have a 5 after I folded. He was annoyed at himself for making such a greedy river bet. Honestly, I felt sick about the hand on his turn bet. I felt like I was getting very lured in, but he's right, folding to a smaller bet would have obviously been difficult.

Next hand was tougher. I have just finished commenting about how I'm not getting any big pairs tonight, and have been playing very aggressively recently and bluffing often. I'm not sure if I have the board 100% right, but this is the jist of it. I get KK on the button and raise to $75 (I don't usually raise this small but have to mix it up a little sometimes). Rosie and Joe call. Flop is T73, two clubs. Checked to me, I bet $200. Rosie folds, Joe check-raises to $600. I don't like overplaying overpairs, but I really felt like there was a good chance I was winning. I almost raise back, but just call. Turn is 5 of clubs bringing in a flush draw. Joe quickly bets out $1,500. This is a pretty large bet into what is about a $1,400 pot. I get a feeling he didn't necessarily mean to bet so much, but who knows. I have the K of clubs by the way. At this point, I'm not entirely sure where I'm at, but a bluff (or straight draw semi-bluff) is NOT out of Joe's range. If I didn't have the K of clubs, I might have just let it go (maybe), but I call. River is another T, Joe checks, now I feel I'm not winning (which makes me feel dumb for calling the turn on flush draw that is possibly not even live), I check. I pray he simple shows a given up bluff, but he has J-something of clubs and takes it down. I dunno, tough hand...

Anyway, it's late, 6am. Wasn't tired until now, that Penguin game sort of messes with my schedule. I probably won't play too much poker until next Tuesday as I really have to get on top of this real estate licensing course (making that time #5 at least that I've said that, but this time, for real!).

Just like to make a quick thanks to those of you who bother reading this crap. Would be sort of pointless if no one read it I guess. I get comments at various places around the city and find it interesting to see who is keeping up on this blog. I even had comments from players in the Penguin Club game about it, so I gotta watch what I say about strategy here (screw you Todd!). Todd, who has been playing very well lately, made the worse short-stack laydown ever on Tuesday, it was pretty funny actually (can't remember exact details so the story sort of sucks). He was short-stacked because he only played a couple hours and had to leave for the Yukon or some shit and won't be back for a month (k, maybe it was Swift Current?).

So, last two sessions have been +$30 and -$35 at Penguin Club. Gah...it's okay though, I'm going to have another session where I'M the one hitting soon.

Peace!

Online cash & SNG (since blog start): +$10,990
Tournaments (since blog start): +$4,860
Penguin Club $5/$10 & $10/$25 (since Nov/06): +$21,300