Feeling like perhaps I was past my recent funk, I took a trip up to Jackson Thursday afternoon to see what was happening. I got up there at about 12:45, had some lunch and was finally seated in the one 1/2 game that was running at about 1:15. ( 20 minutes later they opened up a second 1/2 game and there was actually a third 1/2 game going by about 3:30.)
I had ben watching the game while waiting, and there were really no awful players in the game. The first hand I happened to catch featured a guy snapping off Aces with 89o and he was in one of those grooves where he was ripping folks apart with anything he chose to play. He wasn't making a lot of great decisions, but it wasn't like he was playing every hand. I managed to stay out of his way for the couple hours we were both at the table.
I sat practicing my mucking skills for about 3 orbits. Reasonable raises ($12-$17 is the "reasonable" raise in this game) were having little affect on thinning fields pre-flop and they were very regular, so it was one of those wait for premium (at least near premium) hands to see a flop. I tried a few limps on pretty marginal hands, but was raised out before the flop every time. I finally looked down and found JJ (Great! This is the hand I get to go to war?) and pumped it up to $12 and got 5 or 6 callers after not seeing one flopin 30 hands. (Ugh.)
The flop managed to hit J high and fairly uncoordinated, something like J42 rainbow. A kid in early position opens for $15. There were several people to act behind me, so I felt a "weak just calling" play was in order hoping to get a couple of other callers to add to the pot and I did get 2 other callers. The turn was an awful looking 3. (There were few cards that would have given me any cause for concern on this flop and that sure as shit was one of them. The kid had the sense to check. I was done seeing any more cards and shoved my remaining $68. The two caller quickly got out of the way, but the kid went into the tank. He was clearly unsure where he was at and I tink my sudden "spring to life" confused him a little. He half mucked/half called about 12 times before he finally put me on a bluff and called with his last ~$40. He flipped up JQ and was drawing dead. And then he left.
That hand doubled me up, so I was feeling that things were gonna work out. For awhile anyway. I didn't know it at this point, but I was just about to go into the freezer for most of the rest of the session. A few hands later, I managed to get AQ in late pos and raised it up to $12 and got a few callers, including "Mr. Shove" to my right. This guy just loved to shove and was taking down a lot of pots uncontested. I really don't think he really knew what he was doing, but it was working. The flop missed me bad (662), but I still fired a good sized bet (something like $40) figuring to take it down right there. Mr Shove went all-in. WTF could you have possibly called a PFR that fit that board after calling a raise? Having nothing, I Hollywooded a bit trying to figure out what he could have possibly played and finally mucked "in confusion". (After watching him play for several hours, I'm pretty sure he did have me beat.)
That hand cost me 1/2 a stack, but I was still in decent position. Fast forward to about 6:45. "Would somebody please open the freezer door?" Absolutlely nothing for 4 1/2 hours. I tried a few limps, called a few small raises when I manages to get some hope like AK, AJ in the blinds. Saw a couple flops with smallish connectors, but I just could not hit a board. BIg cards? The flop came 8 high. Little cards? The board came suited broadway. Unreal. I did manage to drag a couple of small pots during the freezer part, but could never get my teeth into any of the big ones. I got KK, raised it and got 4 callers. Flop brought an Ace, I was bet into by a young solid/timid player who was NOT putting a move on me and had to get out. (Two players had aces against me.) I finally managed to bleed most of my chips away. I put another $80 on the table at about 6:15, figuring I wanted to get some bullets when my cards, which were surely due.
I got an AJs in EP limped and called a raise by the same timid/solid kid in the hand above. The flop came Q high. He was in the SB amd checked. I checked through as did everyone behind me. FLop blanked (luckily) and he fired a smallish bet ($20 or so). FOr a half a tick, I was considering making a play. I almost made the mistake of putting him on nothing, but managed to cut that signal off before it reached my hands. I mucked. Turns out he flopped top set and I was drawing dead. Wish that radar would have worked on the next hand.
I got ATo in BB. Mr. Shove raised and ther were 2 or 3 other callers. I knew better, but boredom was getting the better of me and I called. 9 times out of 10, I don't make that call, but still feeling a little "due" and tired of getting pushed off 90% of my limps/blinds, I called. Flop came AQ4. I did the standard "see where I am" play and opened for $30. Mr. Shove did his act and shoved his $350 in. There was maybe $70 in the pot including my opener (he had been doing this all night) and it just didn't feel "right". The 2 or 3 between us folded and by the time it got to me, I had talked myself into putting him on KK. HE doesn't want any action. So I pushed my remaining $80 in and he flipped up AQ for top 2. I was drawing nearly dead. Needed runner/runner. HIt a J on the turn, so I had 4 outs, which of course didn't come. I was done, nice hand, GL, yadda, yadda, yadda. Not pissed or anything. Just bummed and frustrated.
I was really angry with my play on the last hand. Clearly tilting. I made a bad call preflop, I got the information that I wanted when he raised the flop but I refused to "listen". If he would have raised a "reasonable amout" I would have been long gone. But his shove, put me on the wrong track. If I believed for a second that he knew why that worked, I'd give him lots of credit for out-playing me, but he's pretty new to NL and I think he's just enamored with winning pots by making oversizzed bets. WE didn't see a lot of his shove hands, but when we did, he usually had a reasonably strong hand, never a flat out bluff. He lost a few with less than the nuts (straight on a flush board, smaller flush on a flush board) but he never had "nothing" that we saw. Of course I didn't register that until I was on the way home and in hind site, it was an easy fold. My brain had just washed under the table.
Wish I could report about winning a "million dollars last week" like some of you seem to do regularly, but it seems I'm still in my "can't do anything right" funk.
I had ben watching the game while waiting, and there were really no awful players in the game. The first hand I happened to catch featured a guy snapping off Aces with 89o and he was in one of those grooves where he was ripping folks apart with anything he chose to play. He wasn't making a lot of great decisions, but it wasn't like he was playing every hand. I managed to stay out of his way for the couple hours we were both at the table.
I sat practicing my mucking skills for about 3 orbits. Reasonable raises ($12-$17 is the "reasonable" raise in this game) were having little affect on thinning fields pre-flop and they were very regular, so it was one of those wait for premium (at least near premium) hands to see a flop. I tried a few limps on pretty marginal hands, but was raised out before the flop every time. I finally looked down and found JJ (Great! This is the hand I get to go to war?) and pumped it up to $12 and got 5 or 6 callers after not seeing one flopin 30 hands. (Ugh.)
The flop managed to hit J high and fairly uncoordinated, something like J42 rainbow. A kid in early position opens for $15. There were several people to act behind me, so I felt a "weak just calling" play was in order hoping to get a couple of other callers to add to the pot and I did get 2 other callers. The turn was an awful looking 3. (There were few cards that would have given me any cause for concern on this flop and that sure as shit was one of them. The kid had the sense to check. I was done seeing any more cards and shoved my remaining $68. The two caller quickly got out of the way, but the kid went into the tank. He was clearly unsure where he was at and I tink my sudden "spring to life" confused him a little. He half mucked/half called about 12 times before he finally put me on a bluff and called with his last ~$40. He flipped up JQ and was drawing dead. And then he left.
That hand doubled me up, so I was feeling that things were gonna work out. For awhile anyway. I didn't know it at this point, but I was just about to go into the freezer for most of the rest of the session. A few hands later, I managed to get AQ in late pos and raised it up to $12 and got a few callers, including "Mr. Shove" to my right. This guy just loved to shove and was taking down a lot of pots uncontested. I really don't think he really knew what he was doing, but it was working. The flop missed me bad (662), but I still fired a good sized bet (something like $40) figuring to take it down right there. Mr Shove went all-in. WTF could you have possibly called a PFR that fit that board after calling a raise? Having nothing, I Hollywooded a bit trying to figure out what he could have possibly played and finally mucked "in confusion". (After watching him play for several hours, I'm pretty sure he did have me beat.)
That hand cost me 1/2 a stack, but I was still in decent position. Fast forward to about 6:45. "Would somebody please open the freezer door?" Absolutlely nothing for 4 1/2 hours. I tried a few limps, called a few small raises when I manages to get some hope like AK, AJ in the blinds. Saw a couple flops with smallish connectors, but I just could not hit a board. BIg cards? The flop came 8 high. Little cards? The board came suited broadway. Unreal. I did manage to drag a couple of small pots during the freezer part, but could never get my teeth into any of the big ones. I got KK, raised it and got 4 callers. Flop brought an Ace, I was bet into by a young solid/timid player who was NOT putting a move on me and had to get out. (Two players had aces against me.) I finally managed to bleed most of my chips away. I put another $80 on the table at about 6:15, figuring I wanted to get some bullets when my cards, which were surely due.
I got an AJs in EP limped and called a raise by the same timid/solid kid in the hand above. The flop came Q high. He was in the SB amd checked. I checked through as did everyone behind me. FLop blanked (luckily) and he fired a smallish bet ($20 or so). FOr a half a tick, I was considering making a play. I almost made the mistake of putting him on nothing, but managed to cut that signal off before it reached my hands. I mucked. Turns out he flopped top set and I was drawing dead. Wish that radar would have worked on the next hand.
I got ATo in BB. Mr. Shove raised and ther were 2 or 3 other callers. I knew better, but boredom was getting the better of me and I called. 9 times out of 10, I don't make that call, but still feeling a little "due" and tired of getting pushed off 90% of my limps/blinds, I called. Flop came AQ4. I did the standard "see where I am" play and opened for $30. Mr. Shove did his act and shoved his $350 in. There was maybe $70 in the pot including my opener (he had been doing this all night) and it just didn't feel "right". The 2 or 3 between us folded and by the time it got to me, I had talked myself into putting him on KK. HE doesn't want any action. So I pushed my remaining $80 in and he flipped up AQ for top 2. I was drawing nearly dead. Needed runner/runner. HIt a J on the turn, so I had 4 outs, which of course didn't come. I was done, nice hand, GL, yadda, yadda, yadda. Not pissed or anything. Just bummed and frustrated.
I was really angry with my play on the last hand. Clearly tilting. I made a bad call preflop, I got the information that I wanted when he raised the flop but I refused to "listen". If he would have raised a "reasonable amout" I would have been long gone. But his shove, put me on the wrong track. If I believed for a second that he knew why that worked, I'd give him lots of credit for out-playing me, but he's pretty new to NL and I think he's just enamored with winning pots by making oversizzed bets. WE didn't see a lot of his shove hands, but when we did, he usually had a reasonably strong hand, never a flat out bluff. He lost a few with less than the nuts (straight on a flush board, smaller flush on a flush board) but he never had "nothing" that we saw. Of course I didn't register that until I was on the way home and in hind site, it was an easy fold. My brain had just washed under the table.
Wish I could report about winning a "million dollars last week" like some of you seem to do regularly, but it seems I'm still in my "can't do anything right" funk.
)
