Please bear with me, I have a lot to write. That's usually the result of a long session; nearly half a day (11+ hrs).
The usual buy in was parked in front of my empty seat and a friendly environment was in the air; so poetic, I know. In for 200, I try a different approach to the game, any two cards. Obviously properly timed, otherwise its a recipe for disaster. My stack never really dwindled in this session, it was a case of big highs and small but hefty lows. The one hand that propelled me to a 'big' stack early on played out like this:
It was straddled and I was last to act - I called the $5 along with a couple other people. The straddle raised it to 25 and it got folded around to me. The straddle believed he got a walk and almost mucked while saying in a low voice, as if directed only to his neighbor, "Ace Queen". The dealer alerted him and I was now in a dilemma. I didnt really believe him but the range was right, could be AK, AJ, maybe even A10. I decided to call since it was heads up and I flopped two pair 8 3 3 board. I checked, he bet 25 and I called. The turn was a 3 giving me a boat. I bet 30 and he shoved over the top for 110 all in. I tanked and chose not to put him on a pocket pair and made the call. The river was blank & he mucked, with me dragging a nice pot.
Some time into the night I started playing more hands and got more involved. In one hand I had two of my friends as opponents whom I've known a while. I played J 2 of hearts. It was raised to 15 preflop with 3 people in. The flop came 2 3 4 with two hearts. I checked the flop and $30 was the bet, called by one then called by me. The turn was my flush card (Q??). Out of character I bet with the made hand, $40. Called by both once again. The river was a blank since I do not recall it. I bet 78. After a long thinking period I got a call and waited once more for the 3rd person to make a decision. He flopped a straight; looking in my eyes he saw the twinkle that was my flush and folded. I showed and she mucked, saying she had flopped a set; very probable.
I dragged a few little pots in the meantime and I'm sitting on nearly 8 sticks when an absolutely sick hand occurred. I may have some minor details wrong but the gist is below.
I believe it was a straddled pot and the straddler let us live. The flop came A Q 10 all spades. First to act bet 20 at it. Of all hands, I flopped Broadway holding KJ off, neither a spade of course. Hoping nobody flopped the flush, and in an attempt to weed out all the single card flush draws I raised to $85 with my newly acquired chips. To my disgust the next three people went all in back to back to back like mad men. My $85 got raised to $140 by the first all in, re-raised to $187 all in & called by $160 all in. The next person honestly thought about calling or shoving also...but mucked reluctantly. Next my friend went in the tank for a couple of minutes. By now I was just laughing at the fact there was no way I could call and was amused at the whole situation. My friend folded and held as did I. Here are the player's hands:
Me: KJ off no spade (raise/muck) - Broadway
Player1: K2 king of spades (all in 140) Nothing
Player2: 98 of spades (all in 187) Made flush / Winner
Player3: 47 of spades (all in $160) Made flush
Player4: flopped a set (mucked) Boat (river paired) / Would-be winner
Player5: AJ jack of spades (bet20/muck) Broadway (K on the turn)
I only lost $85! ha.
In the next few hours I lost a few pots and I slowly dragged my stack back down to about 650ish. I looked down at pocket ladies. Heads up action was raised to 12 preflop and now on me. I made it 50 and it is slowly but firmly called. The flop showed all low cards but connected and in my opponent's range. I checked and $30 was bet into me. It seemed like a low and inviting bet, which I obliged to. The turn came another connecting card which I later found out gave my opponent an open-ender. It was also a third club. It scared me slightly because I thought maybe he did hit his flush. I did have the Q of clubs. I was first to act but my opponent checked out of turn so I decided to do the same and he did stick to his original move and checked. The river came the fourth club I was rooting for. Once again my opponent acted out of turn; this time, however, he put 60 out in front of him. He was notified of the mistake once again and I decided to bet 100. After a thoughtful minute, he stuck out the 100 with an additional 150 next to it. This confused me completely and the thought that I perhaps could be beaten crossed my mind. I decided against it and made the call only to see a complete bluff with an open ended straight draw. This pot boosted me to the highest point I would be in this session, over $900, close to 950.
Not five hands after the big win I get spiraled into tilt by one measly hand. A few people gave me insight that I may have misplayed it, others said I didn't. It seems to me I obviously did misplay it.
After a standard preflop raise to 15 it was down to 3 handed. I had AJ and the flop was A J 9 with a flush draw. I bet 12 to incite action which I quickly get. It got raised to 30 and the third player folded. I decided to test the waters and made it $80 total, 50 on top. Quickly called. The turn was a queen and I bet 100 to which I got instantly called. Due to the insta-call I did get a little worried about maybe my opponent having played a gut shot for the 50 on top and hitting it on the turn. The river is a king, which messed my hand even more. I decided to check and I get faced with 100 to call. It seemed like a bluffing bet, so I called pretty quickly and got to see the (explicit here, repeatedly) A 10 that chased me down to the river to hit the straight. All my newly gathered chips headed on over two seats to my left and stayed there as my opponent cashed out 3 hands later. == I was told I should have bet more on the turn, perhaps between 175 to 250 and he would have folded. Then I was also told I should have folded on the river obviously, which I can see. I really was not expecting to see someone go after a gut shot so strongly, unless he really believed I had nothing and his ace was good. I had only showed good hands thus far in the game, I have a hard time believing he thought his ace was good. Hello tilt.
Stupid call after stupid chase after spewing money left and right I got down to 450ish.
I looked down at a nice pocket pair that wasnt aces. The game was now 5 handed. In the small blind I raised to 15. The next person was short stacked and had been waiting for hands to ship it with. This was one of them apparently because in went his $86 stack. The next person folded and the one after him called. I open my eyes to see the player before me stacking out the 86 jokingly then folding. The only caller so far had about 700 in front of him so I decided to move in and perhaps get my whole stack called. He folded to my all in and it became heads up. I showed KK, he showed AK. The original caller folded AQ and the other two folded A3 and A5 respectively; all the aces are gone and we're still preflop! How could it be poker without a sweat?? The flop obviously came 2 4 5 giving him a gut shot. Thankfully the 3 did not come and I dragged that pot. Of course we all got an earful about A3 flopping a straight, haha.
I ended my hold'em poker night with chasing a flush draw and in the end flushing $70 down the toilet or rather to my opponent's stack.
I racked up and had 500 even. As usual the game wasn't over as planned and we had to play one final hand of mexican sweat (a type of poker). I won't type the rules, but I won. 7 people in for $10 each; I only needed 4 cards of the 7 we each received to beat everyone with Qs and 9s two pair. There's an additional $60 in my pocket.
The End.
<-$690>
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