Just got back from playing at Caesars 1/3 NL. I recall the last time I was down here that it was 1/2 so, as Mike Sexton says, "the price of poker is going up."
I buy in for $200 in Seat 3 and first hand I get pocket sevens and limp for 3. It gets raised to 20 and maybe three other callers. I am making mental adjustments for this table already. Eventually Seat 8 gets felted when her QT is out kicked by Seat 9's KQ on a QQJ x x board. Second hand and it's 15 to go. I think of changing tables but stick it out. I play by the book and just try to get in cheaply with decent hands.
I finally see a multiway pot with AKos, spike my King on the flop, lead out for ~20, and get one caller. Turn brings a third club and I slow down. Finally show down and my hand holds up. That puts me above water for the first time.
I tread water for a while waiting for an opportunity to get involved. I pick up Jacks and and before I can make it 20 to go, Seat 5 announces 20. I pause and continue making it 20 to go and he calls. Seat 10 (big stack) hesitantly calls. Flop is about as dreamy as you could hope for with JJ, 9 5 2 rainbow. I lead out for 40 and Seat 5 min raises to 80. My Jacks look quite behind now. Seat 10 thinks then fold. I consider calling but figure the only possible hand I'm beating *night* be TT or A9 but that's just trying to talk myself into a donk call. I fold and he shows a set of fives. That cuts about a third of my stack out.
Hawaiian guy in Seat 2 raises to 15. I pick up my friends JJ again and I smoooth call figuring that I've isolated him and we can figure it out after the flop. Seat 7 calls too though. Flop is Ace high with two Hearts. I'm last to act and it's checked around to me. I stab for 25 and get called by Seat 7 and I'm done with this hand. Slow playing an Ace with a flush draw on board? Doesn't matter, another Heart falls on the turn, checked through. Blank on the river and I fold to a value bet.
Now I'm down to less than a stack but I'm just waiting for good hands. I pick up Qh Qc and make it 15 to go. New Seat 2 (SF Giants shirt) calls. Flop is Ten high. I put out another 25. He calls. Third club falls on the turn. I check figuring that if he's calling with two clubs he'll call a bet with three clubs plus I know I have Qc for a good flush. River is 9c and we both check it down. I show my QQ to give me a Q high flush. Seat 2 says he caught his pair of 9s on the river not realizing his side card is Kc for K high flush. The other experienced players and I all look at each other bewildered.
I get down to 45 or so and add on 100 more. See some flops that don't connect and am down to about 100. I raise to 15 with AJ in diamonds. My friend in Seat 2 calls. Flop is A9A two suited and I lead out for 35. He calls. Turn is a blank and I push for the rest of my stack, 38 more. He calls and as we turn over cards, he realizes that his A7 is dominated but the river fills his boat and I'm felted.
I rebuy for 200 more. Nemesis Seat 2 makes it 10 and I re-raise to 35 with Jacks (again). He calls. I flop top set on a two suited board. He checks and I make it 50 to go wishing that the board was a little more draw free so that I could let him catch up. He folds and I rake another pot.
I limp in with KsQs, everyone's favorite dominated hand, and Seat 5 throws three reds into the air but only one falls over the line and he collects the other two and moves them over the line. Dealer considers that a string bet and we get another 3 or 4 limpers to see the flop. Flop is three spades giving me the second nut flush. I lead for 15. Seat 5 re-raises me for 40. Everyone else folds and I set him all in for the remaining 50 or so in his stack. He gives a shrug-call and turns over pocket 4s which I believe was an under pair to the board. Cards were swept up too soon to verify if he had a set or not. He left after that hand.
I am now over 300 and am working on getting un-stuck. I sweeten to 6 to go forgetting momentarily that it is 1/3 and I've actually only executed the dreaded min raise pre-flop. Multi way pot and I hit my Ace I lead and get smooth called by Seat 6. Turn is a blank and I am committed to this hand so I set him all in for the remaining 45 in this stack. He turns over pocket Aces! He had two players ahead of him in for 6 and collected a couple more after. That was *not* the hand I expected from him. And to add insult to injury, I pair my Jack on the river. That costs me about 80 and I'm down to 2.5 stacks or so.
I buy in for $200 in Seat 3 and first hand I get pocket sevens and limp for 3. It gets raised to 20 and maybe three other callers. I am making mental adjustments for this table already. Eventually Seat 8 gets felted when her QT is out kicked by Seat 9's KQ on a QQJ x x board. Second hand and it's 15 to go. I think of changing tables but stick it out. I play by the book and just try to get in cheaply with decent hands.
I finally see a multiway pot with AKos, spike my King on the flop, lead out for ~20, and get one caller. Turn brings a third club and I slow down. Finally show down and my hand holds up. That puts me above water for the first time.
I tread water for a while waiting for an opportunity to get involved. I pick up Jacks and and before I can make it 20 to go, Seat 5 announces 20. I pause and continue making it 20 to go and he calls. Seat 10 (big stack) hesitantly calls. Flop is about as dreamy as you could hope for with JJ, 9 5 2 rainbow. I lead out for 40 and Seat 5 min raises to 80. My Jacks look quite behind now. Seat 10 thinks then fold. I consider calling but figure the only possible hand I'm beating *night* be TT or A9 but that's just trying to talk myself into a donk call. I fold and he shows a set of fives. That cuts about a third of my stack out.
Hawaiian guy in Seat 2 raises to 15. I pick up my friends JJ again and I smoooth call figuring that I've isolated him and we can figure it out after the flop. Seat 7 calls too though. Flop is Ace high with two Hearts. I'm last to act and it's checked around to me. I stab for 25 and get called by Seat 7 and I'm done with this hand. Slow playing an Ace with a flush draw on board? Doesn't matter, another Heart falls on the turn, checked through. Blank on the river and I fold to a value bet.
Now I'm down to less than a stack but I'm just waiting for good hands. I pick up Qh Qc and make it 15 to go. New Seat 2 (SF Giants shirt) calls. Flop is Ten high. I put out another 25. He calls. Third club falls on the turn. I check figuring that if he's calling with two clubs he'll call a bet with three clubs plus I know I have Qc for a good flush. River is 9c and we both check it down. I show my QQ to give me a Q high flush. Seat 2 says he caught his pair of 9s on the river not realizing his side card is Kc for K high flush. The other experienced players and I all look at each other bewildered.
I get down to 45 or so and add on 100 more. See some flops that don't connect and am down to about 100. I raise to 15 with AJ in diamonds. My friend in Seat 2 calls. Flop is A9A two suited and I lead out for 35. He calls. Turn is a blank and I push for the rest of my stack, 38 more. He calls and as we turn over cards, he realizes that his A7 is dominated but the river fills his boat and I'm felted.
I rebuy for 200 more. Nemesis Seat 2 makes it 10 and I re-raise to 35 with Jacks (again). He calls. I flop top set on a two suited board. He checks and I make it 50 to go wishing that the board was a little more draw free so that I could let him catch up. He folds and I rake another pot.
I limp in with KsQs, everyone's favorite dominated hand, and Seat 5 throws three reds into the air but only one falls over the line and he collects the other two and moves them over the line. Dealer considers that a string bet and we get another 3 or 4 limpers to see the flop. Flop is three spades giving me the second nut flush. I lead for 15. Seat 5 re-raises me for 40. Everyone else folds and I set him all in for the remaining 50 or so in his stack. He gives a shrug-call and turns over pocket 4s which I believe was an under pair to the board. Cards were swept up too soon to verify if he had a set or not. He left after that hand.
I am now over 300 and am working on getting un-stuck. I sweeten to 6 to go forgetting momentarily that it is 1/3 and I've actually only executed the dreaded min raise pre-flop. Multi way pot and I hit my Ace I lead and get smooth called by Seat 6. Turn is a blank and I am committed to this hand so I set him all in for the remaining 45 in this stack. He turns over pocket Aces! He had two players ahead of him in for 6 and collected a couple more after. That was *not* the hand I expected from him. And to add insult to injury, I pair my Jack on the river. That costs me about 80 and I'm down to 2.5 stacks or so.
I feel like packing it in the the table is collecting fish. Players betting the river and calling with King high. I decide I must stay to try to feast. Finally pick up Aces in the Big Blind after a nearly family pot. I decide that it's going to be too hard to extract a single player out of the mass so I make it $35 to go and take down about $20 in blinds and show my two black Aces. I bring my stack up to 300 then swap chips around and finally cash out for $262.
Current balance is stuck $238.
I go back to the room and pick up the laptop to write up the session and the room is muggy hot. Time to ask for a room switch. Head downstairs to get some breakfast while writing up the session. Photo enclosed. Another $10 meal but this time with a bonus $4 OJ. Caesars doesn't have any fresh squeezed OJ, just the yucky stuff that comes from the bartender gun for making screwdrivers.
1 comment:
"Domination isn't what it used to be." Ouch! Stupid A7.
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