Sunday Night Poker recap (cont.)

After getting felted by overvaluing my Kings, I rebought and got sucked into a friendly game. There was very little raising so I saw more speculative flops. I saw a flop with 9hTh and flopped a Ten high flop with two hearts. I led and was called by Frankie Avalon a couple seats to my left. Heads up. Turn is a heart and I check my flush and let him bet. I think a little then call. River is a Black Ace, perfect since he may have been calling all the way with an Ace. I throw out a steal looking value bet of 50. He thinks for a while and min-raises me back. Normally I would be sure I was beat except that I saw him call off over 150 in a huge three way hand where he showed down two pair on a board with four spades! So I have to look him up and he shows KhQh. Grrrr. I already threw down a weaker flush earlier this weekend and could have done it again if I hadn't seen his play earlier.

Now I am in short stack mode and looking to double up. Not good. In retrospect I think I would keep my play level higher if I would top off instead of go into short stack mode. Called off the last of my short stack when I got priced in to a Spade draw and a backdoor straight. That blanked.

Added one one more stack and I reverted into donk mode. Limped with 4h6h in the SB then the BB raised it up to 10, and with two other callers I capped betting for the extra 6. Flop comes 46A two clubs. I check, the fish who raised puts in 30 or so. One caller then back to me. I push. BB thinks hard then calls off his stack. Other player thinks then folds. BB shows KK (with an Ace high board?) and my hand holds up. My stack is healthier now.

I call a straddled pot with KsJs. Guy to my left pushes for about 60. I have him on a total steal attempt and with the dead money in the pot and no one else behind me I call. He shows random Queen. We both flop our high card then I trip up on the turn and he's drawing dead on the river.

Then the table becomes short handed and that is bad news. They reduce the rake but the blinds are torture. Floor promises us more players soon and a stream of tourists come and go. One couple stops by and they ask what the minimum buy in is and the Floor says 100. They politely decline to play.

They finally have to break the table and move two of us to another one. There is a hilarious astute deaf guy at the other end. Great fun to play with and definitely knew his stuff. He called down a guy pressing hard on all streets with the Jean Enersen on a King high board. Afterwards he signed to his friend that he knew he had nothing. Then he pigeon signed an A frame shape and a big circle...whatever that means...I don't think it's flattering.

I enter a pot with AK, two callers, then short stack pushes for about 50. I instantly make it clear that I call and am trying to isolate for what feels like a race but to no avail as both other callers come in also. Flop is all low. I check and there is a 50 bet and a 100 raise behind that. I fold. 50 better thinks about it then pushes for another 100 on top of that and is insta-called. Bettor shows JQ for two overs and a gutshot. Raiser shows top set of Nines. All in shows bottom set of Sixes. Bettor gets lucky and catches his gut shot. Raiser (deaf guy) is beside himself and makes his opinion of the play known.

I see a flop with AT os and the flop comes T high two diamonds. Short stack tosses out 25. Guy to my right calls. I take my stand and ship in my full stack. Lucky gut shot to my left actually folds this time. Short stack shrug-calls. Caller in between us folds. Shorty shows KdJd for two overs, gut shot straight and four to the flush though I have a runner runner nut flush redraw. The turn and river miraculously dodges shorty's 18 outs and I get back to two stacks. The table is disintegrating and I see a couple more free hands then call it a night. And head to Subway for a breakfast sandwich.

Sunday Night Poker has always been donkish for me albeit at lower stakes. At least I am seeing the warning signs and recognize when I am flirting with the Donk Zone. Next step is to step in and do something about it. At the risk of sounding too Shannon Elizabeth about the situation, there has been a correlation between my results and my attitude at the time. I broke from game plan, didn't take my breaks. Changed my starting hand requirements. Didn't lay any made hands down. More stuff to work on...