.25/.50 NL Cash Game $50 max

(Trying out some new features with this blog.  Let me know if you guys like it.)
Things started off great this session.  Early on, I raise with to $3.50 out of the BB behind some limpers and everyone called.  4 to the flop of  (keep in mind I'm holding the ).  I lead out for $7 and my immediate left makes it $15.  Honestly, I felt like he had nothing, possibly a 10.  I know my opponent fairly well and I had a hard time putting him on a K.  I also felt my  was as live draw.  I elected to call here and proceed from there.  Turn .  I checked and my opponent bet $15.  At this point, I either believe him and fold or I push given our stacks.  I chose not to believe and raise to $40 (he only had about $10 more, $25 total).  There was no instacall so that was a good sign.  At that point I knew I was good and he was trying to bluff (we have history).  He reluctantly threw in his last $10 into the pot and tabled , drawing to 2 outs.  River bricked and I win a decent sized pot right from the get go to put me right around $100.

3 limpers, LP raises to $3 and I elected to call out of the BB with , as do the limpers.  I wanted to disguise the strength of my hand and I felt like I wouldn't be able to narrow the field much by RR.  5 to the flop of .  I definitely liked the flop and decided to check.  EP leads out for $6, 2 callers, and I check raised to $20.  I don't see people putting me on an overpair here, especially not me .  I've shown many bluffs in the past and I'm hoping this is one of those times they don't give me credit for anything.  Original bettor reluctantly calls (good sign) leaving about $20 behind and everybody else folds.  Turn , not my favorite card but I'm not folding given the stack sizes.  I put her all in and she calls and tables .  River bricks and I take down another decent sized pot. 

Heres a hand I played very differently than I normally would but it just felt "fishy".  I call in middle position with and we take a multiway flop of .  Checked to LP, who bets $5, and called by one of the blinds.  In MOST cases, I am raising here to find out where I'm at.  I'm not in love with the flop obviously.  I felt it strange that the blind would just call here.  It smelled like a made hand.  Instead of raising and possibly risk getting RR, I just called and played it slow.  Turn , pairing the board.  Check, I check, and LP bets $15.  Blind calls again.  Now its definitely fishy.  I felt like I could be going up against two straights here but I didn't feel like either was boated up.  Raising was not an option here because I know I'm not losing either player at this point.  There was the possibility that someone could be boated but I am holding top two.  I decided to gamble and just call, hoping either a 10, 9, or another 8 falls on the river.  River .  Now the blind goes AI for $28, I of course muck, and LP doesn't call but turns over J7 for a flopped straight and BB only shows one, the  (most likely flush draw and straight draw).  I felt I lost the minimum on that hand with the potential to win a lot.  I was glad I played it really slow.

I got AA twice last night.  First time, in the BB I raise to $5 behind some limpers and get 5 to the flop of .  SB checks, I bet $16 and its folded around to the SB who raises to $32.  I had so many different options at this point.  I ruled out QQ because he originally limped.  44 and 22 were possibilities (as is Q4, Q2, 42, but very unlikely) but I just don't see a set raising me here with that board (no flush draw, only 3,5 straight draw but would I really have that in his mind).  I showed disgust with the raise saying things like "did you outflop me" etc.  I began talking, etc.  The more I talked and he talked, I felt like I was WAY ahead and he only had a Q.  My first option I thought is I could just call and hope he leads into me on the turn.  I could also reraise and hope he doesn't believe me (which is a high possibility with our history).  I decided to overbet, going AI for an additional $60 which put in into the TANK.  He turns over , to get a reaction from me. (legal in our game).  He starts asking me questions to try and get a read.  It probably took him 5 mins.  I can tell he was very close to calling because its me.  After so much deliberation, he finally mucked.  Dogh!  In hindsight, I'd do the same thing.  More times than not, I'm getting called by someone in the group.  I could have chosen to just call and proceed from there for more value but I chose not to at that time but keep in mind that was an option available to me.  The next time I got AA, EP raises to $2, 1 caller, I RR to $12, he RR for $42, I stick it all in there and get instacalled.  $150 pot and we both table AA.  lol.

Throughout the night, I built my stack to right around $200 and then this hand is where things turned around.  I see a family flop of , holding  out of the BB.  Check around to LP who bets into the pot and I'm the only caller.  Turn .  I check, he makes a pot sized bet, I 3 bet, and he goes AI.  I call and he tables .  River  and we chop it up.  SO SICK!  Whats sick is that he goes from nearly being felted by me to cashing out the most money for the night (200+).

After that hand, things went sour.  I kept on making second best.  Flop .  I have , opponent has .  Q10 vs 107, both flop top pair, opponent rivers 7.  I have , board .  Turn diamond, river diamond.  Opponent has . F-ing seriously !

It all culminated with this hand (involves the same guy from before who had Q6).  I call a raise out the BB with .  Flop of .  I lead out for $8, 1 caller, and original raiser bumps to $16.  I RR to $36.  Limper folds and original raiser tanks.  (good sign, I thought).  He finally decided to go AI for $60.  I eliminated AK and I think QQ, JJ, 1010 raises more with the caller in between.  It could be AA but I know my opponent is capable of laying it down but its still a possibility.  I concluded the only possible hands was QJ or KK but a slight chance of 89.  He just had a "fuck it" look to him that led to to believe it was KK (overpair plus open ended, maybe running spades for a flush).  I call and he tables , leaving me dead to  or   .  Fawk!  Turn and river brick and he wins a huge pot.  I guess I contributed to him being the big winner for the night.

I wound up cashing out $50.75 for the night for +.75, Yippie....I need to reevaluate some of those hands in the latter half of the session because I made some wrong reads but also got cooled.

See you at the felt! 

TK