A few bad hands, only two of which I remember. One was just me being silly and trying to use position to take a pot with K-7o, probably lost about $30. Then there was another where I don’t even know what happened but I was down to about $120 for the last hand.
A-9o in early position, I call, a few more people to the flop of A-J-9, two diamonds. I check, someone bets out $5, two callers and I raise to $35 to protect my two pair. Only the initial bettor calls. Turn is a something of diamonds and I bet out $35, hoping he didn’t hit the flush. Turns out he did because he raised me for my remaining $50, and by that point I was just mad at the cards and called with my 6 outs, which I didn’t hit. Awesome. $200 gone in 3 stupid hands.
I’m am SERIOUSLY starting to think about what else I could be doing with this money that I’m just throwing in people’s faces. I’m obviously not a poker player.
Table Time: 1.5 hours
Today’s Total: -$200
Running Total: -$670
Straddling for $5 on the button and I get a Js-Ts. Cool. Two callers and I check. The flop is T-9-T rainbow. Cool! Check-check to me and I put out $10. One caller. Turn is a 5 and I bet $10 after the other guy checks. He calls and the river is a Q. He checks and I bet $25. He folds after some deliberation: apparently $20 would’ve been the better move. Still, a nice $30 pickup.
2-2 on the button and I put out a $5 button straddle. 4 callers and I check. Flop comes down K-8-4, two hearts, and it’s checked all the way around to me. Nobody seems to like it much, so I fire out $15. BB calls, but everyone else gets out of the way. Turn is another K and the BB checks to me. I still don’t think he likes the board very much, so I fire out $25 and he gives it up.
That being said, I’ve been bleeding and this brings me back to about $200 even. I’m trying to focus on position a bit more so I don’t have to just check-fold every time I miss a flop.
K-K in early position, raise to $12 and only get one caller, who I know to be aggressive. Flop comes down 9-7-3 rainbow, he checks and I check behind to let him catch up. T on the turn and he fires out $15, doesn’t scare me much and I call. River is a 5 and he fires $15 again. I’m pretty sure I’m ahead but that I won’t get called by anything like middle pair if I raise, so I just call and show my K’s to take the $45.
Well, time to get back out there! Don’t really know what the plan is for today….probably just patience. I haven’t been reading well in marginal situations so hopefully I can find some easy reads and profit. Also, I’ll try not to overthink things and just enjoy the fact that I’m out here playing poker.
This wasn’t your bad read so much as falling victim to an extremely risky play by the SB. Even though you learned he was semi-bluffing, I wouldn’t have shoved 63 more into a pot of 164 ((17*3)+25+(25+63)) hoping for a J on the turn. I’m putting the SB on a set or two pair here, especially with that board, neither of which I can beat. You live to play another day. The result blows, but that’s not a call I’d feel comfortable making, especially when 106 of the total pot would be my own money.
J-J UTG, I decide to just call and see what happens. A few limpers around and the BB raises to $17. Obviously I’m thinking something like A-K or even maybe a bigger pocket pair, so I just call. Strangely, 2 more callers follow me. Flop is Th-8c-4h and both blinds check. I fire out $25, figuring…
Thanks for the reassurance here. Nice to think that maybe not everything I did today was wrong (although, once again, my style made me lean towards not reraising preflop….and before that towards just calling, so if there’s a mistake somewhere in the hand that was probably it).
Bled down to about $80 and lost a preflop all-in with A-J against 7-7. I was definitely not in the right mindset to play today. I also wasn’t in the right mindset to recognize that I wasn’t in the right mindset.
That being said, I’m taking a break for a while. I’m not going to play again until I’m dying to get back to the tables. I can’t go out there like I did today.
Table Time: 1.5 hours
Today’s Total: -$200
Running Total: -$470
A-To in the SB, UTG raises to $10 and I’m the only caller. Flop come down A-Q-5 rainbow and I check. He bets $10 and I call. Turn is another 5 and I check into a $15 bet. At this point I figure that I’ve got two pair with a Q kicker and the only hand he could have that beats me is A-K, so I call. The river is an 8 and I check with the intention of calling another bet, but when he gets $25 I think for a while and fold. I psyched myself out of a call and he showed A-T for a split. I’m apparently giving people too much credit today.
J-J UTG, I decide to just call and see what happens. A few limpers around and the BB raises to $17. Obviously I’m thinking something like A-K or even maybe a bigger pocket pair, so I just call. Strangely, 2 more callers follow me. Flop is Th-8c-4h and both blinds check. I fire out $25, figuring I’m ahead of most hands here. Folded around to the SB who shoves for $63 more. BB folds, confirming the A-K. I can’t wrap my head around this one, I can’t figure out what he has, which always scares me. I come to the conclusion that the closest hand I can guess is a set of 4’s or a set of 8’s, so after a minute I let it go. He shows 9-7o for the semi-bluff and I’m left feeling like quite the fool for turning down 2:1 odds on that call.
Hey guys! Just waiting for a table, ready to get going. Going to focus today not only on playing my game as best I can, but also on not letting it all go to my head. I have to remember that I’m here to make money off of these players, not to try to prove I can outplay them. Can’t let my arrogance get in the way of a profitable session like I did last time.
That being said, wish me luck, I could use some!
