A not so hot day of poker

My big Sunday has not started out so hot. Decided to move up a bit on the limit tables that have been treating me decent so went to the 2/4 table. My god, the play here was terrible, worse than that on the .1020, .25/.50 and .50/1 games. Ordinarily I would have eaten this table alive but today was not ordinary. First, understand, it’s limit; I expect chasing and unlike many do not rail against it. Hell, I want those chasers, the odds say they are going to lose more often than not and unlike a casino table where you have 5-6 chasers in a 2/4 game so someone was likely to hit here you had only 1 or 2 so the odds are in your favor. Not only that but these characters couldn’t even be considered legit chasers. Today the poker gods decided to ream me proper with even benefit of a reach around. Never have I seen so many runner, runner hits after people called 3 and 4 bets preflop and on the flops with nothing more than a weak ace and a backdoor draw. I would be ready to quit when I would win a pot big enough to keep me going thinking that maybe the cards had turned. In-fucking-credible is the only appropriate description. Instead of being up a couple hundred that such shenanigans should have brought me I wound up down a buck and a half due to the gods’ disfavor. Even worse, after being down about a buck the suckouts had stopped enough for me to actually come back and go up a couple of bucks. Should have stopped there but the reaming started soon after though the start this time was a legit beat when my pocket aces were cracked by a 9-9 that flopped a set. .This time the beats weren’t so bad in the sense it was good cards that weren’t good enough in about half the cases, A-A vs. K_K or set over set but there were still enough of the perfect hits to let me know that the poker gods were still enjoying their jest. As I write this I have a couple hours to go until the war game for my forum and the 35K sniper for me and I just hope the poker gods have wandered away to torment someone else tonight.

Well, the war game is over, at least for me, and I did not exactly shine. Finished somewhere in the bottom third. Cards were not kind but I did grind out a few extra chips early on. I flopped sets twice but no action on one and minimal on the other made a couple of wasted opportunities and I lost about a third of my stack when a suited K-3 in the BB wound up hitting a K on the flop on an unraised pot. A lead bet got a call but when a third suited hit the turn and my bet brought a raise it was time to release. There was a little give and take and I was sitting with T-T and about 14-15 BB. A 3xs raise got a caller out of the blinds and they bet on a flop of 6-7-8 rainbow. It was either shove or fold and with the blinds going up in a min or two I shoved. Snap call and the blind had Q-Q. No 9 or 10 and I was gone. Just what I was afraid of after that early session this am. Now waiting for 35K sniper to start. Will see where that gets us.

The 35K has started and ain’t doing so well. Down a bit more than a third of my stack. Flop top two and found I was sucking hind tit but not until after blowing off that third. Bet the flop and got two callers. Bet the turn and next guy shoves, he was sitting on about a half stack and then the third player in the pot also shoves and he has me covered. Ut-oh, this don’t look good. I figure one of them has me beat but which one? The wrong guess and I’m out. Even the right guess and I only really get back what I bet so far and maybe a couple hundred more. And what if they both have me beat? Decide that the old saw about discretion and all that jazz is one to follow here and I bail out. As it was the big stack has a set so I guessed right but the shorty has an OESD which he then proceeds to river. Lost a good amount but it could be worse. Blinds still low enough to make a recovery. Let the game go on. Got a few chips back when I pull K-K with a raise in front. I reraise, get a caller and first raiser goes away. Flop is draw heavy so I don’t play around and shove as the other guy has position and he goes away and I pick up a few more hundred though I’m still below the starting stack. First break and I’m sitting with about 40 BBs. Not great but playable for awhile yet. A double up would be nice but except for the Ks and an A-Q in the sb that got no action cards have been scarce. Intelligent character just tried to bluff me off a hand with an all in and got rewarded for it. Guy all in and I’m sitting with nut straight and flush draws and check the flop. Other player checks and the turn comes out a blank and I check again. This time he pots and I call. River bricks for me, a 5 and wouldn’t you know the asshole has a 4-5. It’s this morning all over. The fools are being rewarded.

Ok, can breathe a bit easier. Was short stacked and almost shoved in a few places but hung on till the last minute and finally shoved with a Q-T with a couple others in the pot figuring if I hit I got some chips. Big stack to my left isolates with an A-7 and I hit the 10 on the flop and double up plus. Very next hand I pull A-K with 2 limpers in front and I shove again and the big stack again calls. This time he has 7-7 but I hit the K and I am breathing. Two hands later I catch Q-Q and this time the limper to my right calls my preflop raise. Flop comes 7-5-3, he checks and I pot it and he calls. Turn a blank and again he checks, I shove and he calls. He has K-7 and says he thought I might be pushing A-K again. He obviously doesn’t know me well. So I go into the second break with some breathing room and about 50 BBs. Seems I now have an image. Catch K-K in BB and have raiser in front. I repop and after thinking about it he folds. Have now raised 3 more pots and no action. That’s fine because the blinds are big enough that the limpers are adding to the stack although I did lose a few when I caught a mediocre top pair on the flop from the sb and chased 3 of the 4 limpers with bets on the flop and turn but I gave it up on the river and the guy bet ¾ pot. Think I was played but didn’t feel like throwing chips away after just getting them. Being oop sucks big time.

Hey, collected a bounty, first one. Forgot all about them been so wrapped up in staying alive. Had K-T suited in bb and knew I was going to get shoved on. Luckily the guy shoving only had about 2 K with blinds at 150/300. Figure him for a loose range and call. He had A-9 off, sort of where I put him, and flop snaps off a K. For a minute I thought he runner, runnered a 4 flush board but then the screen pops up informing me of the bounty and I saw I misread a card. So I am in positive territory as I won the entry to this game. While I’m folding my third 3-4 in a row here I just thought of a sick hand that hit earlier in the game when I had chips. Had J-9 suited and called a 3 times raise from late position and one of the blinds reraises. First raiser bangs it again, I get out of the way and it winds up all in the middle with A-A vs. K-K. Flop comes J-J-x and I’m bitching but do realize I couldn’t have played there. Turn brings a K and I’m now grateful that I got out of the way. River comes an ace and all I can think of is, sick. And while writing this another hand just brought that to mind. Two guys after a raise and call and flop comes 3 low. First to act bets, other shoves and first snap calls. Guy shoved A-T into a pair of pocket Ks Final two cards brings a board straight and a chop. Guy with the Ks has to be fuming. Just added a few chips. A-K in the BB and folds to SB who raises. I call and flop hits A-x-Q. SB bets about the pot and I shove. He tanks but eventually folds. Just gave some of those chips elsewhere. Early position raises a bit more than minimum and I actually have a made hand with 8-8. B-B shoves for about 2/3 my stack however and EP folds and after some thought so do I. Not really thinking of calling off that much with 8s since the blinds are only 250/500 and figuring that anyone shoving about 50 BBs has me in a race at best. Have tight image right now and cultivating it in case I make it to bubble time.

How come every time I add chips I give some away right away? 7-7 in the BB got me some chips when a mid position player raises a bit more than minimum. Flop brings me a set with no draws and a J high. I check thinking maybe he’ll c-bet. No such luck but the turn brings an A so I check again figuring now he will bet which he does. I check raise and he folds showing A-9. Should have tried to milk some more. Turn around and catch K-T otb 2 hands later and it folds to me. Against the blinds I think I’m good so I raise. The SB thinks a bit and reraises over half my stack. I have the feeling that he thinks I’m playing him with a button raise and he’s playing back at me but the amount is too much for me to chance.

Should have chanced it, I’m out 10 from the money. A-J in position and a bit more than min raise in front. I call and flop comes low giving me inside straight draw. Player bets about half pot which I call thinking it’s a c-bet and he missed the flop. Turn gives me nut flush draw in addition to the gutter ball and he checks and I bet thinking maybe I can represent the flush and take it down there. He comes back with a shove and I’m already committed, probably should have shoved there instead of just potting, so I call figuring I’m beat but hoping I have outs. I did as he turns A-A but they didn’t hit and I’m gone.

Thus endeth a lousy day of poker though I got farther in that sniper than I figured I would a couple of hours ago. Thanks for the listen.