Memorial Weekend Poker

Had a great weekend playing poker. Got out 3 times over the holiday weekend starting on Thursday night. Overall finished up $8661 over 24 hours of play. Some notable happenings this weekend:

On Saturday night, I lost the biggest pot I have ever played. I was in the 40/80 game, playing overs. Overs means the limits double to 80/160, if everyone who is left in the hand has an overs button after the flop. Steve the fish was in the game, and EVERYBODY took an overs button. Steve had been running hot and had about 6 racks in front of him. As soon as the overs buttons came out, I bought another rack of chips.

So about an hour into playing overs, I got involved in the following hand. I was in the small blind with 58o. 3 limpers and I completed the bet, thinking to myself if I don't flop a monster I'm done with this piece of cheese. Flop comes 4, 6, 7 rainbow. I just flopped the nuts. This was an overs pot, so preflop there was 5 40 bets, for a pot size of 200. I bet, BB raised, UTG 3-bet, I smooth call, BB calls. 3*3*80 + 200 = 920 in the pot. Turn comes an Ace. I check, BB bets, UTG raises, I check-raise, BB calls, UTG caps, I call, BB calls. 4*3*160+920 = 2840 in the pot. River comes a 6. I check, BB checks, UTG bets. I make a crying call, BB calls. BB had 3/5 for the lower straight, UTG slowplayed pocket aces before the flop and filled up on the river. Final pot size was 480+2840 = 3320. I lost 40+240+640+180 = 1100 in that pot. Took me a while to recover after that beat, but I grinded it out and went home a 200$ winner in that game. That was a massive pot. The only thing I think I marginally did wrong was call the river. BUT, the pot was so huge and it was only going to cost me 160 more to win a pot of 3000, I was getting nearly 19-1 on a call. I figured that UTG must have flopped a set, and rivered a full house, but with the pot so big, I don't think there's any way I can lay down.

On Monday night, I played 75-150 for the first time at Oceans-11. Jerry Buss, the owner of the Los Angeles Lakers was in the game. That's the only reason I sat in that game. I have the bankroll for 75-150, but the game is a little bigger than I feel comfortable playing in normally. However, I have played with Jerry before, and I know that he's an action player, so I decided to take a shot. Jerry had been playing all day at Oceans-11. There was a poker tournament in the morning at 11am, that he played in, and when I showed up at 9pm he was in a short-handed 75-150 game. Jerry had been drinking and it clearly showed. He was playing very fast, and very loose. I finished that game up 6305, most of it courtesy of Mr. Jerry Buss. Thank you sir!

Jerry did put a couple of brutal beats on me though. One hand I had pocket aces in the small blind. Jerry limped with K4o. I raised and the BB called with guess what? K4o as well. Flop came king high. I bet, Wayne in the BB, called, Jerry raised, I 3-bet, Wayne and Jerry both called. Turn came a rag, bet-call-call. River a frigging King! The two of them were drawing to 3 freaking outs for a split pot! I checked, Wayne bet, Jerry called, I mucked my aces face up knowing that I was beat on the river.

One funny hand that Jerry played, Wayne tabled T-7 one the river. Jerry asked the dealer if the 7 played. It barely beat the board, and Jerry mucked, saying he had a ten too, but couldn't beat the 7 kicker. I think he called a bet on the turn too. That's why I like playing with Dr. Buss.