Home Game

Got invited to a home game/tourney tonight. The tournament was a 100$ buy-in with 78 players, with 1st place getting 50% of the prize pool. I was doing fine, had a little above the chip average when I busted out. My bust-out hand was the following: I limped in the small blind with 7h4h, 5 players took a flop of 74t. Checked around to middle position who bet 800 (minimum bet, blinds were 400 and 800). I checked raised all-in for 5600 total. She hemmed and hawed, and finally called with JsTs. She of course hits a ten on the river to knock me out. Fortunately, for me she knocked me out! I got into a 5-5 blind max $300 buy-in no-limit cash game that was running. I made $1500 playing this game in like 5 hours! The players were absolutely horrible. Other than a couple of people at the table other than myself, these people had no-clue had to play holdem, let alone no-limit holdem, where I was stacking people left and right playing literally any two cards if there was no raise preflop (which often there wasn't). It was like guys, just give me your money, it would be quicker and less painful for all involved that way. Hope I get an invite next year!

Quadzilla

Had an awesome session in the 40/80 game at Oceans-11 last night. After getting buried 2 racks in, I rebuy another 2 racks and proceed to run over the game, cashing out 7+ racks total.

I made quad 8's on the following hand.

Charlie open-raises in MP, Ron 3-bets next up, folded to me on the button, I flat call with pocket eights, blinds call, 5-ways to the flop for 15 small bets. Flop comes AA5, two spades. Checked to Ron who bets, I raise, folded to Charlie who calls, Ron calls. 21 small bets in the pot. My raise on the flop, is to charge the flush draws, and if Ron has something like pocket kings or pocket queens, I may get him to make an incorrect lay down. Likely, he has an ace, and is going to slow-play it once I raise. Ron loves to slow play his big hands, which I will never understand. I have like 10% equity in the pot, so if by raising I can get a free river I can get two shots to hit my full-house, and with 21 small bets, it's worth the high variance play. Plus if I hit, I am going to get max action, especially if the 8s comes off completing the flush on the turn. In any case, turn is the 8c. Checked to me, I bet, Charlie folds, Ron check-raises, I 3-town it, Ron calls. 16.5 big bets in the pot now. River is the last 8 in the deck, and now Ron leads into me with his aces full of eights, I raise of course, and he calls. I announce quadzilla, and Ron flashes his ace-king and mucks furiously. 20.5 big bets is the final pot size! Horribly played by Ron. And this was just after I cracked his pocket aces with my 74 suited! He played that hand bad too. I think Ron now hates me.

Sleeping is Overrated (NOT)

I played in an absolutely awesome 40/80 game last night at Oceans-11. I played until 6am this morning, went home, got like 3 hours sleep and then had to get ready to go the Minneapolis. The game had Evan Almighty, Tommy, and Pierre in it. Pierre just kept reloading $500 at a time from the ATM/Money Fairy machine. It was pretty ridiculous. I think he went to that damn machine at least 5 or 6 times. Every time he bought 500, and being short-stacked he still played like every hand. Talk about loose-passive, check-call, check-call, check-call, like every time. The few times he actually had hands, everybody else either mucked immediately as soon as he made an aggressive action, or outdrew him since he was short-stacked. I outdrew his pocket queens with pocket deuces by filling up on the river when I hit a deuce. I raised preflop 4-handed on the button with the deuces, he just called in the big blind with pocket queens with only 4 sbs total in his stack! Flop comes like 996 or something like that. He bets, I tell him to put it all in, he complies and I spike my 2 outer on the river.

Unfortunately, even though the game was awesome, I finished up only up 1 rack. Still it has been a while since I booked a win in the 40/80 game, so I'll take it.

Minnesota

Headed out to Minnesota again this week. Leaving on Tuesday night, back on Sunday. The rest of the family is staying out there until the 23rd. Lots of my wife's family is all going to be there. Should be one large family "picnic" of a time. Hopefully my wife will give me her blessing to make a repeat visit to Canterbury Park. One slight wrinkle, a new card club opened up in the Minneapolis area, called Running Aces. Apparently the 30/60 game is bouncing around these two clubs now. Not sure if it has found a permanent home yet.

Vegas!

Going to Vegas next month with a buddy of mine to celebrate his birthday. Not sure how much poker playing I'll get in while I'm in Vegas. I'm sure that the Bellagio and probably the Wynn or the Venetian may have some decent mid-limit games while I am in town. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) I am going mid-week so hopefully it won't be too crowded. I plan on just relaxing, maybe play some blackjack and craps, and maybe take a shot at the 100/200 at the Bellagio if I run well at the pit games.

Cashing Out

I cashed out 300 hours from the Oceans-11 Racing for Dollars promotion. 300 hours pays $300, so I made a dollar an hour for playing poker. The promotion starts with $500,000 dollars and as people cash out it diminishes. It started back on March 24, and people are going to start cashing out 1000 hours, which pays $5000, so the money is going to start going here pretty soon. Hopefully I can play another 100 hours or so, before the money runs out.

I booked a nice win today in both the 8/16 and 20/40 games. I finally sucked out on a huge pot in the 8/16 game. Kill pot, and I pick up AdAh in the small blind, raise before the flop and get 3 callers. Flop comes TTK, with 2 diamonds. I bet and got called in the 2 spots. Turn was a rag diamond. I bet, BB calls, Button goes all in for 25 chips. I call, BB calls. River is the beautiful Ace of clubs. I bet, BB raises, I 3-town it and BB calls. BB had KT for a flopped full house. Button mucked, but I'm 100% positive he had a flush. BB played the hand about the absolutely worse possible way. If he plays it correctly he's going to win the pot, but he decided to slow play and it cost him.

In the 20/40 game, I made a straight flush with 89d. Flop came QJ7 all diamonds. I bet, got called by a new fish in the 2-seat. Turn was the 6d. I bet fish raises, I call. River is the 5d. Originally I thought that the 2-seat had the ace diamonds, so I figured with a rivered straight flush, I should be able to get 3-bets in. So I bet out and he just flat called. So, he either had just the king of diamonds, or no diamond at all.

Book it!

Played the 20/40 last night. Finally booked a decent win of $1127. Could have been better, but I tried to bluff Troy twice and both times he had pocket kings, for top-set. One, he lost anyways when the SB flopped a straight. It was capped preflop and on the flop, I had pocket 9's. Flop was 345 rainbow. SB had 67o for a flopped straight. Turn came a king, Troy bet, I raised, Moke in the SB 3-town, Troy 4-bets, and I muck.

Later, I make a real steal raise with T4s from the cutoff, Troy 3-bets from the BB and we see a flop. I catch a pair (4's) and a flush draw. Turn is King, Troy bets, I raise, he 3-bets, I call. I blank on the river (plus it paired the board), he bets and I muck. He shows me his full house anyways.

So other than those and a few other disasters, I still managed to book a reasonable win! I won a huge pot with pocket kings that was about 1/2 my profit. 5-ways capped before the flop. Flop comes Q44. I bet, get called in 3 spots. Turn is a ten, Kay donks into me, I raised, fish on my left donates $80, Kay calls. River is a blank, I bet, fish folds, Kay pays off like a slot machine. QT no good, Kings up takes the pot!