Running Like a CHAMP

I haven't posted lately about any of my cash sessions. I have been running like God recently. I have been playing at Shorty's about twice a week. I have won in 6 of my last 7 sessions. My last 4 sessions have been..

+475
+890
+1385
+945

I always preferred playing at Harrahs over Shorty's. But since Shorty's lifted their ridiculous 300-max buy-in... and the fact that it's much closer to my house... I have been playing there lately. And I have been running and playing well. I don't remember all my hands from all those sessions so I will just type about my last session. Though I can say that 90% of my winnings on my +1385 session came from Asian Tom. I would call his raise preflop, flop top-pair, check-call the whole way and he'd muck.

Onto my latest session. I played at Shorty's Saturday and picked up $945. I started off down $150 or so on my second hand. I raised from MP with J-J and got 2 callers. The flop was 8-9-9. First player checks, I bet. Next guy mucks. First player check-raises 3x's my bet. I decide to call. I've played with this guy before and I know he can raise with nothing here to get me off of AK, AQ, etc.. Well the turn is an Ace and he fires strong.. I decide to give him some credit and muck.

I bought in for $500 and already I'm down to about $350. Then I pick up 10c7c in MP. I limp along with several others. Then the BB decides to raise, $20 more. Anyone that plays live $5-$5 or $2-$5 knows that everyone and their momma is calling that extra $20. I do as well as everyone else. The flop comes down Kc-4h-Qc. Giving me the 3rd nut-flush draw. The BB(preflop raiser) decides to bet $25. $25 into a $120 pot. Weak? I think so. One player to my right calls. Then I decide to make a play at this pot. I bump it to $100 total. Everyone folds to the preflop raiser. I am fully expecting him to fold. But he contemplates for the longest time and calls. The other player folds and we're heads-up to the turn. The turn is about the best card in the deck, the Ac. I make the 2nd nuts. He checks to me. I have about $250 left and I'm wondering how much to bet here. I think about betting $100 or $150 and keep him in it. But that bet has it's pros and cons. If he does have the Jc(unlikely), I want him to pay for the river. And if he doesn't have a club and a club hits the river, that'll kill my action. If a broadway card hits the board and puts a 4 card straight out there, that may screw my chances of getting paid off too. Anyway.. I am hoping that ace made him 2-pair and I shove my remaining $250 in there. And he calls. The river pairs the board 4's. I cringe for a minute and pray he doesn't show AA, KK, or QQ. But he doesn't and I'm back in the black baby. I win about $470 there.

Later Phil is at our table and raises $25 to go. I look down at AhKh in the BB and I call. We're heads-up. The flop comes down A-x-x. Two hearts. Not too shabby huh? I check and Phil bets $30. I just call. The turn is garbage but the board is straightening out. I check, Phil bets $50. I decide to begin to build this pot and raise to $150. Without much deliberation, he calls. I'm thinking we may have the same hand and I'm freerolling. Or I have him slightly outkicked. The river puts a 4 card straight on board. But he raised preflop and I'm putting him on a big ace. I decide to value-bet $100. He calls and shows A-Q and I drag a nice $300 there.

Later I raise preflop from EP/MP with AhJh. I get 2 callers. The flop comes down Kh- 9c-3h. Giving me an over and the nut-flush draw. The SB leads out $20. Once again, a $20 bet into a $80 pot. Well this time I decide to just call. Asian Tom is behind me but he decides to muck. The turn is the 10h. BINGO.. the nuts. Then the SB checks. I'm thinking, " Shit.. I'm going to bet here and lose him." But I proceed to bet $100. He thinks about it for a while then calls. It genuinely seemed like he didn't want to call. Well the river the 4th heart. Yikes. You never know if that card helped or hurt you in this situation. Then he bets $100 at me. Sweet! Now it's just a matter of how much to raise. It doesn't happen very often, but it's so nice to have the nuts on the river and have someone betting into you. Well he has about $450 behind that $100 bet. I decide to go for $300 total... $200 more to him. He states, "Well there's only one card that beats me." Yes. I know I'm getting paid. He pays off the $200 more. I won $470 there too.

I lose and win some here and there. I'm up about $800 when I catch the following hand. I played this hand badly. I am in the BB with 2-4o and the flop comes down 3-5-6, two diamonds. I flop the 2nd nuts. I decide to bet out $25. I get one caller, then a raise to $100 from Asian Tom. It folds around to me. Tom could have anything here... a pair and flush draw, a pair and straight draw, straight flush draw, two pair, a set, etc.. I decide to just call and see what the guy behind me does. I really should have raised here. It wouldn't have mattered as you will see in the end result. The other player folded and Tom and I are heads up to the turn. The turn is a stupid 4. Now my 2 makes up the low end and any 7 makes the high. Tom has about $250 left. I'm praying now that he has a flush draw, two pair, or set. I know Tom won't slow down with the 4 card straight as Tom NEVER slows down. I check, he bets $110. I decide to just put him in for his last $140. He calls and shows the Jd7d. He hit his gutterball on the turn. He takes about $350 from me there. It doesn't matter how I play the flop. I could have bet my bankroll and Tom wasn't folding a gutshot and flush draw. I'm just upset about the way I played this. Especially the turn. I could have possibly folded the turn to the $110 bet. But coming from this particular source, it was so hard to. I was just hoping he had two-pair, set, or flush draw and I checked the turn so he would bet and commit himself. If the diamond hits the turn I may get away.. But he hit his gut and I lost.. chalk it up... -$350.

Not long after.. I limp with 7-7. It's a limp fest. Then the button makes it $30. I'm in there with everyone else. The flop comes down A-x-x. It checks around to the button who bets $50. I decide to call. I'm tilting just a little. I'm not exactly convinced he has an ace. And my 7-7 is 3rd pair. I call. Everyone folds. The turn is a King. I check, and interestingly... he checks behind.. Hmmm? The river is a 3. I check and he bets $100 pretty forcefully. This isn't quite adding up. Why did he check the turn? Maybe he had A-K or KK and decided he was far ahead. But I didn't think so. This guy was pretty straight-forward and bet often. Then if you do have the monster on the river, why would someone quickly grab a stack, slam it on the table and declare, "One-hundred." I thought it was.. AK, KK, 33 or nothing. I usually don't take much time to make a decision but I took my time here. After all, I can't beat anything but a bluff. I finally called and he said, "good call." Nice. I won about $270 there.

My last eventful hand came when I limped with 4d5d. A couple of limpers to Michael, a co-worker of mine. He raises to $25 or $30. There are a few callers and I call too. The flop comes beautifully... Ad-3d-4s. I flop a pair, and a straight-flush draw. It checks around to Michael who bets $65. Mike M. calls in front of me. Then I decide to check out everyone's stack. Michael only has about $175 left. Mike M has about $350 left and another play who hasn't acted yet has about $300. I was sitting in the 10 seat and last player was in the 2 seat. When I tried to see how much he had left, the dealer did the same. And then he looked at the dealer and said geniunely, "Oh it's on me, I fold." So I know he's out. All I can lose is less than $200 to Michael. And about $350 to Mike M. I decide to shove. I'm pretty sure Michael has an ace. I'm not sure about Mike M. I am just scared Mike M. may have a bigger flush draw. That would suck. That's really why I wanted Michael to fold. I don't care if we have to race. If he has an ace(which he later said he had AQ) I'm almost 60/40. But if he calls, that kinda will price Mike M. in if he has a big flush draw. Well both players fold and I win $240 there.

I picked up shortly after.. a $945 winner. I saw some very badly played hands that remind me why I play this game.

I am going to Harrahs tomorrow to play the $500+$50 event. I'll keep you posted.