Newb

Hit some live action last night for the first time in a while, brought a buddy along to introduce him to the exciting world of underground poker. Place was PACKED, running a full over-stuffed 4 tables for a $40 freezeout. Me and buddy ended up on the waiting list because I didn't reserve earlier (never had a problem before), but we didn't have a problem getting in.

Due to a coworkers 40th birthday the day before, some coworkers and I decided to have a few frosty beverages after work... 3 beers was just enough to make it not so cold, and make my judgement drop ever-so-slightly. That said, I played pretty well for the first hour, and had a decent stack in front of me. 5 minute break, and buddy and I run out to grab some food. McD's down the road and we're back having missed maybe a hand. One hand later, in the BB, I've got pocket 9's. I completely miss the SB nearly chucking his hand pre-flop before someone points out he is the SB, and check when he completes for the only action before me. Whoops. Flop of 55x gives him his set, and I give it all away. $40 double cheesburger combo. I don't think I could have played that MORE incorrectly.

So I finish off my food and wait for a 2nd cash game to break out. Sit down with my max buy-in, and slowly chip up. A turned straight nets me a nice little win and I'm doing well. I lose a pile when my flopped TPSK runs into cowboys (put him on AK), but learn a valuable lesson and fold to the guy's AK later on when I have KQ with a K on the board. Got slowly chipped down until I started playing the girl on my right. I think she was KK's girlfriend (or maybe sister?), and she was learning the game that night. She'd chase mid-pair all the way, kept asking for the definition of an inside straight, and won with straights she missed while looking for a flush. She "loved [her] hand" far too often when her hand was T5d or equivalent. So, a flopped straight, two pair, even TPMK would be enough to take her down and get paid. She COULD be scared out though, but I ended up chipping back up to a small loss. On my last orbit I gave away a few more bucks and called it a night.

Until I got home and found Kat still alive in the Mookie (congrats on 3rd!). I sweated her for a while and joined Weak in the 1/2 cash again, where we were soon joined by Don and CC. Not a bad mix, since I find a full blogger table a bit too even, but half a table is just about right. And what a table it was. I stupidly raised Weak's small bet at a straight (which we both made) and scared out the 3rd player whose stack would have been worthwhile, but that was one of only two mistake I think I made in the game.

Taking one stack with a flush that took out an A-high straight (one of THREE KT's dealt in that hand, and he was the only one to call me) was nice... but taking out Mr. "I'm going all-in on the flop that gives you the 2nd nut flush because my useless missed straight has to get me something" was sweeter. I personally enjoyed the comment from our favourite victim who piped up with "How can you think about NOT calling with the 2nd nut flush? If you can't play that hand, you don't deserve to play poker." Strange... I DID play it, but I had to think about it with paired tens on the board -- nut flush, numerous ways to have a boat, or even quads were all possibilities, and I had to make a call for 1/2 my stack. Plus, I figured a little hemming and hawing might draw in another call... not that Don would fall for it, but it's good to practice. Needless to say, the bloggers jumped on the guy's unneeded commentary and he quickly decided to take his ball and go home. I'm sure glad I played it, because I'd hate to lose my poker privileges.

Anyway, I made one other mistake that cost me a good-sized bot and around 1/6 of my stack (after I was up over $200). I had pocket ladies and re-raised a 4x BB bet to 8x BB and got called. Flop comes all diamonds, of which I have none. $15 bet to me and I deliberate and call. Flop is Ah and it's checked to me. I check and the river comes a 4th diamond. A $20 bet (into a $65 pot) is made and a think and call. Pocket 9's are flipped over with the diamond in there. Some might claim my mistake was calling on the flop, but I just couldn't put him on the made flush... gotta trust your reads. My mistake was not betting hard on the turn, with the A there along with the flush draw, it should have been enough to scare off my opponent, but I didn't take advantage because I was scared of the same things. The check SCREAMED weakness and I did nothing. The weak bet on the river also called out "I have a weak diamond!", and I could have re-raised hard there, especially with the 2 flushes I'd cashed in on earlier and possibly taken it. Hell, for that matter I could have re-raised on the flop if I really trusted my read. Nothing saying he wouldn't have been a calling station anyway, but at least my play would been right. Somehow though, in my sleep-deprived mind, I figured I'd wait for him to bluff at the missed 4-card flush and I'd take it down with my superior pair, knowing full well the 4th diamond would come. The call on the river was simply because I had to be sure.

In the end, I made back my live losses + a bit, and once again got insufficient sleep.