Monday Night Poker

Bobby Dee and I attended a local poker game Monday night, the same one I wrote about recently. This time however, we went to play in a NLHE freezeout tournament.

The buy in was $30, with a $5 add-on. If you do the add-on (and everyone does), your starting stack is $4,500. Opening blinds are $25-50, with 20 minute levels.

"Not too bad," I thought, but soon realized that the blinds doubled each level. It took about an hour before the shove-fest began.

I lost about a quarter of my stack early when I flopped a set of sevens, only to get run down by a rivered straight. A gutshot at that.

I took down the blinds plus one limper when I raised from the button with pocket jacks. The only other hand I remember winning before changing tables was when I once again raised from the button with 6-7 soooted. The SB called, along with one other limper. After both my opponents checked an ace high flop, I bet half the pot and took it down.

Blinds were at $100-200 when I changed tables, and I was sitting on $4,600. Time to get busy!

I won my only hand at the table when I open pushed "the dreaded pocket kings." It folded to the button, who hem-hawed before calling with K-J. He hit a jack on the flop, but didn't improve and I got a much needed double-up.

My final hand was 7-7. I again open shoved for 8 BB and was called by Q-J offsuit. The flop was harmless, but a jack on the turn did me in. Out of 28 players, I finished tenth. Bobby was able to hang on a little longer, finishing in fourth. Unfortunately, the tourney only paid three spots.

Can you say "Bubble Boy?"

After busting the tourney I walked over and joined the $1-2 cash game, buying in for $200. Interestingly, most of the players were of the female persuasion and were also pretty easy on the eyes. The men had a pool going on the NCAA Championship Game and were more interested in watching that than paying attention to their poker game, so I thought that might give me a little bit of an edge.

* Victim of my set of fours

As happened the last time I played here, I got off to an quick start. Limping from UTG on my first hand with pocket fours, I had one caller plus the BB.  The flop was a beautiful 3-4-A. After the BB checked, I bet $5 into the $7 pot. The caller folded, but the BB raised to $15. I thought just calling was my best move in order to build the pot. The turn was an harmless ten and my opponent lead out for $30 and I once again called. The river wasn't scary and the beauty to my right slid her remaining $75 out. I insta-called and was shown two pair (A-3). Another nice start!

* Pocket jacks relieved her of some chips

Two hands later I raised to $10 with pocket jacks, getting one customer. I checked an J-T-5 flop (two spades). My opponent pushed forward $20, ran her hand through her blonde locks, and looked a little dismayed when I popped it to $60. She called and we both saw a red duck on the turn. Not wanting to let her draw on the cheap, I tossed 15 redbirds in front of me and she released her hand.

Three hands in and I had doubled my buy-in, but I wasn't making any friends.

* Bitten by the River Rat

My stack stayed around $400 for the next hour or so, then I won another nice pot when I looked down at Ad-Kd  and raised to $14 from the button with two limpers in front. I got one call from a bespeckled beauty and we saw a flop of K-8d-4d. Nice! My caller checked and I bet $20 into the ~$35 pot and got a call. The caller checked the off suit T on the turn and I bet another $70 with my opponent coming along. The river was the Td, giving me the nut flush. She removed her glasses, trying to read my soul after I slid out a healthy river bet. She made the correct decision and mucked her hand, ending our brief, but volatile relationship.

I headed home after another half hour of play with a nice $300+ win in the cash game.

Can't wait to go back and give it another shot!

Till next time, win the flips.

* The ladies pictured above may not be the exact players at my table :)