.05/.10 NLH LH 18/10/07 (3)

Stars
Opening Balance: $371.34
No. of Tables: 3
No. of Hands: 256
Closing Balance: $394.69 (+$23.35)

Running Totals: +2004ptbb/8127
+$200.39/8127
(+24.7ptbb/100)

Long session. Should really be split into two, but I didn't blog it earlier and I can't be bothered to separate it all out.

Some horrible outdraws in the early session, although normally not expensive ones and I got away from a few rivers cheaply (either check-folding an obvious draw or a blocking bet against passive villains). I was a bit annoyed, especially with the two hands where I was rivered by a gutshot after getting all the money in ahead, but I played it fine and that's poker (baby).

Second session started crappily (I'll post the hand later, I think it was all-round awful from me, but we'll see) and I nearly packed it in for the night (figuring I was tilting a little, or just off my game for some reason). The second half was a dream, though, I think I saw KK 3 times with a big pot every time, AK 4 times with $6-8 preflop all-ins (my favourite way to play AK is to get it all in preflop, especially against mid-small stacks). I lost the smallest of those, but won the others. I didn't bluff too much, didn't call off and hit monster hands frequently.

Now to that hideous hand.

BB: $10.70
UTG: $5.90
MP: $9.30
CO: $15.20
BTN: $10.85
Hero (SB): $9.15

Pre-Flop: 7c 4h dealt to Hero (SB)
4 folds, Hero raises to $0.30, BB raises to $0.90, Hero calls $0.60 Intending to make a play at the flop. Later in the session I started passing up these, figuring they're too costly and build too much of a pot. This was my reasoning on the flop here.

Flop: ($1.80) 6h 9d 3s (2 Players)
Hero checks, BB bets $1.20, Hero calls $1.20 Terrible. I have a gutshot and maybe 3 sevens to draw to, but probably not. Call it a generous five outs.

Turn: ($4.20) 4d (2 Players) Pairs my 4.
Hero bets $2, Hoping this is all a big staring match and my 4s are best, or that I can knock him off a weak 6 or something BB raises to $8.60 and is All-In, Looks like I can't get him off Hero calls $5.05 and is All-In Oh dear. I beat nothing except a pure bluff and few players are crazy enough to stack off with air. This is especially true if he put me on a steal preflop, as this board hits a lot of steal hands and few legitimate ones

River: ($18.30) Ts (2 Players - 1 is All-In)

Results: $18.30 Pot ($0.90 Rake)
BB showed 5c 5d (a pair of Fives) and WON $17.40 (+$8.25 NET) A much weaker hand than I expected to see.
Hero showed 7c 4h (a pair of Fours) and LOST (-$9.15 NET)

This was a classic case of getting married to a steal gone wrong. Best play is either to lay it down to the reraise, or lead out the flop and then give up. What this turned into was a horrible mess where I thought we were eyeballing it (which it turns out we sort of were) and I made a stupid call.

Here's another hand, just for the hell of it

UTG: $8.60
UTG+1: $5.40
MP1: $11.85
MP2: $18.45
Hero (CO): $10.70
BTN: $6.65
SB: $12.15
BB: $14.80

Pre-Flop: 8d 8c dealt to Hero (CO)
UTG folds, UTG+1 calls $0.10, 2 folds, Hero raises to $0.40, 3 folds, UTG+1 calls $0.30 He's 50/0 over 20 hands on PT, with no aggression up to the river

Flop: ($0.95) 4s 2c 6c (2 Players) Gives me an overpair, which is nice and unexpected
UTG+1 checks, Hero bets $0.50, UTG+1 calls $0.50

Turn: ($1.95) 2h (2 Players)
UTG+1 checks, Hero bets $1.25, UTG+1 calls $1.25 He's calling me down, as expected (although the sample size is virtually meaningless)

River: ($4.45) Qs (2 Players)
UTG+1 bets $0.60, Hero calls $0.60 I'm not raising here, he probably has a Q or a 2. I'm also not folding for 8:1.

Results: $5.65 Pot ($0.25 Rake)
UTG+1 showed Jd Qh (two pair, Queens and Deuces) and WON $5.40 (+$2.65 NET)
Hero mucked 8d 8c and LOST (-$2.75 NET)

No problems with the play here. The river call is maybe a fold given his stats, but I probably can't do it. It's just unfortunate that he caught the overcard on the river.

One last one, just because I don't do this enough

UTG+1: $17.10
MP: $7.40
CO: $9.15
BTN: $6
SB: $13.40
BB: $10.85
Hero (UTG): $9.90

Pre-Flop: 3c 3s dealt to Hero (UTG)
Hero raises to $0.30, 3 folds, BTN calls $0.30, 2 folds

Flop: ($0.75) 7c 3d Ah (2 Players)
Hero checks,I want to slowplay this as there are no flush draws. The Ace also makes me think he's more likely to have something. If it comes Q high, I lead out for .40-.50 to try and build the pot BTN bets $0.60, Hero calls $0.60

Turn: ($1.95) Th (2 Players) As far as I can see, that changes nothing.
Hero checks,I expect him to bet out here again. I think I've called the flop and folded the turn a couple of times recenlty with draws, so if he's paying attention that'll help BTN bets $1.10, Hero raises to $2.20, BTN calls $1.10 Check minraise, in my experience, gets called more here than check proper-raise.

River: ($6.35) Ks (2 Players)
Hero bets $3, He's close to commited for a call, but his bet has little fold equity and he'll probably slow down with Ax BTN calls $2.90 and is All-In

Results: $12.15 Pot ($0.55 Rake)
BTN mucked Ac 9h and LOST (-$6 NET)
Hero showed 3c 3s (three of a kind, Threes) and WON $11.60 (+$5.60 NET)

Just a nice hand, I'm not sure check-calling the flop is always best but it does figure in with my play recently with weaker hands and it works well here.