A really good day

I retract my previous statement about $1-$2. I finally got of the cooler I was on and finally ripped off a decent profit yesterday. I went down to the Venetian and sat down at a $1-$2 for $200. It was the only table going at the time and everyone was sitting between 200 and 300. I decided to just buy the $200 and see what happens as I usually buy the max of $300. Table was relatively soft. Several players had obviously been playing since last night as they had that glass eyed look about them. I don't know how I feel about these kinds of players. They usually will donk off their chips to you, but also will call a lot of crap hands and out flop you and you have no idea what they are holding. Had a similar hand happen yesterday that I'll get to later.

I sit down in the big blind and there are 6 limpers and it comes to me to act. I look down at Qc Qd. Great. Nice first hand. I hate getting hands like this when its my first hand at a new table because if I raise I get a lot of callers beacuse they don't know if I'm just trying to buy it or not. I would normally fold but decide to raise it. I raise it to $25. And of course I get 3 callers. Great. I'm hoping for an A or a K to hit on the flop so I can fold. Or one of the other Q's and no draws would be nice. Dealer flops out 6h 9h 10s. Ahh, the dreaded flush draw on the board and the always popular 7 8 possibility. I know at least one of them has to have a draw so I figure if they do they are going to have to pay for it. So I bet out $75 knowing I'm ahead right now. I think this will take it down as that is a lot to pay for a flush draw. And of course all 3 playes call. WTF?? So I figure someone is slowplaying a set or 7 8. I just know I'm dead and an Ad is on the turn. I give up and check. It checks around to the button and she bets out $100. That would put me all in and considering I've already committed $100 to the pot, I'm getting the right price, but I don't have any draws and am drawing dead to 1 out so I know I can't call and I fold. The cutoff makes the call. the river is a blank and the cutoff checks and the button shoves all in for her last $100. The cutoff go's in the tank for a while and finally makes the call after flipping a coin. The button says good call and shows the Kh Qh for the bluff and the cutoff shows 5h 10h for a pair of tens. Unreal. So a good fold ends up costing me $700. I should have shoved all in on the flop instead of putting in $75. But I knew if I had, I would have gotten at least one caller and didn't want to raise for my stack as I had been on a cooler.

So I'm down to $100 and decide to try and grind it out rather than rebuy. It works out that I end up taking downa couple of small pots and get my stack back up to $175. I wake up with KK in the cutoff and with 5 limpers I make it $30 to go. And of course as $1-$2 go's, I get 3 callers. Flop comes 10 10 4. It checks to me and I make it $60. the big blind does the usual check raise all in move and I sit and think about it. Figure he made the $30 pre flop call with A 10 and I show the guy next to me and fold. I tell him your A 10 is much better than my KK. He says i'm full of shit and that I didn't have KK. I tell him that I showed the guy next to me and you can ask him if you want. He doesn't and just keeps saying i was bluffing. Okay, good. think that you jackass. Your chips will be mine later.

And it only took 2 hands for that to happen. I get JJ and decide to just limp as my other 2 times i've been picked off. Flop comes 7 8 A. It checks around to me and I bet out $15. There are 5 people in the pot and the jackass calls. The turn is another J. This time he bets out $30. I sit a minute and I raise and go all in for my last $70. He snap calls and turns over QQ. I say not good enough and show my JJ. Of course he go's on about how he knew I didn't have an A and that i was just lucky. I say yes I was just lucky just as he was lucky to flop a set with A 10 the previous hand. and that I'll take luck anyday when I'm raking in your chips. At this point, I've made it my goal to felt this guy as many times as it takes to get him to go away.

I don't manage to felt him but he does bust out 5 hands later and moves on. Thank God because he is one of those obnoxious talkers. I don't mind people that talk a lot, I just mind those that have to talk so loud that you can't hear the music coming out fo your ear piece. Its just annoying and not good poker ettiquette.

No other big hands really come up till about an hour later when I end up having about $400 in chips and had just taken down a small pot and felt like gambling. UTG bets out 12 and it folds around to me. I call the 6c 8c. I do love playing suited connectors like this because I tend to flop good with them. I can also get a way from it when I flop a pair or draws. No other callers so we are heads up. The flop comes 7c 5c 10c. Sweet. flopped an open ended straight flush draw with the flush already in hand. I know I'm good here. UTG bets out $40. He only has another $70 behind so I know he has an over pair. He probably also has a club so I've got to dodge that except he is dead to only 4 clubs that will make his hand. I put him all in and he snap calls and turns over Ac Ah. I show the 6 8 of clubs and he just shakes his head and says give me a club. I say okay, just make sure its a 4 or 9. Thats when he realizes I'm open ended for the straight flush and then starts making comments on how can I call 12 with 6 8c. I don't say anything and the board bricks out and I take down another good pot.

I go back and forth for a while and end up with about $1000 on the table and decide its a good time to head home. Can't complain when you profit $800 from $1-$2 and only paly for 4hrs with a $200 buy in.

I go and pick up the wife and find out that she is getting a raise. Yes today is turning out to be a good day I think. Not sure how much but anything is always better than what you are currently making. Get home and find out from my realtor that Citi Group has finally gotten off their ass and approved the sale of our house and it is going to closing on Thursday. Thank God. Really didn't want it to go into foreclosure as we decided we would stop making payments on the mortgage when we left Atlanta for Las Vegas. Couldn't really pay two mortgages anyway. Now before you think we just didn't pay it and left it hanging like that, I made all the phone calls and notified them what was going on so it would be in my records what was going on. Of course, that doesn't make Citi Group stop calling and sending threatening letter. They are truly a bunch of morons and i don't suggest ever doing business with them. EVER.

Just got to get through today and tomorrow and the wife and I are taking a little staycation at Caesars for the weekend. We are going to see Love at the Mirage on Friday and then just sleep in a hotel bed, lounge at the pool, finally get back to reading my Christopher Moore books, and play some poker. Need to build up the bankroll so I can play the 1K event next Saturday at the WSOP and play some of the venetian deep stack tourneys that start up next week.

Its an exciting time to be a poker player in Vegas as there are tournaments all over the place and the action should be exciting. Finally going to play for a bracelet as its been what I've been striving for the last 2 years. I think I'm finally ready to take that step as I've been playing very good lately in tournaments. Now if I can avoid the cooler decks and finally go on a heater, everything will be great.

Have a good Memorial Day Weekend. I know I will.