Bad night of bad beats

The poker gods are back to slapping me in the face with the deck again. Friday night was just not a good night of poker for me. I buy in for $200 and proceed to play zero hands for about the first hour. Every pot is raised to about 6x's the big blind. Its $1-$2 and I guess everyone feels the only way to play is to raise it to at least $12 pre-flop. I don't catch any cards that are worth calling that pre-flop. No pairs, no AK or AQ. Nothing. I finally get involved in a pot and it cripples my stack. I'm in the BB and the table limps around to me. I have Q 10 and check my option. Flop comes 9 J J rainbow. There are 5 people in the pot so I assume that someone has to have a J. It checks around to the button who bets out $10. SB folds and I call and it folds around and we get one more caller. The turn is an 8. I make my Q high straight and feel I'm good. I bet out $25 and both guys call. I'm figuring that both have a J so I'm now scared of one of them hitting a full house or already being there. What I don't want to see is a face card as I'm sure one or both would have something like A J, K J, or Q J. Of course the river brings a K. I check as does the other guy. The button fires out $25. I know I should fold as I'm almost positive that the guy has K J. But, I'm hoping that maybe he just has A J or Q J and there is enough money that I decide I can't fold. I call the 25 and the other guy folds. I show the straight and the jackass decides to wait a second, look at the board and then turn over K J. What the fuck is wrong with people. Why do they feel the need to slow roll when they know they have the nuts? I showed first even though I called him. I hate assholes like this.

I take a modest hit and am down to around $100 left. I decide I'm not going to buy in for more than the $200 as I don't want to go in the red on the night. I fold just about everything for the next hour. I end up down to $35 and put it all in on a raised pot with 2 callers when I get A Q. We end up 3 way in the pot and both of the other guys check it down and I catch my Q on the river and rake in the pot. I take my stack back up to over $100. My next hand I am dealt 10 10 in the SB and push all in on a raised pot and end up taking it down pre-flop and rake in another $30. I end up building my stack back up to $150. About 5 hands later I am dealt K K in late position. I raise it to 4x the big blind and the BB ends up making it $45. The guy has been super tight and I just feel that he probably has AA. I can't fold it pre-flop so I just call rather than doing what most people would do and push all in. The flop comes 3 9 7. Great flop for me, but I still think the guy has AA. He go's all in which puts me all in. I go in the tank and I know I should just fold it but instead of going with my gut, I talk myself into him having Q's or J's. I call and he tables AA. The turn is an A and then the river is a K. I turn over my K's and grab my phone and head towards the door.

On my way out a guy I play frequently with starts talking with me. He has made a couple of good cashes during the Venetian Deepstack tourney and is on a decent run this month. We talk about a couple of things and he asks if I was playing the 7pm tourney and I said no that I was on my way home. He offers to buy me into the tournament for a 60-40 split and I accept. First place is usually around $6000 so I'll take a $2400 profit on zero buyin.

I sit down at what would become the absolute worst collection of poker stiffs I have ever played with. Seat 1 and 2 are what I will call Luckbox1 and Luckbox2. Seats 3 and 4 were from Russia and couldn't speak a lick of english and played like they have never seen a poker game before. The others were a bunch of calling stations. Ideally, this is a table I would love to sit at as I should be able to run the table over. But then again, you can't beat luck and the luckboxes struck early.

Seats 1 and 2 take down all of the big pots by catching trips and boats and running runner runner straights and flushes. It was amazing. When their hands were tabled it was just shocking. That they were calling people down with bottom pairs and A high and just getting lucky as hell. Either they were elite soul readers or just had a horshoe crammed up their asses. Seat 2 knocks out 4 people and builds up an enormous chip stack. We started out with 7500 in chips and the blinds were 20minutes. they moved pretty quick and I managed to take a couple of small pots when I run into luckbox in seat 2.

Blinds are 100-200 and I raise on the button after she has limped in. I make it $600 to go and everyone folds to her where she calls. I have 9d 10d. I know I need to hit the flop hard or I'm probably behind. The flop comes 7 k 10 with 2 clubs. She checks and I bet out $1200. She calls. The turn is an A. She checks and I bet out $1800. She thinks and then eventually calls. The river is a J of clubs. So now the board has 4 to a straight with 3 clubs. All you need is a Q and you have the straight. She checks and I bet out $1900. She insta calls and I just say I guess you have the Q and she turns over K 3. K fucking 3!!!! She said there was just too much money in the pot not to call. there were a million hands that could beat you. What the fuck!! So I'm down to $3000 now. Great. I manage a double up when I hit trips on the flop with 44 and get back up to over 7000.

The next big hand I play cripples me and was probably a bad play on my part, but hell, I couldn't not call. I had A 6 of hearts in the BB and the blinds were 200-400 with a 25 ante. There were 4 limpers and I check. The flop came 10 8 K with 2 hearts. I check and it checks around to ms luckbox in seat 2 who bets out $800. 2 guys limp and I call as does the other guy. the turn is the 3 of diamonds. So now there are 2 diamonds and 2 hearts. I still am drawing to the nuts. I check and ms luckbox bets out $2200. both guys call and i think about it. There is just too much money in the pot not to call. I hit a heart that doesn't pair the board and I've got the nuts. I call. so does the other guy and the flop comes 2 diamonds. Great. can't hit shit. I check and ms luckbox bets out $2400. one guy calls and ms luckbox shoes 8 7 diamonds. she hits her flush. at least this time she was betting her bottom pair and got lucky.

Again i'm down to about 3000. I'm below 10 bb and know i'm at an all in mode now. blinds are 300-600 with a 50 ante. ms luckbox calls the 600 and the guy next to me go's all in for his last 4000. I have A Q and decide to take my chances and go all in for my last 3000. the blinds fold and ms luckbox hims and haws and finally calls for another 3400. you know, because you are "priced" in right!! I know i'm ahead as I show my A Q. the guy who went all in first shows J 7 of hearts and ms luckbox shows K 4 diamonds. flop comes A 4 8. no hearts or diamonds. the guy gets up and begins to leave as he is pretty sure he is going home. I just need my hand to hold now. We all know where this is going. The turn is the K. Great, 2 pair for the dumb bitch. I've still got outs as an A, Q or 8 will do. Can I catch one? Nope. Ms luckbox can make a full house though. 4 on the river. I grab my phone and begin to stand up. The guy next to me, who I've played with before just shakes his head. And this is the part I can't stand. It just shows you know nothing about poker. The luckbox in seat 1 proceeds to say, well you were priced in. you had to call with your stack. She says I know, that is why I called. Do you even know what priced in means?? hell no you don't. I tell them she wasn't priced in. She had odds to call, but not priced in. If she felt like gambling, fine. so be it. but you don't call an additional 3400 when you only have 600 invested with K 4 and 2 guys all in. You have to think at least one has an Ace or at least a pair. Even if they have K they have your kicker crushed. Whatever. The dumb bitch won't make the dinner break after having over 40,000 in chips after 5 levels. Why can't I get lucky like that? Oh yeah, I don't stick around in the hands she does.

So go's another day of just shitty poker for me.

Sunday I have the tournament on full tilt where if I finish in the top 150 I win a main event seat. Lets see if I can make it past the second level on this one. maybe I can go on an online heater and just play my way into it. being that you only have to finish in the top 150 a lot of people will play very tight late so if you are behind and needing to chip up you can steal a lot of pots so we'll see what happens. So far there are 1327 people registered. I expect to see a lot more tomorrow as its a $500 tourney. But then again, a lot of people are afraid of getting their money out after the gov't froze all the money in the banks a couple of weeks ago. Full Tilt has managed to get around it so I'm not worried. would be a nice way to end the month if I can win my main event eat for $8. Good birthday gift for myself.

Sorry I haven't written much RB, just not a lot going on and I haven't played but about once a week now with the bad runs I've been on.

Nothing new to report

I decided to take it easy the past week after my WSOP debacle. Hell, I had basically blown my entire bankroll on the 1K tourney and the Venetian satellite. Something that you should never do, but it was about the only shot I had at entering a WSOP event this year and I just decided to say screw it. I'll just have to start grinding and build it back up.

I started that when I went down to the Venetian on Friday and bought in for $200. I played for about 4hrs and ended up cashing out at $500. So I am back on my way to building up my bankroll. I think I will just stick to playing down at the Venetian for the time being. I just seem to be so damn unlucky at Red Rock and I like the poker room at the Venetian anyway. There wasn't much to speak of at the Venetian on Friday but I'll go through a couple of hands that were somewhat interesting.

After sitting down in my least favorite seat, #3, I fold until it comes around to me in the BB. UTG + 1 raises it to $12. You know, the customary 6x the BB bet out of position. Surprisingly no one calls which is odd because about the only time you don't get at least one caller in $1-$2 at the Venetian is when you go all in. It folds to me and I look down at 2c 3c. I decide to get frisky as I like playing suited connectors. If I hit it, I'll probably felt the guy and if I don't, it cost me 10 and I can fold it. I forget exactly what the flop was but I know there was a K and a 3 with 2 hearts. I check and the orignial better thinks for a bit and bets out $20. I honestly think he has missed here. I put him on A Q or something like that just by his body language. I just call. The turn is the 2h. I decide to try and trap him here and check, thinking my 2 pair is probably good. He bets out $50. I think for a bit as the heart doesn't scare him at all here. This has me thinking that maybe he was betting out the heart draw and got there. Can I fold my 2 pair here? If I just call then I'm stuck with a little over $100. I really don't like playing that short at $1-2 so I decide to just push it all in and move all in for my last $120. He snap calls which makes me think that he hit his flush. Nope. He just has A K. Of course he starts in on me about how I could call the pre flop raise and the post flop bet with 2c 3c. I don't say anything and rake in the pot as the river bricks for him. I really wanted to say, "how could you snap call the re-raise when the heart hit? I check called the flop with 2 hearts on the board. You didn't even consider I had a flush did you?" But I just raked it in and stacked my chips.

I just limped around for most of the day, taking in a couple of pots here and there and bluffing out this young kid of a couple of pots. Its amazing how some of these kids play. You can tell so easily that they are weak or have a weak kicker because they will not push all their chips into the middle. So I bought several pots off of him doing just that.

Then this guy sits down with the worst breath I have ever had the displeasure of sitting next to at the poker table. And of course the guy wants to get chatty with everyone on his end of the table. Now I don't want to be rude, but damn, its god awful. It smells like he shit in his mouth!! After about an hour, I can't take it anymore and pull out my tin of Altoids and tell him to grab a handful. He was taken back by that and was a little upset. I say, "I'm sorry, but your breath smells like shit and I really can't take it anymore." I know, I was an asshole, but damn. I didn't want to leave my table, so something had to be done. He was really upset and got up and left. The rest of the table just laughed at the situation.

There was an older guy in seat 7 who was just being a bully. He picked up a couple of pots but was basically just barrell betting every pot. If he raised pre-flop, you can bet everything that he was going to continue on every street. So I was just waiting for the right situation and the right one came along about an hour before I was going to leave.

after a couple of limpers, he makes it $20 to go and true to fashion, 3 people call and action comes to me in the SB. I look down at K J and decide to join the fun. All in all there are 6 of us pre-flop. Only playing $1-2 do you get 6 people to call $20 pre-flop. The flop comes J 8 4. I think I'm good here, at least against the older guy. I check and so does the BB and the older guy barrell bets $40. Actually pretty low considering there is $120 in the pot. And true to form, everyone folds. Got to love $1-2. It comes to me and I decide to just call. Never know, maybe the guy actually woke up with a hand and has AA or QQ or something like that. The turn is a K. Now I have top 2 pair. But the K does concern me a little. In the back of my mind I was starting to maybe put him on an over pair, and if he had KK, then I'm drawing dead right here. I check and true to form he pushes out $70. $70 into a $200 pot? I'm getting 3 to 1 and something just doesn't sit right. I am pretty sure that I am good because I just don't get the sense that he is strong. The river is a 10. Now this card actually does scare me a little. Because if he was just continuing his bet with A Q then that means he got there. I mean, because what could he think I have that I would check call him all the way to the river? So I check, not sure what I am going to do here. He puts out $100 into the pot rather quickly. I really want to just jam everything I have into the pot, but something in the back of my mind says just call and save the rest of your chips. There is already $340 in the pot and add in his $100 that brings it to $440. I only have $220 at the moment and If I just call and am wrong, then I have $100 to work with. With the K and 10 coming on the turn and River, it just gives this guy so many outs because maybe he was playing KK or 10 10 or he really was betting with A Q the whole time. I just call and he picks up his cards and just holds them. This is the shit I can't stand. If you are called and you don't intend to muck immediately, SHOW YOUR DAMN HAND. I guess I'm one of the only players out here, who really doesn't care that people see my hands. So many people refuse to show their hands when they are all in with cards to come. If I honestly believe I'm ahead, I turn them over ASAP to show everyone I'm ahead. I play so many different hands that I don't care. I don't think that anyone gets a read on my by showing my cards. Back to the hand--- he just sits there and I say, "I guess you have shit so I'll show my cards and you can just muck yours. " I turn over K J and start to pull back my $100. The dealer says to wait and I say, "he is mucking. he has nothing or he would have already turned his cards over." The guy just sits there holding his cards and eventually mucks them.

WTF?? why do people do that? Do they honestly think that the longer you look at them, the greater the possibility will be that they will change? I love it when they finally do muck and then say I had AA and you cracked them. Bullshit. If you had your AA cracked, you would show it. Your full of shit and you know it. If I get a bad beat, I show my cards. I want everyone to know I had the best hand until the river. Lets people know that I'm not playing shit cards and that maybe next time, they'll stay the hell out of my pot.

After that hand, my chip stack is just over $550. I decide that the $500 is coming home with me and limp around with the $50 hoping to pick up a couple of pots here or there. Nothing really happens and I leave after I get J 2 UTG and cash out for $540. It was a good day and hopefully will lead to more in the coming weeks. I really want to play another WSOP event before the end of the month.

As it stands right now, the only thing I have going is the possibility of winning my way into the Main Event. I'm playing a tournament on Full Tilt on the 21st where 150 seats are being awarded to the top 150. I won an entry into the tourney way back in April in an $8 satellite. Wouldn't it be great if I won my Main Event seat for $8? Hell, I'm basically free rolling the main event. As it stands right now, there are 480 people registered for the $500 tourney. I'm sure that in 13 days, that number will be close to at least 3,000. You can't get better odds than that. You don't have to win it, don't have to finish in the top 3 or even final table it. Just finish in the top 150. Hopefully I can manage the field and get threw and have a miracle suckout or 2 and make the final 150. That would be amazing to be able to play the Main Event for $8!!

I know this has dragged out so I'll let my only reader go for now. Thanks RB for reading my blog. Hopefully I'll manage a cash or two down the road and we can get some more people reading it. Tell the gang at Dave's I said hi and check in the dark for me one time!!