Not 100% sure where I am - let's say down another $472 to make it an even -$1,100

I had an up and down night in September - didn't post here - but I didn't lose everything.

And then last night sat through the blinds once, never got anything worth calling a raise (limped in once and tossed it)

9 players - $1/$2 blinds - $100 minimum, $300 maximum to sit - about 4 positions away from dealer - big stacks all around the table, I'm about the original $300 stake

I got Pocket K's and raised the limpers that came to me $12

4 people called and the flop came 6-7-2 with two clubs.

It checked around to me and I raised to $30 and everyone folded except the guy to my right, who called.

Turn comes with a 4, still only two clubs on the board - I raised up to $60.

Guy paused and dropped $160 on the table.

I looked at going all in, but knew I was pot committed, and so was he, so that wouldn't drive him off.

Final card come 7 diamonds, so I knew that didn't improve him - he shoved in on me, and I tossed the rest of my chips in.

He turned over pocket 6's for the full boat and I tossed my K's over.

The moment of truth was the stiff $100 raise, but really hard to get away from an overpair when the only thing I was afraid of was A/6 clubs or some sort of straight draw. 

I figured he was overbetting some sort of draw.

The pocket 6's I never expected, honestly.

Big money crazy bets at the table - $628

Had a guy who was crashing in with big big bets pre-flop, making it impossible to see a flop with suited connectors, etc. etc.

Nearly every flop was heads up or maybe, just maybe 3 way action, where another monster bet would come out.

And then when he would bust out, he'd slap another couple hundreds on the table and buy right back in.

I never caught anything remotely worth a 50/50, until I finally got JJ - got all my chips in against him and he had AQ . . . and he caught two Q's , knocking me down to $26 in chips.

Quickly googled that:

"Re: JJ vs AQ

---

Snap shove. Unless you have a read that Villain only raises QQ+ then it's ridiculous to even consider folding JJ here. Snap shove all day and fist pump when called.

Against QQ-AA we are about 22%
Against AQ+/KQ we are about 55%
And against an other hand we are 70-80%

Not wanting to gamble when you have an edge is just a huge mistake.

If you had JJ and a villain shoved all in and then showed you AQ would you ever consider the folding?

You played this hand perfectly and got unlucky. Good game, that's poker."

At $26, I waited around a bit, doubled up with A2, then lost it all with A7 suited  (shoving all in pre-flop both times)

Even money night - down -$328 still

Came in with $300 - went out with $300

Folks still seem to play middle hands much harder than I am comfortable with.

Took down a small stack with an all in with pocket 5's pre-flop.

Took a bit pot with pocket 9's that became trips - scary to stay with 3 diamonds on the board.

Had K-7 offsuit out of position - limped in pre flop - flop came 7-7-6 and the betting was so ridiculous I backed out.

Turn came 8-8 . . . I would have had a winning full house on the river . . .

But the betters had a made full house on the flop with pocket 6's - and was betting like it  - it was impossible to risk half my stack out of position on trips with a K kicker.

Big hands means big losses - Lost the roll - down -$328

3-4 hour night with good solid players - particularly two quiet young guys to my immediate right - one on a big stack of $4-500 and the 2nd on a smaller stack of $100 or so, but solid reader of other folks and solid bets.

The table was full 10 to start but often had empty seats throughout the night - getting down to 5-6 players before cards came at times.    There were at least 3 other good players on the table with smaller stacks, including an older russian woman being watched by a husband from the rail.

Even with that, the bets were pretty aggressive in my mind - 5 times the pot with 2nd pair, things like that.  I went up and down and played fairly conservatively - mucking many marginal hands and dropping when I missed on the flop.

The Russian, with a similar style to me, for example, 3 times had my low pocket pair covered by a higher pocket pair.  Her big bets won big money from other people who were chasing.

I went up and down, a low of about $220, and high of $360 or so.

I was a few spot after the big blind - limped in with 4 others for a pot of $10

Flop comes AKQ with two spades . . .

The first to act raises to $10 - a medium good players with a smaller stack.

And he gets re-raised by the button to $100 - the other two fold out.

And I've got AA - clubs and diamonds

I figured the $10 raise had hit little, and the $100 had hit big - I hoped for AK/KQ/AX

I knew that the only thing beating me was J/10 - but that I had an immense number of outs for the nuts - A/K/Q were the first thoughts - on later reflection, I realized that I could runner runner for a pair at the end as well, increasing my odds to around 40% for the nuts.

The $100 bet was weak for me, honestly.  But I didn't want the $10 to get good odds to call, so I squeezed him by going all in.

I said All in - the $10 said 'All out'- the $100 called me and started to sweat

And the damn runner runner came spade spade, not pairing the board . . .

I flipped over my Aces to gasps and shock on the table - which I'll take, as at least no one got a read on me (the 2nd time I slow played aces- the first time was a win)

But, the straight held up - no flushes and my full boat didn't hit - down $300

Quiet night - down $45 for the night - new balance - negative $28

A slow night with lots of big hands on the table and very few chances to avoid the good players and pick on the weak ones.

Saw quads twice, and a guy smooth playing trips twice and a couple of full houses.

Needless to say, my few times I hit a decent two pair or 2nd flush draw I wasn't making any money.

I did misread a solid player that I thought would be pushed around - sunk some money into pushing him when he wouldn't budge - young guy.

Went from $300 down to $111 over the course of 2 hours and made that back up to $200 to end the night.

Caught AK diamonds on the last hand I was playing - made $55 on that one to finish up - K3garbage on the flop and another K on the turn.

Was trying to calculate my bets to get myself up to $300 to finish the night, but the young player above didn't stay with me.

+17 overall . . . . Keeping a big stack . . . I need enough money to drive out 'big stack Walt'

At the end of the night, I was sitting there with about $450 in hand, playing a few last hands ...

Playing a few draws . . .

And I noticed something  - it's obvious, but worth noting . . .

Even if I was drawing to the nuts (nut flush, for example), a big enough bet got me to lay down, even with my 'found money' . . .

But only if the guy's stack was big . . . my limit was, easily, the $150 in found money on the table . . . I was much more likely to call a guy with $80 left than the guy with $600 . . .


All of which goes back to this night - and this move . . . I was drained all night - my decent drawing hands kept getting beat by guys who hit (A/10 hearts with QJ hearts showing . . . missed on the river and I lost to a pair of 9's, for example)

And I was down to about $150 . . . feeling antsy, and I was looking for a space to shove in.

So, I did, with pocket 2's after a series of $20 bets on the table, and two 'I'll call you' guys on my right.

I figured I was betting my $150 to pick up $60 on the table (for free) or $360 if one person called.

Which someone did on my right.  (but I had him covered) - and I bumped myself back up to a reasonable stack of $300 plus

Other notable hands - caught JJ on the turn holding AJ - got a solid player to stick with my series of $20 bets.  He didn't show what he was holding.

Caught K on the flop and A on the turn holding AK - solid player stuck with my series of low bets then folded on the river.  I didn't show my hand.

Up to -159, beating up a big stack bully

Long, slow night, good cards first two hands then lots and lots and lots of drawing hands that never hit.

Table was pretty standard - some good players with solid stacks.

A few weaklings coming and going.

My date was already waiting in the car and decompressing, and I told them I'd be out in 20-25 minutes.

I'd already decided that this hand would be my last hand before I saw my cards - I was probably down to around $200 and change (from my starting stack of $300)

Got A/10 clubs one or two seats before the dealer (good position) - and there was decent action, so I called.

The flop comes garbage/club/club - and a bet from bully big stack of $15/$20 got called over to me, and I called.

Turn come club, with no pairs, and everyone checks to the table bully, who checks it around to me - I toss $25 into the pot and he calls.

River comes garbage - and I've got the nuts.  I throw in another $20/$25 and he comes over the top at either $75 or $100 . . .

With my minimum raise really not doing too much to the statistics to go all in - I don't try to calculate odds too much between  and double check my cards, go all in - and he mucks.

Overall, glad to come out with a positive result - glad that no one seemed to get an obvious read on me - walked out with $387 for the night.