Session No. 6 Tuesday Night (5/8) Part I

3/6: TP = -$25 TSP: 30 Min
4/8 Kill: TP = $110 TSP = 5 Hrs 30 Min BB/Hr: 2.5BB/Hr
Overall 5/8: TP = $85 TSP = 6 Hours $/Hr: $14.17/Hr
Overall 4/8K (Since 4/14): TP = +$425 TSP = 25 Hrs BB/Hr: 2.13BB/Hr
Overall (Since 4/14): TP = $374 TSP = 27 Hrs $/Hr: 13.85/Hr

At first glance and after running through my stats...maybe I need to just go for a walk or watch the 4/8 game instead of playing the 3/6 game beforehand. I know I've only played three quick 3/6 sessions waiting for 4/8, but I've lost $50 in less that two hours of play. I either need to run better or stop playing that game...

Anyway, tonight was another fun night, especially for a Thursday. Tommy and I arrived at Cache around 5pm or so and were quickly ushered into a 3/6 game. I donked off another $25 there with AQ going down to a random hand and I think I missed with a couple PPs...

Anyway, I had noticed a HUGE stack at the only running 4/8 table, so I got up once in awhile from my 3/6 table to try and catch a glimpse of the 4/8 action. Seat 7 had a towering $1100-1200 chip stack and was rocking a long goatee and shaved head (I'd find out later he was a lead guitarist for a local-ish hard rock band). Anyway, wouldn't you know it, seat 6 from the 4/8 game ended up taking off and I was on my way to sit next to the monster stack.

I sat down and tried to immediately get a feel for the table. I won't lie, a few players changed in and out once I sat down, so I'll give you a picture of the table as it was for most of the night. Seat 1 would be filled by Tommy a majority of the night, but he started out the first couple of hours in seat 3. Seat 2 was largely occupied by a Korean donk calling station. Seat 3 was my other friend Tony for a majority of the night. He hadn't played live in six months or so and decided he wanted to join in the live action. He's pretty close to a TAP (no offense T). Seat 4 was the interchangeable seat where a few guys combined to donk off a few buy-ins. Seat 5 was an older woman who was lucky enough to get her aces cracked three times (during the Aces cracked promotion), she was an LPP for the most part. I sat in seat 6 for my entire session.

Seat 7 (Brian) was a bit of a special case. When I started out he was playing very well. He open-raised almost every time and had the LAG image working for him. He was picking up a lot of pots no one wanted and was getting paid off with his big hands. However, after an hour or so he started turning more and more aggro and eventually he went into full blown "raise ATC (any two cards) maniac mode." He dropped from 1200 in chips to about 450 or so when I left. Insane to watch. He was a seriously cool guy who talked to me and seat 8 ALOT. He said he was having a lot of fun with us in our own little corner and I'm going to make sure his band gets a plug in here somewhere. If you ever see this Brian...dude...stay off tilt. :) "EchoPheen" http://www.myspace.com/echopheen

Seat 8 was my old buddy Feliz (skinny kid) who played really TAG-ish during session three, but this session was a completely different story. He was definitely in the gambling mood today and he showed down some junk, tried to isolate raise against Brian during his tilt mode, and I'm not too sure if he had a successful night or not. Finally, seat 9 was a few different people, the most noteable a bio-chem major, whom I thought was a talented player, but he turned out to have a few leaks.

Anyway, wow...huge picture of the table...sorry if that bored you guys. My table talk was at an all-time high tonight, and it was in great part to both Feliz (seat 8) being at my table and seat 7 (Brian). My cards didn't look too great for most of the night, and being seated next to a maniac and then a solid (good) LAG on his left only made things harder. I had a good spot where I won two really big pots, and that is basically the only reason as to why I came up tonight. I gambled a little early (flopped straight 57s, ran a good bluff with 97s) and it paid off, I lulled for a long long time (raised big cards that didn't come, same with some pairs, and then tons of folding), I made some hands (TT and 99 flopped sets), played some hands over-aggro (AKs and AJs), missed with a couple AKs, and then finally got paid off on a couple big hands which led to some profit for the night. That was five and a half hours in a nutshell btw...

Here's the big hand of the night and I played it somewhat donk-ish/non-textbook-ish, but it worked out. Hero is in the Hijack with KJ of clubs.

Pre-flop: Limped in by a lot of players (three-four), Hero limps, Brian (seat 8) is in raise ATC mode so he pops it. Called in like 5 spots so I complete the action and call.

The flop is the King of diamonds with two clubs (Let's say T8 of clubs). I really really wish I could remember what the other two cards were...I think they were middle-ish cards? Whatever. It gets checked around to me and I really debate on betting this. I could see Brian in the corner of my eye just getting ready to fire at this pot, so I check and pray he fires it. I wanted to check-raise this trapping all of the players in between me and Brian and pray that either my TPGK would be good at the end of the hand or pray that a club hits so I can rake a huge pot. Brian fires like normal and everyone calls. I raise, Brian 3-Bets, and everyone calls again. I cap...everyone calls. Good play? If it gets checked through there I feel like an idiot...but now it's capped with like five or six players and I have TPGK with my flush draw...sick.

The turn is a 7 :h: Everyone checks, I bet, Brian just calls, two or three others call. Brian called so I know I'm in really good shape against him. The other callers have me a bit worried. There's no way I'll be comfortable with a river card that isn't another King, a Jack, or a club.

The river is the 5 :c: Boom. Checked to me, I fire, everyone folds except older woman in seat 5. She shows A :h: A:c: and I show KJ of clubs to rake-in a monster pot. She got a free rack for getting her Aces cracked, but she lost about $40 in the hand. She also limped PF in the hopes of getting her aces cracked. For the record, I would have folded PF had she raised. I also would have been sick to my stomach if I lost this pot considering I thought I was ahead the entire way...Bit lucky...but I'll take it.

I'll leave with a couple "funny" quotes and commentaries.

Brian: So wait, how old was this chick?
Feliz: I was thinking 27.
Me: Nah man, Tommy thought she was around 35. He'd know, he is Asian...
Tommy: What? I thought I heard someone say "asian"
Me: Yeah I did. I'm suprised half the casino didn't turn around when I said that... :) (it was funnier in person....shock funny I guess)

Brian (speaking to Tony): "Dude I dunno what you're doing, your Ace is waaaay behind to my straight draw" (on an A23 board). Everyone laughs, but the river turns out to be a 4 and Feliz rakes in a pot with 56suited vs. Tony's Ace...

That's all. Super long blog, but believe it or not...I have a ton more to write about this session. I'll probably run you through the hand where I bluffed on the river with 9-High, pick apart one player (won't say any names *wink*) for the way he played his set of eights, and run you through the hand where I flopped a straight vs bottom two pair and top set...and I actually held! If you read this far...wow, seriously thanks for reading. Hope it was enjoyable.