A Respectable Win

It was a long and painful road but I finally got a $500 win. I got to the Peppermill at noon just as they were starting a 10/20 and sat right down. It started off as bad as the previous weeks and I kept folding. I would pick up a hand and get even or close to it but nothing to speak of.

I was thinking about the info I had read and most importantly the Ed Miller video that I watch a couple of times on reading hands. He was so dead on that it is scary. If you haven’t watched his video then I recommend you do. I saw parts on You Tube so you don’t even have to buy them. There are 3 points that are greatly improving my game. A raise means more then a bet, bet or raise second pair, bet top or second pair until your opponent raises or gives clues you are beat. In short, be more aggressive. I can expand on these concepts if you ask and it works on stakes up to 20/40. It might work on higher stakes but 20/40 is as high as I have played.

I was JUST playing my cards when I should have been taking into account my opponents cards as well. I started to read the board for my draws AND my opponents draw. It was so simple and in my face that I feel stupid that I had to rediscover these concepts. Thank god I built up my bankroll when I had the chance so I could handle the downswing.

There was this jerk, Lance, at the table and he is a total LAG and runs at the mouth non stop. I guess I let my emotions get the best of me because I went after him and paid him off 2 or 3 times. I would have a big pocket pair, say AA or QQ and just couldn’t lay it down. This leak was huge for me all day. I figure it cost me 1k that is how bad it is. Time and time again I would be re-raised and tell myself “hey that was on the video and you’re beat so just fold” only to hear raise come out of my mouth. Talk about stupid. I did it twice with Lance at 10/20 alone.

Then players started to leave the table and go over to the short handed 20/40 game. Our game finally broke and I went over too. At this point I was down some and I bought in enough to make 500. Lance moved to this game just before me and there were some good players there already but most importantly there was this LAAAAAG at the table. I don’t remember his name but he is a maniac. He will cap with 53o on all streets and then call the river with a pair of 3’s. He makes the games and if you play it right you can make big money off of him and the others chasing him. I don’t know where he gets his money but he sure does throw it in the middle.

Anyway I got in a big pot with him and two others with the nut flush draw. I was in the big blind and called one more bet with As9s. The flop brought two more spades and also paired the board. It was off to the races and it was capped 4 ways. The turn was a 3 and it was two more bets to see the river. The river was the flush but because of the turn action I checked. The girl to my left bet and the LAG raised. I called and the girl called. The LAG showed 53o for the turned boat and I was down to less then a hundred chips. I put another 500 in cash on the table and was now in for 1200.

This is when I went on monkey tilt. I three bet with QQ and the girl called 3 bets cold. I should have thought about what she had but I was to far gone from the previous hand. There was a J on the flop and we capped it. Now I realized I was beat but I called her down any way. Then I got another pocket pair and did the same thing. WTF was I thinking, well I wasn’t thinking that is the point.

I took a deep breath and got a beer to calm down and that is when I started to come back. I won a few big hands and won back 1k. I was only down 200. Talk about crazy swings. The maniac had to go home to the wife and the game started to break shortly after he left. We got short handed and I wanted to stop before I started to lose when this grumpy old man, Dirty Doug, started to wine to keep the game going. Another play did come to make it six handed so I stayed. Sure enough I lost 200 in like three hands and then Doug starts to rack up now that it is his big blind. I was pissed because he has done this before to me. He wines to keep the game going and then a couple of hands later when it is his big blind he racks up. This is just part of why he is called Dirty. He is an asshole and a total pervert to the cocktail waitresses.

So I am now down 400 and I go over to the 4/8 table to try to get it back. I had fun playing with some old friends and calmed down and started to re-thing my game. I managed to win 40 when they started to get another 20/40 going. I figured I couldn’t make the 400 back at 4/8 so I went for it.

I started to win right away. I was even in no time and then up. I made a few sets and STILL paid off with big pocket pairs but I was winning. I got my 400 back and another 1k by 2am. I thought about leaving but was playing good and there was a lot of money on the table. That is when I got AA in the big blind. I 3 bet and got 2 callers the flop came JJx and there was a lot of action, I don’t remember it exactly. On the turn I bet, the button raised the small blind 3 bet. I did slow down but I convinced myself he couldn’t have a J playing short handed. I called him down and sure enough he did. I played a couple of more hands when I noticed I dropped 500. I was tired so I called it a night. At least I am getting better at walking away.

So you can see that my inability to fold big pairs cost me at least 1k last night. I am going back shortly and this will be tops on my mind along with the fact I am tired and that is also a down fall for me. In fact I just lost 13, my total bankroll on Pokerstars, while I was writing this. I played strong at first then got weak tight as I was loosing. Of course I would have won those hands and now I am bust. I can’t redeposit easily so I will do it later. I will have to set up a prepaid Visa or something.

I am playing weak tight but at least I know it and know what to fix. I have a thick head so it may take some time to fix but I am on the right track.

PS. I did play 3/6 in Carson City on fri. I was tired and wanted to stay local to try to get a good night sleep. Ended up losing a hundred in 4 hours, but I got dinner comped.