short session = profit

I played last Friday night. I'll write about one hand (not much excitement), but man was the game soft for a couple hours. Granted, I also ran good, hitting some flops, making some draws, etc; but it's insane how much I got paid off. I was playing pretty tight too! I started playing at 7pm and left the table at 10:50; I cashed out of a $1/$3 $200-max buy in table with $636 in profit. Yea, I bought in for $200 and cashed out $836. In less than 4 hours. Insane.

I'm obv not an amazing player; I just took advantage of weak, bad, or dumb players when I had hands.

I left when I did for 2 reasons:
1 - The biggest stack at the table by this time was only $150, with a number of $100 stacks
2 - I found myself becoming unwilling to put my chips in without a lock on a hand. Scared money.

So I took my profit and left.

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So I'm sitting on about $450 at this point; I'm in the cut-off. I've been playing tight: really only raising with premiums. I'll call preflop a bit light, in position, against raises from EP raisers with big stacks, but if I don't connect with the flop I'm gone.

A couple limpers, and I look down at 5c 6c. I haven't raised all night with these hands, but I wanted to mix-it-up (number of players are still here from when I sat down), so I raise it to $12. The SB calls, the limpers fold (at which I almost laughed out loud! How can you limp / fold in EP when it only costs another $9 to play for at least $24?). SB had been at the table for about 1 orbit, and came across as not really knowing what he was doing. I was happy for his call!

Flop: 2c Qc 7c

SB checks; I bet $20, SB calls.

Turn: [2c Qc 7c] 6d

SB leads out $30. I think this is a bit strange; I ask how much he has left, he counts out about $130 more.

Either he's sandbagging a flush, or he's trying to name his price for a river card.

Then, I look at him, and realize that he seriously looks confused. I'm not sure what to make of this, but it certainly doesn't strike me as confident. And it doesn't appear to be an act. I feel like he hasn't sat at a poker table very often.

I raise. I put two $100 stacks into the pot, and take a deep breath.

SB thinks. "Phew," I'm thinking, "no flush."

Then he says, "ah, I don't think you have the flush, I call," and turns over Qs 3c.

I say "flush," and turn over my cards. River was meaningless, I rake in a nice pot with a baby flush.

Guy next to me says "That was ballsy with a 6-high flush." I agreed. I trusted my read, though. Thankfully confusion != strength for this guy.

Maybe the confusion was because he surprised himself that he called a raise OOP with Q3o!

Easy, peasy

Tulalip $1/$3

I had been at a super-nit table all night. Should have put in for a table change, but - eh, I didn't mind taking advantage of the nits at the table to take down a number of small pots. I was at about $400 (in for $320) when our table broke, and I shuffled over to another table with stacks between $300-$800, which is a nice amount of cash for a $1/$3 game, and very VERY loose action!


BB: LAGGY-donk, $300ish
UTG: loose, passive, $175ish (shortest stack at the table)
Hero: MP, $400

I decide to limp with 8c Tc. I'll raise with suited gappers and suited connectors maybe 40%, limp 40%, and chuck the rest (usually due to position, stack sizes, etc). 6 of us see a flop; $18 in the pot.


FLOP: 9c Qc Jc

OK, I just flopped the stone-cold nuts, no higher straight flush out there due to the Tc in my hand. I'm praying someone's got a hand of some sort.

Blinds check; UTG bets $20. Folds to me.


What to do here? I could just smooth call and hope to trap someone else in, but the same time I don't want another club to come off and kill any action. If UTG has a real hand, he may be willing to get more money in now; if he doesn't have a hand then this pot is likely not going to get any bigger.

I decide to take a chance here, following one of my mantras "If you want to play a big pot, you've got to build a big pot."


I raise to $60. Folds to the BB who calls. (SWEET!). UTG then goes all-in for another $100.

I pinch myself to make sure I'm not dreaming.

Now, the trick is to make sure BB comes along. I need to sell being on a draw, or a hand I'm not sure about. I take some time, ask how much it will cost, take a look over at the big blind, kind of smile and sigh (like "crap, what do I do here with you still to act), and say "I'll call."

As I slide the chips in, BB declares all-in, for about another $200!!!!!

Of course, I snap call, wait for the dealer to ask to turn the cards over, and then turn my cards over first saying "I've got the nuts."

BB had Kc 10h, for a flopped straight with king-high flush redraw, UTG had Ac xc for the ace-high flush.

Without doing much work, I rake in a pot close to $500.

Easy game ;)

Raising with the straight flush, I know, isn't always recommended. Slow playing is the "typical" course of action with this hand. In the moment, though, what I thought of was this: if someone's got a hand, they're coming with me no matter what; if no one has a hand I'll likely not be getting any more money anyway, so let's try to build the pot.