Cash Game: Ballys March 18th 12:15 PM-3:15 PM

I should have known that this session wouldn’t be good right from the first hand. I played extremely LAGtarded this hand (LAG style) which was pretty different than how I played from my other sessions and it might have worked if a few hands went a little differently. I think I will still prefer to play TAG rather than LAG but I will feel out each table I played at.

The aforementioned first hand wasn’t that bad but just not good. It was a new table and everyone had bought in for over $160 so there was a good amount of money on the table and I found 88 in LP with a bunch of limpers. I figured if I tried to raise, they all would call so I just limped and the flop came 876. It checked to me and I bet $15 and got 2 callers. The turn came a 4 and I checked, the guy behind me bet $25, the guy from the SB called and I called because top set might still be good and if not, I was getting odds to hit my full. The river came a Q and the SB pushed all in I folded and so did the other guy. The SB showed QQQ which sucks because I still would have had the best hand on the turn so if I would have made a raise I would have won.

I was down to $150 or so and was able to flop 2 pair with A3 in the BB and get a couple of callers on the flop/turn but not the river and I worked my stack back to $190. I then played one of my big pots that if it went the opposite way, I would have probably had a good session. I did not know this at the time, but the donk I played this pot against was extremely extremely weak tight. Had this hand happened about 30 minutes later into the table, I would have lost a lot more money but it happened before he had played a pot so I lost more than necessary. There were about 3 limpers and I was in the cutoff. I looked down at A3hh and, since I was trying to build my LAG style, I made it $15. I got 2 callers and the flop came 10h5x4h, giving me an over, a FL draw, and a gutshot. The weak-tight player lead out for $25, I raised to $75, everyone else folded and he called. Now I set myself up to win a big pot it I hit. The turn came As and he checked and, because I figure I have showdown value, I check behind. The turn comes an offsuit king and he checks. I miss my Str and Fl draws but now have top pair (no kicker) and with him checking to me 2 times after the flop, I think that I probably have the best hand so I sneak in a value bet of $50 (really small % of the pot). He calls and shows 55 for a flopped set. Oops. . .value bet no good. If I would have known he just plays so weak tight like this. . .he flopped about 5 sets and played them all by check calling, I would have just played small pot until I found out if I hit my Str or Fl and then madea big bet if I hit and folded if I didn’t.

After this hand I was down to $50 and rebought for $100 more so I was in for $300 now. I was playing pretty LAG, picking up and losing several smaller pots, but when I was finally able to get KK and flop top set, I got no action. I did float a preflop raiser on a flop of A93 with 64o and pick up the pot with a big bet on the turn. I should have shown my bluff because that would have gotten me more action when a couple hands later I picked up KK again and got no action on a J93 flop.

I was up to $250 or so after these hands but as with playing LAG, you cant win every pot. I raised to $10 with AJ and got 2 callers from the blinds. The flop came JT9, giving me top-top, but putting a generally scary board out there for preflop callers. It checked to me and I bet $18 and got one caller, a tighter older guy. The turn came an A giving me top 2 pair. He bet out for $25 which I thought was weird. I really was thinking that he might have flopped a Str or 2 pair and I was thinking that if he did flop a Str, this is how he would play it so to keep the pot small, I just called. I also called because if he had 2 pair, it would be lower than mine and he would probably check/call the river and I could punish him with a big bet that looked like a bluff. The river laid my plans to waste as an 8 came off putting a 4 card straight on the board. He checked and I checked behind, even though I probably should have thought I had him because I know that he bets a straight there. He says “I was bluffing, good hand” and turns over K7 for the rivered straight and when the pot gets pushed to him he looks extremely clueless and is like “Oh shit! I had the straight and I didn’t know” This obviously sucks but what sucks even more is that if I would have tried to value bet my 2 pair on the river, like my plan was, he would have folded the best hand because he didn’t realize it! Poker is such an unreal game sometimes.

I then lost another pot thanks to an unfortunate card. It folded to me in the cutoff and I raised to $10 with Q10dd. The BB was the only caller and the flop came AQT, giving me bottom 2. He checked to me and I lead out for $13. He check raised me $30 more to $43. He was an aggressive player that was playing any ace like this and I know that he reraises me pre with AQ and maybe even A10. Even so, I don’t want to go around chucking $100+ dollars in the pot on a flop with bottom 2 pair. I would feel much safer if I see one more card and on a safe turn card put more money in the pot. I just called the $30 and the turn came a nasty A. He bet out $50 and I folded and showed. I kept asking him what he had but he never told me. All he said was “I had a big hand” and I asked him what hewould have done if I raised him on the flop and he said “I would have called you down all the way. I had too much to fold” so Im guessing I would have ended up with the worst hand (that he had like A9, AJ or something) but there is still a chance that I got bluffed in this pot.

I then called a raise to $10 with positon and 2 other players in the hand with JTdd. The flop came 9s7s3x and the original raiser bet out $10. The other caller called and I decided to gamble with 2 overs and a gutshot (it was a small bet). The turn came a Js, giving me top pair but putting 3 spades on the board. It checked to me and I figured that I had the best hand. I bet $30 and the original raiser folded and the caller called. The river came an offsuit Q and he checked and I checked and he showed me 65ss for the flush. After this trio of hands, I was down to $90 (-$210) total.

I decided to limp my button with 34dd only to have the SB raise it to $12. He got 4 callers and while id usually fold here, I decided to call. The flop came 7h4h2x and it checked to me and I decided to check as well (not trying to play a big pot with 2nd pair). The turn came a 3h, putting 3 hearts on the board but giving me 2 pair. It checked to me and I bet out $50, about the size of the pot (and most of my stack). It folded to the last guy and he called. The river came an offsuit J and he went all in for about $31 (I had a little more than him). I thought he might have a flush but even so, I have to call so I did and he showed me 99 with no heart and I scooped this decent sized pot to get me back to $230 or so.

I lost a few more pots when I couldn’t make a set or make any draws with connectors and was ready to go but on the last hand before I was going to leave, I decided to blow it. I had about $190, and I found AKss UTG. I made it $10 and the guy behind me reraised me to $35. I had visions of that tournament at the Venetian where this was the exact hand I laid down PF and he showed me AA, but failed to listen to those as I moved him in for his short stack of about $110 total. He called and showed me AA and I blew off $110 the last hand before leaving (I flopped a K so even if I decided to call I probably would have doubled him up but I probably should just fold PF there). After this hand, I was down to $67 in chips for a net loss of -$233. Not a good result.