Cash Game: Stratosphere April 5th 7 PM-9:30 PM

Tonight, I went to the Stratosphere to finish my 25 hours of cash game. I only needed 2.5 more hours to make the goal, so the plan was just to play the final hours and move to the Hard Rock hotel (where they have a weekly freeroll for 20 hours. . .we were planning on getting our hours there). This cash game was weird in that, when I sat down, I recognized every single person at the table from playing with them in a cash game at a previous time (I guess that’s what I get for playing at the same casino 6 days straight). Additionally, the first orbit around the table for me was the craziest action I personally have experienced all rolled into one orbit. The English guy (from the KK vs Q9 and KK vs 33 hands) was sitting directly to my right and the Lebanese guy was also at my table (as well as a lot of other people who I have played hands against).

The first hand, I was in MP and the English guy made it $15 and I found, what else but KK. I reraised to $45 and everyone else folded and he called. The flop came Q96 and he checked and I bet $50 and he folded (how does he not have Q9 or 66 here?. . .by the way I don’t know what he had but I heard him tell the guy next to him if he had QJ he would have pushed all in. . .wtf how does this guy not ever give me credit). I was up to $250 or so.

The blinds passed and I was in the cutoff with a bunch of limpers and found TT and made it $15. I got 3 callers, including the BB. The flop came down 972 and it checked to me and I bet out $30. The BB miniraised to $60 and everyone else folded and I called. The turn came a Q and he bet out $45 and I called. The river came a 5 and he bet out $100 and I decided to fold. He showed A9 for a hand that I had beat. Im not too sure where I went wrong in this hand. I really wasn’t afraid of the Q but more of a flopped set or a hand like 97. I think I should have either pushed on the flop or the turn (as much as I hate hate hate stacking off with just one measley pair here). I probably should have just called the river because I called the flop and turn. I guess him betting $100 is representing a set or 2 pair and I should have known that people will rarely have what they are representing in cash games because they always try to play all goofy. This hand didn’t really frustrate me that much when it happened but its frustrating me now writing about it because there were so many better ways to play this hand than what I did (not only this but it was pretty obvious I was good here). Oh well.

After this hand I was down to $130 and was going to reload for $100 more but the cards were already out and I missed my opportunity. A guy in EP raised to $10 and the English guy to my right made it $30. I found JJ and since I didn’t reload and had only $130 behind, I just shoved my JJ. The English guy called and the board ran out J72AK and he showed AK and I won the race. It sucks though because if I would have reloaded before this hand, I would have easily doubled through the rest of my stack because of the way the board came out. I probably would have just flatted the $30 on the flop, checked to the turn, and we would have gotten it all in on the turn or the river and I would have won a bigger pot. I guess I cant really complain because of the next hand though.

I was up to $270 and the next hand, someone raised to $10 in EP. I called with AQcc and there were 4 other callers including the English guy. The flop came out AQT and the original raiser bet out $15, the English guy called, and I raised to $50. The original raiser called and the English guy Miniraised to $100. I moved all in for like $150 on top of the raise, the original raiser called and the English guy instant called. They both showed KJ and the board filled out 5Q and I made a full house to take the gigantic pot! I don’t really know what I was thinking to push all in for the 4th bet. The original raiser only had like $80 so his hand didn’t really affect my decision. I just think that the combination of him always sucking out on me and me thinking that he has played so bad in the past that I just decided to push against him. I guess I got pretty lucky and my stack went up to $670. After this giant swing of ridiculous hands, I had to take a little break so I walked around for a couple of minutes.

I came back and folded for a while. I raised to $10 with KJcc and got 4 callers and the flop came 762 all spades and I folded. I then made it $15 with 99 and got called by the Lebanese guy on the button. The flop came 854 and he checked, I bet $15, he raised to $35, and I called. The turn came a T and he bet out $35 again, I called and the river came a 3. I checked and he checked behind and he mucked and I was up to $730 or so. I then tried to weaken my image by raising a few more pots. I made it $10 with T6cc, T7ss, and 76ss in different pots but either got reraised PF and folded or got called in multiple places and folded to a bet on the flop. I had A7 in the sb in a 6 way limped pot and the flop came AQ3 and it checked around. The turn came a 7 and I bet out $8 and got called in 2 places. The river came a K and I bet out $25 and everyone folded. I raised a few limpers and a button straddle to $21 with AKo and one of the blinds pushed all in for only $22. I called and he showed 55 and I made an A to take the pot and I was up to $750.

I ran good for a while here but then my stack got stuck in reverse pretty hardcore. I raised a bunch of limpers on the button with 98o to $15 and there were 2 callers, including the Lebanese guy from the BB. The flop came K97 and it checked to me and I bet $15. He raised to $40 and I ended up calling. The turn came a 4 and I decided to fold. I should have probably just folded on the flop. Im pretty sure that I had the best hand but I don’t want to get in a big pot vs an overly aggressive player with 2nd pair no kicker. I almost have to fold to his turn bet here especially considering I know that I can trap him so easily once I just make a hand against him so theres no point in trying to win a pot with a weak hand when I know that I can win the same pot when I make a strong hand vs him. After this I was down to $680 or so.

I had 66 in the small blind with a bunch of limpers and the flop came 322. I checked and one of the limpers bet $10 and I called along with the Lebanese guy. The turn came a 5 and I checked and the same limper bet $15 and I called and so did the Lebanese guy. The river came an 8 and I checked and the limper went all in for $29 and I called and the other guy folded and the limper showed 99. I should have folded on the flop here but I got waaay to stubborn and it cost me. I was down to $630 after this hand. Also after this hand, the table really really loosened up. There was no point in me even raising without a hand because everyone would call just about every raise at the table. I adjusted and really tightened up.

Eventually, I found AA in EP with one limper and made it $18 to go. I got called in 4 spots and the flop came J98. I bet out $30 and this really bad player pushed in for about $130 total. He was so bad. . .he had been at the table for about an orbit and had already lost his initial $150 buy in by calling a bet of $110 on the river into a pot of about $50 on a board of A855x with T8. . .it was so obvious the guy had a 5 it was unreal but he called with T8 there. . .T8!. Anyways, it folded to me and that story makes AA an obvious instacall here because God only knows what his pushing range is on that flop. However, he obviously showed QT for the flopped straight and I was pretty much drawing dead and failed to suck out. I was down to $490 or so and the 2 ½ hours ended soon thereafter and I cashed out at $488, up $288 for the session. Not a bad end up it could have been so much better. After this, we went to the Hard Rock hotel to check out the action there and get started on the freeroll hours for there.