+67 @ The Commerce Casino

This was my longest single sessions and was also my favorite session ever. Good cards, a fun table and I left a winner. Can't get better than that. The players included a total maniac who kept on annoyingly raising my big-blind and could be counted on to play his middle pair to the end even though there was a possible flush and straight showing besides the overcards (of course he left down - by at least $500), Jeff from Arizona who bought the table a box of Krispy Kreme donuts after a long string of monster hands, and Loc the physical therapist from Pasadena who was at the table the entire time I was there. Same with the maniac who only took a quick break for dinner. We were happy to hold his seat for him. I arranged to meet Leda Knee-Guine there and she turned her first time at the Commerce Club into a winning session. She'll be back!

• I raised my KK in late position and saw 6,4,2 on the flop. Everyone kept checking to me and while the 10 on the turn didn't help anyone, the 5 on the river did. A checker became a better, and even though I knew he had the three I put in my $6 to see it. The pot was too big not too. He actually had a pair of threes.
• A,J capped before the flop with 5 players. A,_,9 came out and I bet it. The turn gave us a 9, but I bet it again and hoped that there wouldn't be a raise. The river was another blank, and I split the pot with another A,J. At this point I was up $8 and that was a great feeling. All too often lately I've been spending my entire session trying to crawl back to even. It was nice to be up for a change, no matter by how little.
• 7,8 suited as small blind. 7,8,3 rainbow came out and I bet it and got raised. I still thought I was in front, so I re-raised. He called. The turn was a 9 and I kept betting, but never again got raised. My opponent showed 5,6.
• K,K in middle position and we capped it before the flop, but when there was lots of action on the A,7,2 flop I got out.
• 9,2 as big blind and the flop came 9,9,3. I didn't want it to seem obvious that I had a nine so I checked the flop but no one bet. When the 2 came out on the turn I bet it and everyone folded. Maybe I should have played this differently. Any comments from the readers on what they would have done to build the pot?
• K,3 suited in middle position. J,10,9 came out next, and the turn was a Q. I bet it and got raised. The player who raised me was solid, and I was sure he add big slick. I folded but think that was a bad play. Of course the river was an A. The fellow who raised me didn't show.
• All this had left me down nearly $80 dollars in a couple hours. I had brought out another $100 and put in on the table, but three hands in a row changed everything. A,K with a flop of A,K,_, was first, a flopped set of jacks was next, and A,A with a flop of Q,3,3 was the final hand. Any of these could have gone south in an instant, but they all held up. Now that was a great feeling, especially as it put me back into the black by over $30.
• Later on in the night I had another A,A and the board of J,Q,10,8,4 showed three to a flush, but the aces held up. My final hand of note was A,Q with a board of A,_,_,Q,_. Again, the cards held up.