-6 @ The Hustler Casino

Heck. I don't really remember what happened those two nights at Hustler and once again I can't find my notes. I went there because A) Jennifer was out of town and B) I got a late start from work and didn't feel like fighting traffic. I remember being down by over $100 on the second day and clawing my way back. I also remember that my feet were cold. Although I like the atmosphere at Hustler much more than Hollywood park, I don't think that I'm going to ever really play there much. Too many regulars that play way too tight.

126 @ The Hustler Casino

I gotta catch up on my log, but not tonight.

+108 @ Chez Johnson

I didn't join the rest of the players for the Dim sum before the poker, but I made it there just in time for the first hand. I played for about an hour and was ahead some but lost a huge amount to Feng. The board was K,K,7,8,5. He had K,7 while I had K,5. Ouch! After an hour of so Guy asked me to deal and I did that for the rest of the night. I now have a whole new appreciation for both dealers and for Guy having dealt all the previous home games. It was very difficult to keep track of everything going on at the table much less trying to play my own cards at the same time.

+108 @ Chez Johnson

I didn't join the rest of the players for the Dim sum before the poker, but I made it there just in time for the first hand. I played for about an hour and was ahead some but lost a huge amount to Feng. The board was K,K,7,8,5. He had K,7 while I had K,5. Ouch! After an hour of so Guy asked me to deal and I did that for the rest of the night. I now have a whole new appreciation for both dealers and for Guy having dealt all the previous home games. It was very difficult to keep track of everything going on at the table much less trying to play my own cards at the same time.

+43 @ The Commerce Casino

New table and I took seat one. The table was filled with reasonable people with fairly predictable play. The day started out well with A,5 then A,9, then A,Q in quick succession. I took the last two pots and was up after only a few minutes. Not much, but up.

• Pocket 2 in middle position and the flop came 2,5,6. I got two callers when I bet the flop, one caller when I bet the 9 on the turn, and one caller when I bet the 6 on the river. I took it of course.
• 5,6 of hearts and 5,A,2 on the flop with one heart. I called the multi-way pot and got a jack of hearts for my trouble.I decided to stick around for the river of course. There were two other people in so I didn't get quite get my odds, but it was close. Sadly, the K of clubs came on the
  river. I mucked. The guy who had big-slick lost to a set of J.
• K,K in the small blind. My first high pair in a while. I raised of courseand got K,Q,_. Woo hoo! I decided not to slow play but bet it all the way through. I got a fair number of callers on the flop. Then it became interesting when the case K fell on the turn. What should I do now? The pot
  is mine of course. Should I try to check-raise? Slow play it? I didn't want it checked around and a pair of kings on the board would make anyone a little shy. I bet it. Got only one caller, but he stayed with me through the river.
• A,6 of clubs and 2,4,5 on the flop with one club. The flop was checked around which was fine with me since I didn't have a hand. Didn't look like anyone else did either. The turn brought a 6. Hmm...I was in late position and when it was checked around again I figured I would bet it. After all, I did have top pair with a nice kicker. Maybe there wasn't a 3 left at the table after all. Both people called, then checked to me when the 5 fell on the river. I bet it again and got one caller who mucked when I showed my A,6.
• A,Q in middle position. I raised and put one player all in pre-flop. I hate that. The flop brought a Q with two rags. I bet the flop and turn even when the turn gave three to a flush. I ended up taking both the main pot and the side.
• Pocket 7 with a flop of 10,8,9. We all checked the flop and the 2 on theturn, but I bet the 4 on the river. After all, I was in late position and figured I might be able to steal it. No luck, as the fellow with the 8 stuck around. Two others folded though.
• K,5 suited as BB, 5,9,J on the flop. It was checked around, but I bet the K on the turn and got a caller. He stayed with me when I bet the 5 on the river. He showed a J.
• J,10 suited in early position so I limped in. Lots of callers. The flop was J,5,_. I bet it, bet the 9 on the turn, and got raised when I bet the 9 on the river. I knew he had a 9 so I mucked. I was wrong on that one, he had pocket J! I didn't see that one coming. No pre-flop raise, no raise on the flop or the turn either. I thought I was ahead but it turns out I was behind the entire way. Ouch!
• A,6 of hearts with A,10,A on the flop. I checked the flop as I was going to slow play it, but then I checked the turn since it was three to a spade flush.
  THEN I checked the river since it was 4 to a flush. I mucked. I'm having a hard time counting the number of mistakes I made on that hand.
• Pocket K early (I was finally getting a couple high pairs) and the flop gives A,2,2. can't get much worse than that. I called to see the turn (bad call) then mucked.
• A,J suited on the button. I raised and got 7 callers. The flop missed me totally, but everyone checked to me so I bet it again and got many callers. I missed the turn and river too but kept betting. The board wasn't very interesting, and everyone but one player folded. He had paired up and took the nice pot. My play made an old fellow next to me very angry. He was criticizing my play. I asked why he cared that I was playing badly. Turns out he had two pair that he folded since he didn't think he could win, so he was in fact angry at himself and taking it out on me! Too funny!
• A,Q unsuited, but the flop missed me again and this time I didn't have position going for me. I folded.

+71 @ The Commerce Casino

Another night with no big pairs (9s were my best), and big slick only once, but my cards really came through for me after a slow start.

• My very first hand at a new table brought me A,J so I raised. I bet the J,5,4 on the flop, the 7 on the turn, and the K on the river. The woman who had K,Q stayed with me all the way to take the pot at the end (but she didn't raise me). Maybe I should have slowed down when the K hit, but I didn't want to show weakness. Instead, I lost $6 I didn't need to lose.
• Q,K suited, 6,9,Q on the flop. Again I'm betting hard but got raised when a 3 fell on the turn. Huh? Maybe a hidden high pair that didn't raise? I checked the A on the river. It was bet and I shoulda folded, but I called. Dumb move. Not only did the raiser have an A, she had two of them. Combine those misplays with my pocket 9s that didn't work out and I was down $60 in 30 minutes because of my poor play. Checks!
• A,4 of diamonds and all black middle cards on the flop made that pre-flop raise annoying, but just a few hands later I got A,4 diamonds again. It was raised pre-flop and I just called. The flop came out 3 diamonds, K, 5 diamonds. Wow! I'm in it till the end, what with all the nuts I could get. I didn't have to wait long though, cause the 2 of diamonds fell on the turn! That just became my best hand ever. How do I get money from it? It was checked to me, I bet and got some callers. There was a 3 on the river which gave us the jackpot possibility if someone had a pair of threes. The play repeated itself with me betting and getting a couple callers. It was a nice pot.
• A few minutes later I had a couple hands that I couldn't play though. J,10in early position and the big blind wanted to know if I was a chopper when everyone else folded (I was), and A,J as big blind and everyone (all two of them) folded when I bet the A on the flop.
• 4,5 suited as small blind. Raised by a solid player in early position so his hand is clear. Flop is 3,6,_ and the player keeps betting and a few of us keep calling. I made my straight on the river, but it also put three to a flush on the board so I didn't raise. It was a nice pot and the guy with the pocket aces was annoyed at getting cracked, but he understood why I was in the pot.A,K as small blind and I raised pre-flop. The flop came out rags and I bet it as a semi-bluff but got raised. Damn. I called and became a calling station even when the K hit on the turn. I took the pot.
• A,Q suited on the button, but I missed the flop again and there was way too much betting to stick around.
• A,4 of clubs and J,8 of clubs on the flop. I called the multi-way pot. The 9 on the turn didn't give me the nuts, but I didn't think that the straight flush was a likely possibility. She bet it, I raised and she re-raised me. Wow! I of course made it 4 bets. Maybe she had the straight flush after all? Nah. Couldn't be. She bet into me again on the river but just called when I raised. She had a straight. Send the money.
• K,2 suited as big blind. I called the raise pre-flop. Got the flush draw on the flop, then made the flush on the turn. The A was missing in action but I was able to check raise the turn. I bet the river and took a good pot.
• 10,9 suited as small blind (the very next hand). I made my flush (again! I had lots of flushes tonight) on the turn but couldn't get any action.
• Black pocket 3s, flop is black 8 and 2,3 diamonds. I raised the flop and the 8 of diamonds fell on the turn. As opposed to a horrible lay down a few months ago, I recognized that this was the perfect card for me. Lots of betting was going on and I was able to join in the fun. There were two flushes fighting it out and they both had a shock when I turned over the boat.
• I finished the night with a play that could have been worse. I had 5,10
  suited as big blind and the flop gave 5,5,J. I checked hoping to call or check raise, but it was checked all the way around. I bet the 2 on turn and the 4 on the river and the fellow who had been calling all the way showed his 4,5. There was nothing I could have done that would have caused him to fold, so I'm lucky that I got out of as cheaply as I did.