+6 @ The Commerce Casino

I only ended up playing for a couple hours but in that time I had lots of fun and a great run of cards. I didn't always do so well in getting pots out of the cards, but that's ok. I tried to be really tight about what I played and would dump unsuited Ax (with x <=6) in early position. I had a couple suited Aces twice in a row and both times missed my flush. However, both times I had to call all the way to the river.

With red pocket Q in middle position I raised only to have everyone but the BB drop out. That was annoying. The flop was all clubs, she checked to me and called when I bet. The turn was a blank, the play repeated but this time she folded. Happy to take the pot no matter how small it was. Just a few hands later I had AA in late position. I raised and got 4,10,2 rainbow on the flop. I bet, many callers. 3 on the turn, I bet, couple fewer callers. The river was a 6 and a checked turned into a better. He clearly had a five, but I called as did a few others. Yup. He made his inside straight. Next time around the table I had AA again but everyone folded when I bet the rags on the flop.

Other hands included Q,10 suited with a flop of Q,9,Q. I was in late position so I bet and got callers. K on the turn, but no flush or straight possibility on the river so I felt pretty good. I'm happy to report that it turned out well. K,J in early position with a flop of an opened ended straight draw didn't turn out so well, but my jack paired on the river and that was good enough to win. Another hand that didn't turn out so hot was 5,7 suited as small blind and 5,6,7 on the flop. I bet it but checked the 8 on the turn. Someone else bet and I mucked. My two pair wasn't going to hold up.

Now for the two really interesting hands of the night. Pocket 2 in late position and 2,4,Q on the flop. After I raised the flop the turn and the river were checked to me. The turn was a blank, the river another 2! Wow! That was a nice pot and I was up over 50 dollars just an hour into the session.

Much of it drained away over the next hour and even though it was still early I was feeling kinda tired so I started to get ready to head out. Before I left I got some pocket K to send me off. Pretty cool, but the flop of Q,J,10 wasn't so cool. I'm now behind. Despite this I bet the flop and the next thing I know it came back to me as a capped pot. What to do? An A means that I'll split the pot by playing the board. Other than that I don't have a prayer. But you know the saying, confused players call so I decided to call. Then things got really interesting when a K fell on the turn. It was bet and I called time. What do I do now? I tried not to be confused and mucked instead. That was a bad decision. If I were going to fold the time to do it was before calling the $9 bet. After I had called it though, I needed to be going all the way. I wasn't thinking clearly and missed the fact that while the K certainly gave someone a straight, I also had a much stronger drawing position than I realized. I can still split the pot if an A falls on the river, but I'll also take the pot if the board paired. Figuring that there was at least one A (probably two) being held by the four other players, I could get some money from an A (2 of them), a K (one of them), a Q (three), J (three), or a 10 (three). That's 12 outs for a 25% chance of taking the pot. I definately should have called the turn. The river was an 8 and there was only a single A among the three players who stayed till the end.