-160 @ The Commerce Casino

Now that I work much closer to home, I can stop by the house, change, have a bite to eat and still be heading to the casino by 5 or 5:30. This makes it much easier to go on a school night. I haven't done that yet, but I have gone on Fridays a couple times, this being one of them. I sat down in seat 7. Despite what I said in another blog a while back about liking the corners because of the room, I think that benefit is overshadowed by the distance from the flop. I think that I'm most partial to seats 1 and 9. You can get a good look at the table and players and because the drop boxes are right there you don't have to worry about the dealer crowding you.

The button had just passed when I sat down so I posted. 5,8 unsuited and a raised pot meant that I mucked when the action got to me. Sadly, I would have hit two pair if I had stayed in. A few hands later I had J,Q unsuited in early position. I raised the flop of 2,9,J rainbow and got a few callers. I bet the blank turn and river (no flush or straight) and took it. Up $35 in 10 minutes.

My A,Q suited in late position was already rasied by the time it got to me, so I smooth called. 7,A,A. I called the flop, then bet the turn and river. Everyone mucked by the end and I didn't show. The night was starting out well, even when my JJ as small blind was threatened with overcards and a possible flush on the river, I ended up mucking.

Another A,Q but this time as big blind. The SB raised so I called. Q on the flop and I raised when the SB bet (there were only two other player at this point but one was all in). A on the turn and I bet it. Took it on the blank river. Now I'm up $50. However, my next A,Q showed what was in store for me. Namely, a combination of bad play and some bad luck.

I raised the flop of A,8,10, then called the raised turn when a 7 hit. The 9 on the river just made it worse so I was finally able to understand that I'm not in a good position. I mucked. The pot was split by a couple straights. I then had a whole series of playable cards that didn't hit, including a few middle pocket pairs and some nice paint. This left me down $15.

I then went all the way to the river to make a straight, but meanwhile a guy had made a flush on the turn. I didn't believe him! when he bet the turn but I can't for the life of me understand why. My pocket Q lost to trips that another fellow made on the river (he raised me and I stupidly called; the pot odds probably wouldn't have justified a call), then A,10 lost to a board which included 10,Q,9,J. No K of course. All this (plus some other hands that never got past the turn and blinds) left me down $140.

I took a good pot when my A,5 hit with a vengance on the board of 5,5,_,A,A but I was still down $85. I wasn't able to capitalize on my small rush but went right back to losing by making bad calls with the hope that I could catch my miracle card, or by just general poor analysis with my calls. Here's an example. With J,K I called the flop of Q,Q,3. What did I hope to get? The J on the turn got me excited, while instead it should have given me pause. If there's a Q at the table I'm now drawing dead since I can't make a straight. Of course things were made worse when another J came on the river. Yes, I made a boat (which I raised!) but again, there's got to be a Q among the other two players. There was. Poor play on my part.