I Won A Little...

...and  played alot. 

It ain't easy winning a little!

I started off with the 2-4 limit cash game with $60 on the table.  Caught trips early on and it paid off.  Pretty much a grind after that.  Played maybe 3 hands total but won them so when I headed over to the sit & go I was up maybe $45.

I sat down at a (1) table $60 game.  First place was $240.  The dealer was the same dealer I had when I played against that bus load of 18 year old boys.  The dealer remembered the game, how it was one kid's birthday, and how I pwned them.  lol  So of course the talk turned to "You should have let him win because it's his birthday." Ugh. 

There were 3 decent players at that table, me (fabulous), and (6) donks.  I was playing with one of the donks at the cash game and I liked what I saw.  It was unbelievable.  At thte cash game he was calling EVERYTHING even after the river, WITH NOTHING.  I just don't understand it.  He once called a river bet, when there was plenty of paint on the board and he turned over 8-6.  That's it!  no pair, no nothing.  Didn't connect at all.  Gotta be something wrong there.

Anyway he was out first at the table, no big surprise.  Unfortunately not at my hand.  Early in the game I wasn't getting too many hands, but things turned around quickly.

Lost a hand or two early on and then buckled down.  Played super tight for a while till the cards started coming.  And did they ever.  I raised with my fave hand J-10, got one caller and the flop was 10-10-7.  I checked and he bet. I smooth call.

Turn is a Q.  I check again.  He bets and I raise he goes all in.  I jump on in too.  He has A-Q and I double up.  Now I have plenty o chips.

Blinds are up and I start stealing them.  I pick on the low stacks and especially this woman who is 2 to my left.  I raise, she gripes and folds.  Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.  She gets angrier and angrier.  I get A-K suited and I do it again.  This time she calls.  I catch and ace on the flop and bet pot which pretty much makes her pot committed.  She just calls.  Turn doesn't match much.  I push all in.  She says "I have to call you" and turns over A-7.  No 7 on the board and she's out. 

It's pretty much a repeat of last time.  When there are 5 of us left, I have a monster stack and everyone else is shortstacked and desperate.  3 places in the money.  I keep stealing blinds till there are 3 of us left.  I say to the guys "the only question is which of you is going to get 2nd" (just to be funny) one guy laughs at my cockiness, and the other guy answers seriously, like he agrees.  lol  I was like dude, I'm just making a joke, it's anyone's game.  Although it wasn't.  I won $240 and gave my good ole dealer $20 . (is that enough?)

So I score in the cash game, I score in the sit & go, and head over to the 5pm $70 tourney.  5 tables, about 47 players.

I love tournaments! 

I started with the game I liked least (it sucks ass), to a game I kinda like (winning is fun!), to a no limit tourney (weeeeeeeeeeeee!).  The only way the day could get any better is if the day ended with........ice cream (it did not).

I like my table.  They're a friendly bunch and they're good players.  One guy (Brendan) come's running in a little late...he's missed the first hand or 2.  Looks to be in his early 30's, sunglasses perched on head, and dressed casually.  I don't know Brendan at this point, but the guy to my left does.  He asks him if he has the day off cuz he looks so casual.  Brendan, seems to be a type A personality.  And yes he did take a half day off.  (Hi Brendan!!!)

Now let me start off by saying I DO NOT THINK BRENDAN IS GHEY. (although I could be wrong)Guess what non-ghey Brendan did prior to coming to the game?  He had himself a manicure & pedicure.  I shiat you not!  He seems THRILLED with the results too.  lol  No polish though.  More's the pity.

So he sits down, bragging about his mani/pedi, and we get to talking.  He's a scumbag   lawyer, he plays golf, he has something to do with pokerstars too (wasn't really listening).  He seems to be a decent poker player too.  Since I think he's about Schaubs age, that's the name I assign him in my mind.  Then I start thinking about the other players.  There's this other guy in a blue button down shirt, looks like he came here straight from the office.  He has kinda short brown hair about 40ish. I name him EVP.  It gets easier and easier to assign names from my blog and it keeps me amused.

There was a guy on the other end of the table, who was getting a back massage from this poor girl for about 2 fucking hours.  How long does a goddam back rub have to take?  Maybe it wasn't 2 hours but I'll tell you this.  It wasn't a a friggin second shorter than a half hour.  She fricking worked up and down his body like nobody's business.  At one point I look over and SHE'S ON HER KNEES and she's rubbing his goddam elbows.  Maybe she gets a better angle being on her knees, I don't know.  Maybe she gets better tips that way. I think all those guys that get those chair massages are just horn balls.  Which reminds me, the guy has brown hair and a salt & pepper mustache so I rename Massage Boy.....Waffles!

I'm playing tight and aggressive.  Aggression is very selective.  Only with guys who I can tell aren't thrilled with their hands and who know enough to fold mediocre hands.  We started with 6K in chips and after the first break I have 7.5K.  After the 2nd break I have 12K.  I never get short stacked until the bitter end. (and yes it IS bitter)

We are down to 2 tables and 6 places are in the money.

Schaubs and I are talking about favorite hands and I tell him how J-10 wins more often than he'd imagine.  He says he prefers it over J-J.  2 minutes later he WINS with J-10.  About 10 minutes after that EVP who has been tighter than a drum makes a big raise.  This weird old man shoves all in.  EVP is shortstacked, thinks awhile and then calls.  He turns over J-10.  I say, "were you listening to my conversation?" and he smiles.  Flop is A-K-Q.  Yup! For real yo.  He was shortstacked and happily doubles up.

Schaubs and Waffles are out.

I take out EVP when I get A-K.  I raise with it and he's shortstacked so he shoves all in.  I call and see I'm up against A-Q.  I catch a king and EVP is out.  Poor guy, he didn't play many hands at all. 

We keep playing and playing and the blinds keep getting bigger and bigger.  New young kid on my left. He likes to raise, but folds to aggression.  I can deal with him (or can I???).  I flop an open ended straight.  I check, he bets and I call.  Turn gives me the straight. I bet and he shoves all in. (Yay!) I instacall.

He has 2 pair and I have a straight.  River pairs my hand and gives us both THE SAME STRAIGHT so we split.  FAWKKKKK.  Frigging lucky river.  He should have been OUT.  And if he were out he wouldn't have taken me out in 11th place, which he did.  Mother fucker.

We keep playing and playing.  I'm down to about 10K and everyone else has mucho more.  I'm the small blind and it's folded to me.  I have A-Q.  Blinds are 2k-4k.  I shove the rest of  my stack in.  New guy instacalls in the big blind with A-K.  No queen for the queen and I'm out.  After all that playing.

I ended up playing ANOTHER sit & go that I should've cashed in but called an all in with an open ended straight draw that didn't connect. 

Still I ended up winning a little and had quite a bit of fun.  Of course I'd rather win quite a bit of money and have a little fun, but beggars can't be choosers.

Ohhhh the poker  uniform! LOL  I always get a good reaction to my poker uniform in Seabroook, but NOT LIKE TODAY.  Today was by far the most distracting and it was NOT the most lowcut.  Instead of getting dressed up like I usually do, I decided to dress down.  My readers had a positive reaction to the white wife beater, so that was it.  That with a new pair of jeans, sandals, and some ghetto fabulous necklaces.  Hotter than it sounds.

Ewww that reminds me.  I was sitting next to this man who smelled like pig shit.  Well he smelled like a goddam farm, so I don't think pig shit is too big a hyperbole.  Anyway he's a stinky, greasy haired guy with an accent wearing short shorts.  ( I wish I was making this up).  This is at the last sit & go.  There are 10 us jammed in a table and his goddam naked leg (cuz he's wearing short shorts) keeps rubbing against my leg.  And every now and then he rubs my back or arm which I really cannot stand.  Remember the no hugging?  Well I say nothing but I know I'm going to explode and he's going to lose a limb.  As soon as the first person is knocked out, I tell EVERYONE to move the fuck over.  I can barely breath and his leg keeps doing the rub rub rhumba. 

So when I ask the table to shift he says, but you're keeping me warm.  I'm like well that's over.  Then he says but if you move how can I rub my leg against you.  (that fucker was doing it on purpose!)  So I actually say "You're gonna lose a body part buddy.  One that you might wanna keep." THEN he says "What you don't like it when I grab your leg?"  He hasn't done that, he's kidding, but the dealer sees how pissed I am and tells the guy to lay off or he's outa here.  Then I move waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay the fuck over so you could park a minivan between us and he actually lifts both arms and sniffs with like a "what is it, do I smell?" expression.

And YES, he does smell, but I do not acknowledge him.  When he gets knocked out, of course he has to come over put his hand on my shoulder and hair and wish me luck.  Lucky me.

Edited:  On Poker Grump's blog he mentioned that he thought 2-4 was a power hand.  I tested it during an online game and won with it.  I was keeping my eye out for 2-4 live to do a little further experimenting and I got it ONCE in all that time.  I raised with it in early position, got re-raised, someone else called the reraise and then it was to me.  I frigging chickened out against 2 players and I fold.

Flop was 4-4-2
Turn was A
River was 4

I need to grow a pair, (not literally lol) make those tough calls, and follow through.
Play smart.

Josie