Day 44: A quick doubleup

Played less than 2 hours and won $223

Ran a bluff on one of the first hands I played where I raised T9 suited and bet the flop, turn and river. Got a guy to fold AT on a KJTxx board.

Later, I pick up KK in a straddled pot. I'm in the SB and after a limper or two, I pop it to $21. Surprisingly, BB calls. Everyone else folds.

Flop is 1082 and I bet $40.

Turn is a 6 and I bet $60.

River is a 2. I shove for my last $100.

He calls. Mucks after I show my KK.

Pick up a couple of decent pots and am up $280 before dropping a little and cashing out at $423.

Hours: 259
Wins: +$6,091
Losses: -$3,807
March: +$1,554
Year to date: +$2,284

does not compute.

i can see this logic if it was a button raise or maybe if it folded to the SB and he raised your BB.
unless the guy is just some aggro monkey and you have some sick read, i can't see this being a profitable play.
luckily for you, his play was as bad/worse than yours and the pokergods hooked it up.

he was pretty aggro and had shown down some very weak hands.

it was $50 ... it wasn't like i moved all-in for $500

Day 45, 46 and 47: Making up for lost time

I just couldn't bring myself to post about Day 44 until now. I dropped $800 in 7.5 hours.

Really, I played stupid, moronic poker. I called down with A8 and lost a buyin; I dropped another when I shoved over the top of a 3-bet with AJ suited and rank into KK. I don't know what I was thinking.

So I stayed away from the poker room for two days. It's not much, but I felt like I didn't want to play.

I went back Saturday night and picked up $217 in a little more than 2 hours. Mentally, it was just what I needed. I went to a different room, a spot where I've been running well and it worked - I had AA, AA, KK, KK, JJ and JJ and won with all of them. Most importantly, I played them well. I also had AK 2 or 3 times and won with it every time.

Really, I'm not sure how I only won $217, but I'll take it.

I was back at it Sunday night and I won $175 in 6.5 hours. I was pretty card dead until I flopped trips 8s with 78 and then turned quads. That was a pot of about $325 and put me up for the night. Picked up a couple more decent pots after that and was up $300. By hitting the quad 8s, I had a chance for a high hand jackpot of $250 ... so I would have had to stick around for another 2.5 hours until 5 a.m. Unfortunately, I lost a medium-sized pot when I turned a flush and was up against a full house. I was pretty close to folding the river to his raise, but the guy had seriously overplayed a few one-pair hands earlier so I wound up paying off his raise.

Hours: 275
Wins: +$6,486
Losses: -$4,607
March: +$1,146
Year to date: +$1,876

I like to leave pokerrooms that I previously had a bad session also. It almost feels like a brand new slate. Nice bounceback, keep working hard...

ps. Your thread recently showed a couple moderate leaks... If you truly improve your game you will laugh at your post in the future... Alot of posters corrected the glaring mistakes though. as always, im pulling for ya!

lol dude, if you have $50 and someone raises your BB from the SB to 15, calling is the worst of your options with A4o. If you think you're ahead, shove. If you don't think you're ahead of his range, then fold. Calling is lighting a lot of $ on fire.

Why the hell are you playing with $50 anyways? If you're +ev in a game buyin for the max.

because i was down for the night, it was late and i wasn't going to rebuy, so i just looked for a hand to double up with.

thanks. it just can be tough to drive 20 miles out of the way, knowing you are driving RIGHT PAST a casino to get to another.

Day 48: Good deed for the week

Played 3 hours and won $161.

On the way the casino, I had to stop and get gas. As I was getting in my car, I was approached by a man who asked if I could help him by giving him $8.25 to pay for a prescription at the pharmacy across the street. He showed me papers from the hospital, so I obliged. Good deed done for the day.

There's always one person at the table who you set your sights on as the person who is going to double you up. Sometimes, people are looking at you thinking that. Wednesday night, it became pretty apparent if I was going to win a big pot against someone, it was going to be the foreign guy across the table in Seat 2 who straddled every chance he got and generally raised whenever he straddled.

I had 78 and, sure enough, foreign guy raised to $20. I called. Flop was 872. He bet $30, I made it $90 and he went all-in. I snap called and doubled up.

I know: The nits will say, don't call $20 preflop with 87 suited, but there were a couple of other callers and the implied odds were good. I got almost 20:1 on the call.

Hours: 278
Wins: +$6,647
Losses: -$4,607
March: +$1,307
Year to date: +$2,047

Day 49: Bluffing means getting paid

Played 3.1 hours and won $275.

Showed down an all-in bluff early when a third club hit the river and was quickly up $75. Thought it was going to be an easy night, which meant I proceeded to spew away about $150 before turning things around. I dropped down to $60, then added on $100.

Raised 97 and fired every street, hitting runner/runner for the flush.

That led to this hand:

Picked up 66 on the button and after one limper I made it $12. SB called, along with limper.

Flop was 643 and it was checked to me. I bet $31. SB made it $80 with only $50 behind. Other limper folded and I went all-in. I guess I should have just kept my mouth shut because I felt bad after I said it, but after the guy kept thinking about whether to call or fold, I said 'You can't fold after putting that much money in there.' He called with JJ and my hand was good.

He was the same player who I had hit runner/runner against and I think that influenced his decision to slowplay his JJ. Showing bluffs and weaker hands set this up perfectly.

Hours: 281
Wins: +$6,922
Losses: -$4,607
March: +$1,582
Year to date: +$2,315

Day 50: Due to lose?

I played 7.1 hours and lost $600.

I have a friend who believes you can't win three days in a row. Not three sessions, just three days. If you win Wednesday and Thursday, take Friday off because you are doomed.

I don't believe this. I know I played badly and ran badly tonight, so I'm not going to make excuses for why I lost.

I had played 13 straight winning sessions at Delaware Park. Actually it's at least 13. My newest poker session tracker only goes back so far. I am up $2,321 in 14 sessions of 66 hours for an hourly rate of about $35. I'm going to look at that positive aspect and not the fact that I had a bad night Friday, a night when I should be printing money.

I'm going to get back out there tomorrow and try to regain some of the money I lost.


Hours: 288
Wins: +$6,922
Losses: -$5,207
March: +$982
Year to date: +$1,715

Day 51: Is it that easy?

Played a little less than 3 hours and won $215.

With a rare Saturday night off from work, I had a chance to grab dinner with friends. A couple play poker; a couple others were intrigued by my foray.

At one point, the conversation turned to bad beats and someone asked how often I made four of a kind. I said I could probably count them on one hand.

Add one more after Saturday night's session when I flopped quad 6s and got decent payout out of it.

Next time I go out, I'm hoping someone asks me how often I make a royal flush.

Dinner was relaxing and took my mind off Friday night's losing session and that helped. I rate the meal a full house in poker terms. Ate at a place called On the Border. Mexican. Not my favorite, but nice.

Went to a different casino - Parx - because it was right down the street from the restaurant. Hadn't been there in a year.

Plenty of reasons not to go there as opposed to Harrah's Chester and Delaware Park. Namely, blue chips and having to post the first hand you play or wait for the big blind.

Early in the session, pick up AKo in the BB and 3-bet an $11 raise to $32 and have two callers. Flop is 10 high rainbow, I bet and take it down.

In the hand I flopped quads it came 866 ... villain was a decent player and bet $15 into an $18 pot. He bet $20 on a J turn. River was a J and he checked. I bet $50 and he called.

Hours: 291
Wins: +$7,137
Losses: -$5,207
March: +$1,197
Year to date: +$1,930

Hello OP, I am learning to play live so I take great interest in this thread!

Don't know if this is true or not, but from the last few posts, you seem to quit early when you're up and play long sessions when you're down. I know the feeling all too well of wanting to get un-stuck, but it might not be good to try to get even when you're probably not in the best state of mind.

Anyway good luck to you, I will be following.

What is your hourly

You are right to an extent. Friday's session was always going to be a little longer. I just happened to run into a -$600 night.

Most of my sessions are going to be a little on the shorter side. I'm 49, so I'm no spring chicken. I work full-time and I play after work. It's probably not optimal to go knowing I'm leaving at 4 a.m. most days. I like to get to bed at a certain time so I get proper rest for work.

Good luck Aesah.