April 28 - "This is a minor setback. / Yo, still in all we livin, just dream about the get back."
Things started off great after I got into a new 2/5 game. There were two limps to my CO and I made it $30 with 55. The button, small blind and an older Asian man who limped all call.
Flop ($126): K
9
5
SB fires $50. It folds to me and I make it $150. He calls. That leaves me $305 behind.
Turn ($426): 7
He checks, I move all in for $305 and he calls with KJo. That gets me up to $1,037. It's always nice to get it in for $1K with your opponent drawing dead.
A little later, There's one limp I make it $25 in the cutoff with KJo. The button, BB and a limper call.
Flop ($101): Q
7
2x
It checks through.
Turn ($101): Kx
BB bets $45 and I'm the only caller. I've seen him make weak bets with big hands.
River ($191): 7x
He bets $200. I tank. He basically either flopped a set and rivered a boat or he's bluffing missed clubs. I call and he has KK, which really surprises me. He flatted it preflop with already the button having called - and he checked a flop that could be dangerous.
Later, EP raises to $20 and there are 3 calls. I'm in the BB getting over 4 to 1 with 57o and a UTG limper is reaching for chips to call. I call.
Flop (120): Q
6:diamond8x
It checks to the pre-flop raiser who bets $90 and folds to me. We've got effective stacks of $800. This is one of those spots where if I'm playing 75o, I have to be aggressive in this spot. His range includes a lot of hands I can force him off of, and I have been very tight so far and he's paying attention to the game. I raise to $315. He tanks and eventually moves all-in. I am priced into a call now getting like 2.5 to 1. I call. The turn and river brick out and his KK holds up.
I reload for another $500. There are three limps and the SB completes, and I have TT in the BB. I raise to $50. A limper calls and the SB jams for $113. I raise to $225, the other guy folds and my TT holds up.
Then the very next hand there are three limps and I complete the SB with 56o. The BB raises to $30, three calls, I call.
Flop ($150): K
7
4x
Check, the BB bets $25, a limper calls, another raises to $75. I call, the guy in the middle ships it for a total of $210 (he's pretty loose and bad), the raiser re-ships for a total of $270, and I tank, do the math (it's close) and call.
Turn (805+120): Brick
River (805+120): 3
The guy who shipped shows K4, I show 56, and the old Asian guy holds his cards and just waits for them to count the sidepot and push it (this takes about 30 seconds), then flips A
2
. Fun to be slowrolled for the $805 main pot while shot-taking.
A little later, the HJ raises to $20 (new player, seems solid), and I call on the button with KQo.
Flop ($46): KT6r
He bets $30, I call.
Turn ($106): Tx
He checks, I bet $60, he calls.
River ($226): 5x
He checks, I bet $135. He snap calls, I show, he shows A
K
and I value towned myself.
Later I limp 55 in middle position and six go to the flop.
Flop ($30): J95r
I bet $20, and a late position player raises to $80 with about 300-320 behind. He's pretty good, but possibly steaming. He's been very aggressive and running bad and showing frustration. I flat call.
Turn ($190): 4
I check and he tanks for a while and bets $225, leaving around 100 or a little less behind. I shove, he snap calls.
River ($840): Brick heart
I show, he shows his neighbor and mucks real high and I see paint and a 9, so I assume J9. That gets me back up to $958, only stuck about $40.
A little later, I call the SB with J
6
. We go five to the flop.
Flop ($25): T
8
Tx
I bet $15, an EP limper raises to $45, and another EP limper calls. The guy who raised is drinking and playing reckless, so his range is like any T, any 8, J9, any pocket pair, any club draw and possibly nothing at all. The guy who called is pretty good so his flat call worries me. Still, I'm getting over 4 to 1, so I call.
Turn ($160): 3x
It checks around. Now I put the raiser on nothing, or an 8, and the caller on a draw.
River ($160): 5
I bet $100, the raiser insta folds and the solid player calls. I show, and he shows A
7
to take it. I'm thinking this is a spot where in 1/2 I would play it this way but in 2/5 maybe I shouldn't. A good player limped in EP and I put him on a draw, so he basically has to have J9 suited which can't be clubs or a bigger club draw. In 1/2, I take a lot of these pots by firing on the turn and river if I have to, and having a good feel for where weaker players are. I should probably fold this in the SB or play it passively post flop and keep the pot small.
Anyway, he racks up and leaves and I seat change into his seat to get position on the two bad players in the game. It puts two good solid players on my left, and a few unknowns in those middle spots.
My first hand after the seat change, UTG raises to $20 and there's a call. I pick up K
K
and raise to $90. This leaves me $630 behind and the other guy just sat from a broken game and started with a little under $600.
He thinks for a bit and raises to $315. The guy in the middle folds, I think for about 20 seconds and ship it in. He says something that sounds like, "F---." and calls, so I figure I'm good in a $1,186 pot. The board runs out clean, I show, and he shows AA. Guess I misheard.
Nothing I can do there, it's like 116 BBs.
I play til my blind and get up with my last $140 and leave. 4.5 hours, -$860. That takes my shot to -$1,310 in about 7.5 hours.
I don't think I'm outclassed at 2/5, but the solid players are definitely better than they were at 1/2. They're bluffing more and sizing bets differently and more creatively. So far I think I've handled this ok, but it's more mentally draining to deal with. I also think spots you bet for thin value vs regs at 1/2 you have to check at 2/5. There's also a lot less chatter, which just makes it so much more boring.
The bad players have a lot more gamble in them and pots get big quick, which is definitely making me a little uncomfortable given that I'm shot taking. Judging by the hands I played, I'm certainly not playing like scared money, even if I'm feeling it a bit.
This takes my roll back down to about $7,000, so I could shot take for another 1K, and I think I'll do that at Parx tomorrow and play a short afternoon session before the Flyers game. Then I've got broadcasting work the rest of the week and I'll be back at it on the weekend.