I took a long nap Wednesday afternoon and into the evening.  I woke up around 10:30 PM and elected to go and play 4-8 HORSE at Harrahs.  I took a 2 bill profit and got up once a VERY competent player sat down and played an Omaha/8 hand perfectly while following it up with a correct raise with a q7 on 5th against an opponents T8.  As soon as I saw this, I got up as I knew I was no longer going to have a smooth ride at the table.

I woke up at 1 pm Thursday to find a text from a friend asking about my thoughts on the Nugget and their Stud/8 tourney running that day and if the dealers could be counted on.  I expressed that 1 hour in, I think they’d be fine.  After all, it’s not like PLO or something nasty for a rookie dealer.  I decided to take their very slow structure and head down to play.  Things went pretty well for the most part.  I got my money in good time after time, but once it came time to win big hands, I found guys backdooring into 2 pair bigger than mine on their missed low draws.  After dinner break, I got into a 4-way pot for 2x the average stack where unbelievably my two pair was against THREE hands, of which NONE had a pair on 6th street.  Not just that, but nobody even had a flush draw.  All three were going low and held each others’ outs.  I was dodging just two gutterballs.  Bink.  I get scooped.  My final hand had QQTT on 4th against JJ and he hit a flush on his final 4 cards.  Cute.

I was pretty level-headed about the whole thing since I played the tournament well, but the rivers just did not go my way.  I went to TI to play in their 1/3 game.  I was betting hard and heavy early on.  In the first half hour, I was involved in 6 all ins.  For the record, in all 6, the other stack only had $100 in front of them.  My KJ held against K9 on KQx board.  I flopped middle set against top set (got a picture, too.)  Two hands later my T9 flops AT9 against A9 (another pic.)  I limp shove with 7,7 and lose to AK.  I got it all in on the flop with A,6 on 6,3,3 board against 4,5.  Turn is 7.  I snap off AA with my Q,5 suited on QQ9 flop.  At this point I somehow am only down $150.  I lose a hand on a failed C-bet and am down to about $115.  I limp with 9,7 suited and several others limp.  Flop comes J,9,2.  Checks to me and I lead for $15.  Two callers.  I’m planning on shoving any blank card on the turn.  That blank?  A pretty 7.  All-in.  Pocket 2s sat behind me…

Now lets be open with each other, shall we?  Have you EVER heard of a guy running into so many sets in one month?  EVER?  I have to take pictures to prove it to myself.  I keep calling my friends over to the table to show them these hands because I just feel that my integrity as a blogger would be questioned if I didn’t have proof that this keeps happening.

I rebuy.  I’ve gotten my money in with so many big hands thus far and I know I’m due.  I start chipping up and get up to around $450 when the big one comes.  I raise to $15 with KQ and get 3 callers.  The flop comes J,T,x.  This is a pretty big flop for me (same hand/flop I busted with in the WSOP 6-max earlier this month) so I bet $45 and only one guy called.  Turn is 9.  BINGO!  He checks and I bet $100.  We are both playing $400 behind on the turn.  I’m PRAYING he has a set or two pair or something drawing dead.  ANYTHING!  He thinks for about 2 minutes and folds A,J face up…  FML!  He says I “overbet” the turn.  Idiot.  I bet 2/3rds the pot and am playing for stackies.  Thinking back, I wish I’d have bet $150 to sell a bluff.

An hour later a guy straddles.  The funny thing about this straddle, is I was very talkative at the table and kept asking to button straddle.  This guy decides (on my button) to fulfill my wish of a straddle and does it himself.  Nice.  A couple callers and the guy in front of me shoves for $70.  I find AK and call.  All others fold and he has AJ.  Broadway wins for me. (note that he hit his jack on me)

In the next hand I make what I consider to be the first error of the session.

About 3 hours into the whole thing, the guy to my left hasn’t bluffed once and is a nice guy but knows enough to be considered decent.  He’s careful with his hands, too.

It’s my BB and he open raises to $7.  This is a first for him.  It folds to me and I find AK.  I make it $15, forgetting he raised and didn’t limp.  He flat calls.  This should instantly tell me he doesn’t have AA or KK.  The flop comes Ten high.  I lead for $21 and he thinks about folding and then decides to call.  Clue number two.  He MUST have overcards.  The turn is an ace.  JACKPOT!!!! I lead for $35 and as he’s building his stack for a raise I ask him if he floated me and  hit.  He smiles a bit and makes it $70.  I call here to disguise my hand.  The river pairs the bottom card on the board (4) and I check, fully expecting to call his bet with the best hand.  He checks his AQ behind.  Oops… After thinking about it, I really should have lead the river for $50 since he will certainly call.  I had no plans to check-raise since he’d most certainly fold to that play even with his hand.  He knew the kind of player I was and that I always turned over big hands.  I let him off for a bet.  BAD YAPPY!

Another hour goes by, and I lose a few pots.  I’ve got about $600 in front of me and the guy to my right is hyper-bluff.  He’s on tilt and spewing and has raised my last six BBs when limped to him.  He makes it $12 from the SB and I make it $50 with 8,8.  It folds to him and he shoves for $120.  I call and his tens hold.  Not cool.

A few hands later, it folds to me and I pick up A,J spades and make it $15.  I get 2 callers.  Flop is Q,9,6 with two spades.  A woman leads for $25 of her $150.  I raise to $100.  The guy behind me (same guy as AK vs. AQ hand) moves all in for just under $400.  Woman folds and I slump.  I’m getting right at 2:1 to call and am going to need every bit of those odds since I’m doubting the ace is live.  He very likely has a set (80% of the time) but I’m praying he has two pair or maybe even the mega draw of 7,8 spades.  This sucks.  I consider my double backdoor draw of two different straights and possible counterfeit of two pair (though highly unlikely to be live) and finally call.  I ask him if he flopped a set and he nods.  Pocket 6s.  I turn the nut flush and dodge the river to win the $900 pot.  He was very gracious in the defeat and actually said to me, “You deserved it after earlier tonight.”  I wish I were as classy in defeat.

I cashed out having netted over 3 bills and came away a cash game winner for the third straight day and came ahead overall for the second day out of three.  It’s turning around.