Monday, July 13, 2009

Staying Discliplined

I stuck to my guns. I told myself that if I ever make more then $200 in one session that I would not play the next day, since I tend to give it back way to easily. I played Thursday night and made $300. I decided to take Friday night off.

My roommates didn't make it easy on me. Their originally plans were cancelled and they decided to go to Coushatta Casino, in Louisiana. It is about a 6 hour drive from Austin. I was really tempted to go with them, but decided to just relax at home and enjoy my previous night win.

I did play on Saturday and actually started playing around 4pm. The game from Friday night turned into Omaha and was running all night and morning long. I jumped in with $200 and quickly loss it all, chasing to many draws.

I bought back in to $150 and started losing that too. So I started playing tighter, back to basics. Then the cards started hitting me, Aces doubled suited a couple times. I slowly made it back to over $300 in front of me. The game finally ended and I had about $315 in my stack. I was only $35 from break even for the session.

I went to the holdem table with the goal of just breaking even and then leaving. I kinda felt like I couldn't win today, so getting to even would be fine for me. My first hand was pocket fives. I was in the big blind and Stan raised it up to $17. I felt Stan was running the table since someone commented that Stan was raising doing his standard thing and raising it up big.

Everyone folded behind him and I was last to act. I figured I call with my pocket pair, hoping he just had a big Ace. The flop came 236 and I check. Stan bets out $25. Now I put him on an over pair, but I am not sure. I make a loose call hoping for my gut shot and that he would check the turn if he did just have Ace high. The turn is 8♣, making a flush possibility, so I check it.
Stan checks behind me. The river is the 5♣! I just hit my set, but now there are 4 clubs. I make a value bet of $25 into a $84 pot. Stan says he is making a donkey call without a club. He had pocket Jacks and no clubs.. I take down the $130 pot, now I am a bit over break even. Sorry Stan.. sometimes a Donkey can get lucky too..


Now I should quit, but I cant quit after winning a good size pot, so I continue to wait for my hands. Not less then 30 minutes later I have pocket Aces in the big blind! Eric raises it to $20 and one other guy calls $20. This is a major raise in $1/$2 game and I put one of them on a big pair. I just broke even and really don't want to see a flop, so I re-raise to $120, thinking these guys should fold to that.

Eric surprises me and goes all-in for about $90 and the other guy folds. I show him the nuts and Eric has the ladies. I asked him "What did you think I had?.." Eric plays enough with me that he knows how I play, but he still has to see a flop with Queens. He has money and it doesn't mean much to him, $90.

Well, I hit my set on the flop and boated on the turn. There were 3 clubs on the flop and Eric did have one club. But on the turn he was drawing dead.. I take down the $220 pot and now have close to $500 in front of me.

On a side note, I think that is my 3rd set I have ever hit against Eric. For some reason my sets come easy when I play Eric, not sure why, but he says I cheat..? I had a set of nines that cracked his Aces, then a Set of Kings and now a set of Aces, but who is counting?. I should play with Eric more often, he is lucky for me...

I play a bit longer hitting pocket Queens under the gun when a guy straddled it $10. I raise to $40 and everyone folds except the straddler. The flop is all rags and he folds to my continuation bet.

Now I have a profit of $145 for the night, thanks mostly to my Facebook friends. I was greatful to make up for my initial losses, but what a roller coaster ride. That is how it is with Omaha and no-limit games. You have to be able to take the swings.




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