Mixers, 6/7

I had not played in a week and was really wanting to get into it again. I went in with a plan:

1) Raise or fold, very minimal calling.
2) Read, read, read. I wanted to be so read dependant I actually had this plan for the first hand; assuming everyone limped to me (which they normally do first hand) raise to 3 or 400. If they checked, raise. Thus I establish aggression and fear.
3) Use check raises, check calls, and reraises to make myself hard to read and unpredictable.
4) TRUST MY READS!
5) study what hands people will call with (draws, made hands, etc.?) and which ones they will raise with.


Well, the first hand I was pretty far from the blinds so I was planning to use position and raise. Jeff, 2 seats to my right, beat me to the punch. I looked down at A/10 suited and called his raise to 250. On the flop there was a pair on the boards and Jeff raised. I called as did one other guy. No help on the turn so I folded to his raise...the other guy came over the top and Jeff folded. Hmm. And just like that 1/6th of my stack was gone.

I folded a few hands, then with 6 people in the pot for 200 each it was my turn to think. I had pocket 5s. I figured "Pocket pair hits a set 1 in 8 times. My odds are right with implied." That was my thought almost verbatim. I called. Flop came King, 8, 5, all hearts. Oops. I hit my set...but there was a nasty, nasty heart draw on the board I had no part of. I checked and called all the way to the river. Sure enough nobody had a flush and my trips were good. I was back up again.

Folded a couple hands, then in the big blind several people limped. I looked down at A/q. I raised to 500. One caller. Flop was all rags, I raised again. He folded and I was up a bit more. A couple hands later I again had A/Q, this time suited. Flop came rag/q/rag. One guy raised, I went all in, one guy called. He had queen rag and was done. The two others who I drove out with my monster raise both groaned because they would have hit a straight in one case (he needed runner-runner for it) or 2 pair in the other. I said nothing...but that was the point of my raise! I had (by my read) the best hand at the moment and was not going to price anyone into beating me for what was already a nice pot. My raise drove out the people on long-shot draws and I won. I finally played correctly for this group and the results were obvious. I was a clear chip leader.

I began to play a bit more conservatively. At one point Jeff went all in for 1600, Gypsy called, and I showed Roman the pocket 10s I was folding. Sure enough a King was hit and I would have lost.

I slowly built my stack until it was time for the final table. With 9 people, both tables lost a player on the same hand so there were 7 at the final table.

The first hand I folded a marginal hand so I could get a feel for how people were playing. This I believed was a wise move unless I had maybe Cowboys or Rockets. Good choice. 3 people got it all in...dealer with pocket 9s, guy to her left with Aces and guy to my right with Kings. The 9s tripped...but so did the Aces and 2 people were gone just like that.

Next hand I picked up pocket 7s. 4 handed I figured I was good so I raised. Guy who just hit the Aces called. Flop was K/j/k. I raised, he called. Turn was an 8, he raised, I folded. He did not show. On that hand I lost 9600 chips. Ouch.

A few hands later I had the A/5 diamonds in the big blind, 1 caller. Flop gave me 2 diamonds, I raised 4 times the blind to 1600. 1 caller. Turn gave me another diamond and the nut flush...but a possible straight flush. I raised to 1600 anyway. He called pretty quick, making me nervous. Turn was yet another diamond. I raised to 3200, kind of a desperation raise. He went into the tank and I was relieved...he obviously did not have the straight flush. Finally he folded; he had 2 pair on the flop and never improved. As I tossed mine in (face up in return since I had essentially asked him to show) I noticed I had the key card for the straight flush...the 5. With a 6 and 8 out there I was the only one with a shot at the straight flush. In retrospect, my raise on the flop was brilliant; he had not put me on the flush on the turn so I could have raised more and kept him around. On the other hand, by showing I had raised on a draw and then a made hand and then commenting, "I was afraid of the straight flush...and I had the key card! Fear my poker brilliance!" I caused a lot of A) laughter and B) threw them off as to how I play. So the deception was huge. And I made a nice bundle on that hand.

In the big blind I picked up a 2/something. Flop came 2/3/3. I raised. 2 callers. Turn was a blank. I checked and called. River was a 2. I raised, one caller. I showed the boat, he mucked, they complimented my check. :-)

Next hand I picked up pocket 2s. I raised. Hit a set. Showed the 2s. For a few hands I raised every time a 2 hit the board and they folded. It was great psychological play because whether I had it or not they believed I had it.


Roman was down to 1000 chips and in the small for 500. I had pocket 2s. He was going to fold, leaving himself 500. I guaranteed him he had overs and figured he would win. He had 4/5, didn't hit it. I felt bad about putting him out...but the theme of the deuces continued. Once I folded 2/3...and would have hit another boat.

We were down to 3.

I lost a few hands here and there, won a hand here and there. Finally I limped with 8/10. Flopped a straight. WIth blinds at 2/4 at this point I wanted to make some money. I raised the minimum, 4K. The guy across from me called. *******error alert ******

He was very casual with his cards. Not deliberately, but I had seen what he folded several times and noted he was...well...very conservative. I had seen him, on the button into a pot with only limpers, fold 2 face cards. So I should note if he is calling he has something good or is on a great draw. Therefore, my next raise should be LARGE.

Turn put a third club on the board. I raised the minimum. He called. River...another club. Now there were 4 to a flush on the board. I checked, he raised 4K. The odds were right to call as the only thing that beat me was a 10 or higher flush. He had the Ace. I priced him into it and he took me for 16K. He outplayed me on that one. I got greedy and it cost me.

I folded a bit, made a few raises and took a few pots, was up and down a bit but short stack.

Now I was down quite a bit, maybe 12 K left. right then they announced the blinds were going up. I was not in the blinds, looked down at 9/10. They had folded a few times to my all-ins, so I went all-in. Tight guy called with J/8! Uh-oh, he had me covered...but I hit a straight on the turn and doubled through. Moments later I was chip leader.

Finally I put him out and was chip lead. Traded it back and forth, finally with K/5 I called to the 16K big blind, he had 5K more, I called that, my K/5 spades held up when neither of us hit anything and I had my 3rd win. And by far the best...about 26 people on the night.