The thin line between good & bad

After my much improved tournament winning performance, I no longer felt pressure to actually perform well...so I approached last night with a modified view. No limping, either raise or fold...but instead of limiting myself to premium hands, I would loosen up a bit. Last night I really did not care if I was crushing people or getting crushed.

I started out well, hitting with A/Q and A/J. Both, by the way, premium hands...that I played as premium hands. Then I started goofing around. For example, I decided to play 6/7 spades...hardly a premium hand. And I raised it. And I flopped an open ender. Which I raised. I really wanted to show it down, but someone made a large river raise I had no intention of paying off after I missed my draw and there was someone to act behind me.

No problem, I was only down a little bit. Then I was in the big blind, everyone limped and so I got a free ride to play a J/5. Flop came J/5/5. I raised it. Owen, a new guy, re-raised. Right there I put him on the 5. I was drawing dead to two jacks. I paid him the 200 anyway. Turn was another 5. He reacted. I knew he had quads. I checked, planning to fold. He raised 200. Now, remember, I had put him on the 5 back on the flop. Why would I pay this bet? Why did I pay his flop bet? And sure enough, the river was a jack, giving me the boat. I checked, he bet his 200. And I paid him again, mucking almost as soon as I tossed in my chips and saying, "You have the 5, don't you?" He said he did. I actually never even saw it because I was disgusted with myself. I made a read and kept paying him for no particular reason. Funny part is...I hit my jack. I hit my out. And still knew I was beat. Why did I pay him off?

A few hands later in the small blind I picked up J/10. Todd made a raise to 3 times the blind. There were several people behind me, J/10 is a good drawing hand...I called, then folded to his flop bet.

Big blind again, with 9/8. Flop came nine high. I raised. Someone re-raised. I put him on over pair, folded. Someone else called but folded on the turn. Hey, a good fold! How did that happen?

Then I started getting blinded. I had lost a few chips here and there on those hands mentioned above. Got down to 1600 with blinds of 1/200, so 300/round, I had a shade over 5 times the M. I was looking for a spot to double up or get out completely. Picked up the dead mans hand. they folded to me on the button. Behind me were two people; Adam, a somewhat loose player, and John, a very tight player. I briefly analyzed my chances:

John will pretty much only call if he has me beat, and he is big blind; A/8 is odds on to have that hand crushed. Also odds on to have the small blind crushed, but Adam likes to gamble. He will call with any paint, maybe any connectors, and probably any ace so I have a pretty good chance of getting called. He loves to see the flop. However, if instead of going all in, John will call with a wider range of hands if I raise less.

So I raised 600, 3 times the blind. John looked at my chips and smiled, so he knew I was going to the felt. But first it was up to Adam. Adam hemmed and hawed, almost folded, but then said, "Well, I at least want to see the flop with these." and called. I put him on a marginal hand that is a good drawing hand. John folded. Flop was all rags, Adam did not like it, checked. I tossed in my last 1000. He almost folded straight away and I started rooting for him to call, putting him on something like K/Q, maybe Q/10, something like that...a couple over cards that in no way connected with the flop.

I changed my mind when he finally called...because he had Big Slick. And he hit the King on the turn so I was drawing dead.

Overall, had I just been playing good cards it would have been a good night. Instead I called off 600 chips, or 20% of my starting stack, when I read I was beat, gave away another 400 betting medium suited connectors...right there, on 2 hands, I gave away 33% of my starting stack. After that the blinds did not take long to put me in the danger zone, I made a correct read in that he did not like his hand on the final hand but an incorrect read as to the actual strength of his hand...but do not feel bad about that hand, actually. I had essentially gone all in pre-flop. Perhaps I should have waited for a better hand than A/8, but on the button it figures to be the strongest hand and I would probably do it again.

With 2 exceptions I would say I played okay, had I just kept my starting hand selection tight I would have done great. So at least I am not down on myself this round :-)