How did that turn out?

With 4.52, I pick up pocket jacks utg and open to .30 playing 5/10. The small blind calls with 8.62 and we take the flop heads up.
5s/6s/8s/ I am not overly fond of this flop. I may have just flopped dead to running Jacks. He checks, I bet .40, he click-raises to .80.

Okay, if he actually had the flush, he raises bigger than that. If he has a set I also expect a pot-size bet. This feels like a bluff, drawing hand, or even two over cards trying to pick off a bluff continuation bet with nothing that will fold a dangerous flop. I call.

The turn is the irrelevant 2d, he checks, I bet 1.20 expecting him to fold. He calls. I now think he has Something, but not a lot…maybe pockets bigger than 8, maybe a straight draw, maybe even something like A/Q with one of them being a spade.

The river is the Ah which hit’s a lot of hands he could have. I do not particularly like it, but am happy when he checks. I am not raising again because if I do, I have to lay it down to any re-raise, but there is some chance I can win a show-down if he has a flush draw worse than an ace, a pair worse than Jacks, or a missed straight draw.

He shows the 7c/5c and he shows a mix of a couple of the things I thought he might have…lower pair, missed straight draw.

I am really working hard on going with hand ranges instead of specific hands, and it is paying off quite a bit. I add over 2 bucks to my stack and am rolling.


With 7.02, I have been quiet for a while. UTG+1 I pick up pocket 8s. Sometimes I fold them here, this time I open for .30. Middle position re-raises to .90 with 9.75 and I have a choice.

This is a tough spot for me. When I do flop my set, I tend to struggle to get paid off. I am perhaps too aggressive. At the same time, every so often someone will stack off and the raise is therefore .60 for potentially 7.02...uf U have 3 bucks or so, I have to fold here, but this time I call.


I love the flop…8d/6d/2h. I have the absolute nuts at the moment. I decide to go for the check raise. He obliges by betting a stout .90.

I figure he has an over pair and is trying to bet off the flush draw or maybe has the flush draw himself. I can either flat it or charge him for the flush draw. I choose the latter approach and raise the pot, 4.65,

He comes over the top and it is all in 1.47 to call, an easy call. I have the nuts at the moment, if he is on the flush draw I have the re-draw to the boat, and if he has an over pair or lower set I have him drawing very thing.

The fist-pump auto call shows him with pocket Kings, the turn and river brick (well, okay…the river pairs the board giving me 8s full of sixes) and I have a 13.25 balance.



I have decided I have been playing too tight lately and been trying to open with a wider range of hands and even, on occasion, call a speculative hand or two. So when utg+2 limps with 8.01, I limp behind with js/10s and 14.07. The big blind checks with 3.45 and we take the flop.





One reason people love to play J/10 is because any straight it hits, it is the nut straight so long as both cards are used. So when the flop is Kc/Qs/9h I am loving it. I flopped the nuts and very few cards can take it away. If someone flopped a set the chips are getting shipped, and otherwise only runner-runner can beat me.

The big blind checks, utg+2 min-raises. I have a choice to make. Big blind, I assume he hit nothing and is done with the hand. I have no idea whether the early limper hit anything or not. Should I call or raise?

I have the nuts and want the big blind to come along if at all possible. Plenty of time to raise on the turn if he folds so I flat it and the big blind indeed comes along.

The turn is the 5c and they both check. I should probably check here, but I do have 2 clubs on the board, the big blind over called, and I might get a call so I lead out for .30, about half the pot. The big blind folds, UTG+2 calls.

The river is the 8h, he checks. How much to bet? I have to decide between half pot, pot size, or over bet.

He open limped, under bet the flop, check-called the turn. He has at best a marginal hand so I doubt he will call a very big bet. I elect to bet half the pot and he folds.

I do not know if I would have gotten more action had I checked the turn or not…I doubt it. I think I like the line I took here as it built a pot that might have made it worth calling if he has something like K/10, A/9 type hands. In the end I flop a big hand and take a modest pot.

I am now faced with a tough decision. I have worked my way from 4 bucks up to about 15. With a big stack like that I can call more re-raises with speculative hands, open pots more aggressively...but I can also undo hours of good play with one silly call or ill-timed bluff or draw-chasing.

Also, playing Rush, I find I do better when I play more but shorter sessions...I tend to make better decisions. So I decide to pack it in for a while and go play some X-box.