Live poker...

I was able to play in a local live 1-2nl game that runs every Thursday night from 6pm-12midnight. I arrived around 7:30pm and the table was one short, so I was able to sit immediately. Most of the regulars sit with $200-$300 and a few stragglers will sit with $100-200. I bought in for $300 and just limp folded the first few orbits to see how the game was playing.

Compared to normal, it was playing fairly tight and passive...usually it's a very loose passive game. In the third orbit I chopped the blinds with the BB and commented that I haven't seen that happen in forever. BB told me it was the second time tonight in an hour and a half. A couple of hand later I get QQ in late position and open/raise to $12 and get no callers. I showed my QQ just to let them know it was for real.

I start raising more PF anywhere from $7 to $12, mostly with suited connectors and small pp, hoping to loosen everyone up and get the game going. Before you know it we have 6 and 7 way action on my PF raises. I raised Kd10d from late position with 3 limpers in front of me and I get 2 callers behind me and all of the PF limpers. So we have 6 to see the flop with $72 in the pot.

Flop was J85 rainbow...no diamonds. And it checks around to me in the cutoff... I check and the button says I have a hand, but I'm going to check. Turn is 3s putting 2 spades on the board...it checks all the way around again. River is the Kc and it checks to me and I bet $25. I get called by an early position player who shows K but mucks the other card. So you can see the type of play the goes on in this game. If you try to run over these players, they will call you down, so you better have the goods.

A few hands later I get QQ UTG and I raise to $12 again...I get 7 callers(Wow!) and I hear the dealer toward the end of the action say "that it is $10 around". I took that to mean someone had reraised another $10 dollars PF . So the dealer starts to roll out the flop and I blurt out, "wait a minute, don't I owe another $10 " She said "no, they all called your raise" I replied with "ok, damn!"

Flop comes out AQ2 and the BB leads for $25 and I put him on a big hand, as he normally doesn't take the lead unless he has a monster. I know it can't be AA, because he was the last to act and would have thinned the field with a PF 3-bet to give himself a better opportunity to win.
I figure he has AQ or AK more likely AQ. His bets are normally very small and in no way protects his hands or gives him value for his quality hands. So I raise to $75 thinning the field to just he and I heads up. If he leads out for more than $50, I probably just call hoping to build a big pot. His $25 bet with 6 more players to act behind me gives all the broadway gutshots odds to call and I don't want them hanging around.

He calls my $50 raise and the turn is 9c putting 2 clubs on the board. He checks and I bet $125...I almost checked behind just to show some weakness, but I really felt as though he had a huge hand and wasn't going anywhere. He debated for 4-5 minutes before folding, stating he had a set of 2's. I showed him QQ because he is a good friend and the dealer rolled off the river for fun...the case Q would have given me quads. After a few minutes of discussion of that hand...he says he folded because he knew I wanted to 4-bet PF when I thought someone had min raised me from the SB. I learned a lesson about keeping track of the action from that!!!

Oh well, still a good pot and an excellent analysis by my buddy laying down an under set. He knew I had QQ+ and I wouldn't have played postflop like I did with KK. The other two options had him dominated.

That hand put me up to $550 ($250 profit) and I didn't make many hands over the next 2.5 hours. I raised PF more than most players and I lost more pots than I won so I backed off the aggression and waited for some hands to play. I did steal one pot with a good turn check raise, knowing the type of hands my opponents were likely holding. I had 4h7h in the BB and 2 players limped in and I checked the BB. Flop come out A35 with 2 diamonds...so I have the double gut shot, but I don't like the diamonds. I check and the first player bets $10...other player calls and I call after debating 20 seconds. Turn was the Kc...I check...player bets $10 again (flush draw) and she calls(drawing too)...I took 15-20 seconds again and raised to $40, and they both mucked instantly. I had shown 2 other bluffs early in the evening, but I had re-established my good table image, and didn't want it to hurt me by showing again.

I stayed out of the way in most pots late in the evening until about 11:40pm. 20 minutes left, and this one particular player always starts bullying the table...most of the players left are the winners for the evening...and he knows they don't want to lose a big pot at the end of the evening and go home a loser. He raises my button to $7 and 1 player calls...and I try to steal the dead money by raising to $32 with Qc9h (junk). He looks a me for a few seconds and calls the $25 with the other player folding. He knows I'm capable of stealing...but its more likely I have a big hand.

Flop cames out 567 rainbow...he checks and I bet $55...he think and calls. Turn is the 9s giving me a pair but makes a 1-liner to the straight. He checks and I check behind...I know he can represent the straight here and I don't want to be check raised. River is the 2h and he leads out for $50. I put him on two over cards to the board, and he was just looking for a place to take this pot away by calling my flop bet. So I called the $50 after a minute of shuffling (6) $25 chips. I had a slight inkling to raise the river, but the prudent play was to call. I know he doesn't have a set...two pair is possible...but a bluff with 2 overs was most likely. I called and he mucks...I should have asked the dealer to show his hand, but I made my second mistake of the evening and let it go.

I ended up a $335 winner...I like the game, but I know too many people personally to play it every week. I usually show up once every month or two just to have a good time. My children are also involved in many activities that keep me away.

No limit poker can be a brutal game...it's hard to keep a good game forever. Eventually the best players have all the money and the game is over. By no means am I the best player in this game, but I do know it is a very profitable game for me to play. The best part is there is no rake other than tipping the dealer...she is always the big winner...usually clearing $200+ each Thursday. Thanks Shannon!