Easy Game

I went out to Ventura a couple of Saturdays ago to play some poker for my first session since getting back from Vegas. I was playing 1/2 with a $50 minimum buy-in and a $100 max.

The highlight was a questionable move on my part which somehow paid off. I was down to $69 when I limped in with Ace-5 of clubs. The guy behind me made it $10 and there was a call, so I called. I recognized the player who raised. He's a regular and very aggressive.  I knew he usually plays bigger games. I was pretty sure he was waiting for a seat to open at the 3/5 game. I figured if I caught something he would pay me off.  I also had the other player involved to give me better odds. It seem like a worthwhile risk.

I didn't write down the specific cards, but I flopped the flush draw. I checked and the initial raiser bet $30.  The other player folded. With only $59 left, I really didn't have enough money to get paid properly if I called and hit my flush. But it was close and I felt pretty sure that I’d get a double up if I hit my flush. And it's hard to double up in this game. So I leaned towards staying in the hand.

Once that was decided, it was only a matter of whether I should call or just shove. If another club came on the turn, I really figured that this guy was likely to pay me off, but I understood that there was a chance the third club would scare him. On the other hand, I didn't really think I had much fold equity. From what I knew about this guy, there was almost no way he would fold if I shoved. I guess maybe if he had made a continuation bet with total air, then maybe he would fold. But otherwise he was going to call, and then I get my double up if I actually hit my flush.

Since I was pretty much committed to risking everything on the flush draw, I decided to go ahead and go all-in. Of course he wasted little time in calling me.

Well the board bricked out, and I was left with nothing but Ace-high. Neither one of us was eager to show our hands, but I finally did. I said “I just have Ace-high.”  To my surprise, he stared at my hand for a few seconds, and then said “You're good.” But he kept staring at my hand, and finally said, “Oh, you bluffed, huh?”

I didn't respond. I guess he’d never seen a semi-bluff before. Whatever, I was certainly delighted to win the hand and get a double up with Ace-high. He later said he had King-Jack and missed his straight.

Easy game.

I couldn't stay in the black for the rest of the session. I was down a little when I got pocket 8's. A lady with a big stack raise to $10, I called. Then the guy on my immediate left shoved his last $20. The lady called so I figured I would call too.  The flop was 9-high, the lady checked and I checked behind. The turn put a second 9 on the board.  This time the lady bet $14.  I didn't think the 9 helped her at all, and I thought she probably had an Ace-King type hand. Of course if I had folded there and that's what she had, she wouldn't get any money unless her AK could also beat the all-in’s hand. But she might have figured that the short stack’s hand was weaker than my hand. Anyway, I called.

The river was a blank and this time she checked. I checked behind and sure enough she showed Ace-King. So I took the side pot but the shortstack showed pocket Aces.

With pocket Queens I made it $8 after one player limped in. Only the limper called. The flop was Jack-10-9, two  diamonds. I bet $15 and he called. The turn was the King of clubs and I bet $20. He tanked for a while but then folded.

I called $6 with pocket 5’s and it was four ways. The flop was 8-7-5 with two clubs. The preflop raiser shoved his last $19. I called and it was heads up. The turn was the third club, but the river was an 8, filling me up. He didn't show.

I was able to leave with a small profit and call it a day.