Felt

I played very well last night.  Within the first ten hands, I found a way to lay down pocket Aces on the turn.  I had them on the button and raised accordingly getting a lone caller in the blinds.  The flop came QJx and the blind checked.  I bet 80% of the pot and the blind called.  Turn was a T and the blind led out.  I mucked.  I think I was up against two-pair at a minimum and even though I could have been ahead, I figured I’d find better spots during the session.  I felt good.

Better spot #1 saw me flop a set of 6’s on a J-high, rainbow board.  I felt the board was safe enough to slow play so I checked.  The button bet pot, which is a common tactic in a checked around garbage flop.  I called intending to check-raise the turn.  The turn paired the Jack and boated me up.  I hoped my opponent held a Jack and would not pair his kicker.  Button bets pot and I dutifully check-raise 3x his bet.  He takes some time but calls.  If that doesn’t cement the trips, I don’t know what does.  The river came an 8 and unless he held J8, I was ahead.  I pushed.  He called with JT.  I won.  I felt good.

I believe over the course of the next hour of so while multi-tabling a PLO8 $10+1 tourney with G-Rob, I busted 3 short-stacks to more than triple my buy-in.  I felt good.

I found pocket T’s on the BB and called a raise from the button.  Both of us saw a T-high flop with two hearts.  I put my opponent on JJ-AA,AK,AQ.  I’m currently worried about AKh  and AQh and quite fine with the rest.  I check.  Opponent bets and I check-raise 3x his bet.  He calls.  Turn is the Ah completing the flush draw.  I worry about AA a bit, but every other holding I originally put him on does not give him a flush.  I check, he bets, I check-raise him again 3x his bet.  He takes some time, but calls.  The river is an off-suit Jack and with the pot size currently twice the size of his stack, I put him all in.  He calls.  With pocket Jacks.  He doesn’t hold the Jack of hearts.  I felt lousy.

I felt my play deteriorate from there and couldn’t get away from the thought of having a 4.5x buy-in stack to work with.  I took my much smaller than should have been profit and went to bed.

I woke up.

I felt good.