Live Session #51: Back In The Game - Part 1

Before relating the story of yesterday evening's six hour session, I just want to say "thanks" to Wongaman for responding to each of the points that I made in Wednesday's post about the qualities needed to make "proper" money at online poker. I appreciate the comments which still don't hide the fact that to really make it big at the online game, you still need to have certain traits, certain skills and to be of a certain character to properly crack it - and my hat goes off to anyone who can do this. Personally, after pondering my own attitude, approach and temperament, I have realised that it's best for me to just leave online poker to one side for the time being and to enjoy poker in the form of the occasional live cash game at the London casinos and poker clubs.

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After a short nap following a busy day at work, yesterday saw me heading into town at about 8:30PM for a cash game session at The Empire. This was to be my first live session in over a month and I was looking forward to seeing how I would handle it. The place was absolutely packed with all nine tables full to the brim and a waiting list which was soon to get as long as my arm. Luckily, I got in before the rush and swiped my card to put me 8th on the list. I got seated after a 30 minute wait but this went by fairly swiftly thanks to good ol' Depeche Mode who gave smooth aural nourishment through my Ipod while I waited.

I took my place at Seat 9 at about 10PM at a table where most players held stacks of about £100-£200 except for a slightly inebriated city-type gentleman who had about £600 in front of him. I bought in for £300 and settled down.

Key Hand #1

Bosh! On my very first hand, before the floor manager has even come back with my chips, I look down at AA!! I raise it to £10 and get two callers. The dealer brings a low and uncoordinated rainbow flop and I fire out £25 after it's checked round to me. I get one caller. The turn brings a harmless looking card so I look at my villain's stack, see he has about £100 behind so announce "all-in!" He folds. I jokingly wish everyone goodnight as I go to take my chips and leave - but I'm happy to start the session with an extra £40 in my starting stack after hand number one.

Key Hand #2

Needless to say, over the next hour and a half I get dealt complete garbage. It's a fairly lively table and there's no real need to get tricky but my £340 stack has soon been whittled down to about £250. Perhaps it's through sheer boredom but I then play a hand worthy of the table fish. I look down at A 10 of hearts in middle position and I'm seeing the flop which comes 2 9 7 with two hearts. It's 3-handed and Mr Drunk City-Type Man throws in £20 which I think is worth calling. However, before it's on me Mr Old Man, who's next to act, throws in his entire £75 stack. I'm imagining that were I to call this, Mr DCTM would come along for the ride to give me the right odds for my flush-draw and make my call correct (but still just as a bog-standard gamble).

Feeling it's worth a punt (I have overcards as well) I call the £75, start to realise that I'll have to commit all my chips if Mr DCTM goes all-in, and am ultimately quite pleased that he ends up folding - even though this now makes my call a dubious decision. The turn and river brings a king and an x but no heart and the villain shows K 2 for two pair meaning he went all-in, on the flop, with just bottom pair. Still, this takes another big dent out of my stack, not to say my ego, as I'm now looking at just around £180 in chips.

Key Hand #3

I've been chugging along (badly) for about 2 hours but feel a sense of hope as I look down at AA under-the-gun. The table has been very lively with almost a 100% rate of raises going in preflop. Therefore, I reckon a slowplay manoeuvre is necessary here so I just limp. You've guessed it - it's folded, yes FOLDED all the way round to the small blind who just completes and the big blind who just checks. For the love of my huge arse!! What the fuck is this!?

The flop comes 4 6 7 with two suits and Mr Old Man (from Key Hand #1), who hasn't played a hand in a while, makes it £7. I'm thinking maybe he has a 5 or the 7 so I min-raise it up to £14 expecting a flat-call. If I'm right about my read, I'll figure he'll call as I just don't think he's capable of re-raising on a bluff. But what the bleedin' blue blazes is this all about!? He goes and chucks in another 55 bleedin' quid!! Apart from Key Hand #1, this move is out of character from this player and I re-evaluate the hand - now putting him on two pair - and reluctantly have to let my AA go. Jesus Christ!

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With the time at midnight, and after a 2 hour session, I take stock of the situation and inject a bit of logic in the manner that Jared Tendler suggested... It is NOT a particularly tough table as I have identfied the playing styles of all the players and NO ONE is particularly tricky or hard to read. I figure that if I just sit tight and wait, I'll be able to weave the wobbly magic at some point and reap some rewards. Luckily, this does indeed happen and in Part 2 I'll tell you about one of my biggest winning pots of the year. Hurrah!