Key Hand #1
We're about an hour into proceedings and I've established a good image as the Table Captain by playing fearless, loose aggressive poker. I haven't won a great deal but have shown that I'll think nothing of throwing large amounts in the pot. I'm on the button and look down at a pair of black kings - I'm in one of the best situations to be in when you have the image of playing loose... well, you'd think that innit?It's limped all round to the hijack seat and I see another sight poker players dream of when they're on the button with KK; the player in the hijack seat reaches for his chips and throws in £11! He's got about £65 behind so I raise it to £32 with a view to shoving on the flop. He calls the £32. Great! There is no ace as the flop comes a harmless looking J 10 x. The villain checks and I go all-in for the rest of the villain's 30 or 40 quid. He calls and I once again feel my KKs have let me down again. Yep, he shows JJ and even gets another jack on the turn to give him quads.
One of these days I might actually win with KK but they've now cost me going on about £1000 in the four key hands in which I've held them in the second part of this year. Sigh.
Key Hand #2
This was a poorly played hand to be fair. I've clawed my stack back a bit by continuing to play loose aggressive poker but I start to get cocky. I'm in the SB with 34s and it's limped round to me so I complete but then see the BB bet it to £5. (From the BB this is a terrible play by the way.) Of course the two other players call and I, likewise, make the call. The flop comes something like A 3 7 and I check. The BB puts in a cautious £10 which gets two folds - but I elect to call as I have five outs and good implied odds.The turn comes a 5 and it's the same routine. I check and the villain throws in another wimpy looking £10 which I just have to call because I now have another four outs (the 2s) and the odds (particularly the implied odds) are so favourable. The river comes an ace so I have to check again and the villain puts in another £10. Yep, I guess I now have to reluctantly call that and muck when he flips over QQ. The message? Never play rags in the small blinds kids!
Key Hand #3
With my loose play still making life easy for me, I finally get a payoff hand. I look down at 88 in the SB. I don't know if it's limped for £2 or the £5 straddle but I complete anyway and about 4 or 5 players are looking at the 8 9 Q flop which contains two hearts (a tad dangerous). With so many draws out there, but with the possibility that I may hit a full-house I decide to bet out £50 straight away. Interestingly, it's called by a reluctant and cautious chap in mid-position (I put him on the flush draw) while it's raised all-in by the new but inexperienced looking player on the button who has £60 - so it's just an extra tenner to call and we do the necessary.
Of course, just to make it interesting, the dealer puts a jack out there on the turn. It's not a heart but luckily, the mid-position villain has the worst tell ever which says he missed. At this point, of course, in retrospect, I should have fired again but stupidly decide to check. The river thankfully doesn't complete the flush and mid-position man is clearly disappointed. (It still doesn't stop me stupidly putting in £75 on the river.) Mid-position man folds so it's a showdown between me and button-boy but he doesn't seem hopeful as he shows KK - and I take down a pot which contains about a £120 profit.
Key hand #4
Although I've only been playing for about two and a half hours, it's about 1:30AM and I'm getting a bit tired. I'm about £50 ahead and thoughts are turning to night-buses and trudging through the drunken late night revelers to get to the bus-stop. It's very hard to tell whether I played this last hand correctly because even though I gave my villain the right odds to call me down, I still think he would have called me down had I raised more.I'm out of position and up against the same chap who took me for about £35 at Key Hand #2. I'm looking at J 7 and seeing a 6 8 J flop. This time I decide to raise £10 and he calls. The turn comes a 7 giving me two pair so I throw in £15 - which he calls. (A weak bet in retrospect BUT I still think he would have called a much higher raise anyway as he was a fairly weak/loose passive player.) The river then comes a 4 and I automatically bet £25 without thinking the board through - suddenly the straight possibility dawns on me and I have a bad feeling. He calls and flips over 5 7 for the straight!
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With exactly the same amount as I had started with (£300) I decide that I'm too tired to play on, scoop up the chips and cashout. Thinking through the evening's play, I am encouraged once again by my newly-found aggressive moves and am very happy to have these new tools in the tool-box (or is it new weapons in the arsenal?) Yep, the 4 on the river in the very last hand made the difference between me being up £75+ on the night and breaking-even. But in a way, I may have saved money because I really felt this opponent would have called me down if I had put in a lot more on the flop and turn. I don't know, maybe I should be annoyed that I played the hand incorrectly?KH#1 was yet another cooler while holding KK and I don't think there was any way I was going to throw those in the muck on that flop. KH#2 was definitely poorly played and I probably shouldn't have even limped in for the £1. KH#3 was satisfying but, again in retrospect, if I had read my opponent as missing the turn I really should have put pressure on him with a large bet on the turn.
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Still, the confidence is still there to go onward and upward and I guess that's a very strong point in my favour.
Until next time...
Uncle Wobble.
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