Home Game

There is always a home game w/ my buddies on Monday nights and I really want to play. Couple of text messages and phones calls and the game was set. 930pm was game time.

Buy-in was decided on $40, w/ ten guys, total prizepool of $400 bucks. top 3 are paid, w/ 3rd getting there money, 2nd $120 and 1st $240. starting stacks are T5000 w/ 15 minute blind levels, blinds start at 25/50, to 50/100/ to 75/150 and so on. No antes.

First hand that I get involved in.

UTG+1 min-raises to 100. folds around to the button
Button folds
SB (me) calls (10,7 spades)
BB calls

Pot 300

UTG+1, I have never seen, and never played with, but did play an earlier hand w/ 42 of hearts. in the small blind.

BB, the "young kid" at the table, loose and semi-aggressive.

Flop comes
3, 9, 8, rainbow.

SB (me) check, (planning on checking/raising)
BB checks, (would have bet, if he pair)
UTG+1 bets T800. T800???? into a T300 pot??????

My thoughts big pair JJ or QQ, then thought maybe a set, but highly unlikely, then it turn into a big Ace, maybe A9/A8. Whatever I thought, I knew it was weak.

Still early and the option of a rebuy (though most us dont, just in cases of an extreme suckout). I called the oversized bet.

BB folds. Now headsup.

Turn Q

no flush draw possible only a straight draw possible

Again I check.

UTG+1 stutters for a second, while looking at his chips. and throws in T1500.

WoW! Now I'm confused. I'm up and down and I hit my card, I stack this fool.

I call again.

river. 3. Brick. Ok, not betting and not calling. no pair, and missed my draw.

UTG+1 checks behind. What? No value bet? He turns up QJ. QJ? Q f'in J?

Whatever. I just knew the flop bet was screaming weak!

Ok, I down half my starting stack.

Back to tight. Few hands later, after picking up a couple of key small pots, i'm back close to my starting stack. probably T4500 or so.

This is the fist time I raise all night. I'm in the cutoff w/ 10,6 of diamonds. I dont want action at all, just looking to steal the blinds.

Button folds
SB calls
BB calls

BB is now the UTG+1 guy from previous hand.
Flop is

A,3, 7. Ugly. Horrible. Gross.
SB checks (pussy)
BB checks (pussy)
Me check. (wasnt looking for action)

Turn 8
SB checks
BB checks.
Me check. (drawing again, but I know one of them has an Ace, and is not betting it)

River 9.
SB checks. (pussy)
BB checks. (pussy)
Me. Woot! Woot!. I fire 600 into a 900 pot.

SB folds.
BB. thinks for a second and says I dont think you have an Ace and calls.
In true "Rounders" fashion, I said no I dont have the Ace. I have the nuts!

While the next hand is being dealt. The guy asked me, "What were you trying to accomplish w/ that hand?"

I said "Honestly, nothing, just trying to play poker, w/o any action."
then he asked "What was the bet for on the river?"

I said "Value, trying to get paid off, w/ someone holding an Ace." I said "You had an Ace didnt you?"

He says "yeah AQ"

I said "no way, no re-raised, preflop?, no flop bet?, no turn bet?, not even a river bet?

Now if he would have re-raised preflop or even bet the flop, I was done w/ the hand.

But they let me catch up and take down, a helping pot.

Play is moving fast and I'm now getting hit w/ the deck.

KK vs JJ,
AA vs 10's
KK vs 99's

I knockout 3 people myself in the spand of 15 hands. We are now 4 hand and on the "money bubble" there is a shorty and the rest of us are just about even in chips, w/ me probably having a slight chip lead.

Shorty push A,10
Gets called by A,K
and Big slick holds.

3-hand,

first couple of orbits, trade chips.

then the worse feeling that any poker player can have.

AA vs KK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank god I'm not in the hand. After all the chips were counted, the shorter stack had double and the bigger stack, still had chips

Still
3-hand.

I pick a couple of pots stealing w/ A high.

I double the shorty up. A8 vs A10. Blah.

Two hands later I get my chips back from the shorty

QQ vs 77, the bitches hold, and now we are headsup.

We count chips I hold a slight chip lead 30k to 20k.

With the other guy being a teacher and needing to be up early we came to a decision of each taking $160 and playing for the leftover $40 bucks.

This didnt take long as we start at 1k/2k w/ 10 minute blind levels.

about the 10th hand in, with me holding the lead. I raise w/ KJo and get called.

Flop comes 6,9,J. all clubs.

I push (w/ no club) and he calls.

KJ vs QJ, and he has no club

Turn brick, but a club

River brick.

Booooooooooooommmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm! Woot! Woot

I take down a much need win and boost my confidence.