Thursday at Dave's

Well, it was another wild and wacky one last night. During the first four hours (if my math is correct), I believe I flopped the nut straight 1,426 times in Omaha 8, and 1,426 times the turn either paired the board or brought the third flush card. 569 times I flopped the nut low, and 569 times the case ace came on the turn to counterfeit me. Also, there were 731 hands where I flopped a set or flush draw, and 731 times someone else made the nut straight on the turn.

I love this game.

After a big night Tuesday, it was looking like I was going to give some of it back. Poker is a streaky game though. After my third or fourth rebuy, I finally started to build my stack. Like Tuesday, most of the pots I won were medium-sized, with one or two exceptions. The most notable one was against Eli. I said I wasn’t going to post it, but Dave goaded me into it, so here goes…

NLHE $2/5 – there are several limpers, and when the action gets to me in the small blind, I look down to find Q-Q. I think I raise $35, and get three or four callers. The flop comes Q-6-5 rainbow – woo hoo! I lead out with a $50 bet, Dave calls, and Eli raises to $150 on the button. Though Dave can have anything, I decide to take a small chance and not re-raise. I like the flop so much that I want Dave in as well, and I’m also not quite ready to tip off the strength of my hand just yet. Of course, I’m hoping that Eli has small set that he won’t be able to get away from. I call and Dave calls as well.

The turn brings a 9 (it’s probably too much to ask for Dave to have pocket nines, but you know me…). I check, and when Dave checks I figure he’s pretty much done with the hand. Eli bets something like $125 or $150, and since I’m pretty sure he’s committed at this point, I push in the remainder ($350 maybe?). Dave folds, and Eli asks if I have queens before calling and turning over his small set. Pretty tough to lay down any set, even a small one, in a cash game when there’s no obvious straight or flush out there. My queens hold up, as we both boat up on the river.

As bad as my luck was early on, Eli’s was just as bad. He got cold-decked several times in large pots, and it seemed he got drawn out on most of the other times. As for me, the luck turned around later, when I actually had a few hands hold up (what’s the world coming to?)! What looked to be a losing night ended with me cashing out with over $3K. Unfortunately, I had to play until I had to go to work in order to get those chips, so I’m working on no sleep yet again. I need to sneak out early and get and hour or two sleep before Omaha night at PKR. With any luck I hope to make $1-2K tonight, then go win the tournament again tomorrow. Yes, I know it’s the same plan as every week, but you know what they say; if it ain’t broke…

See ya at the tables…
Rick