A Pretty Good Start to 2008

It seems like my regular Riverchasers games are dropping like flies. I used to be able find a game within 5 minutes of my house 3 or 4 nights a week but, now, any convenient game timewise involves a 20-30 minute commute. It's not going to stop me from going, of course, I still need those nights out of the house to keep me sane. Just saying is all.

So last night I cruised over to the game in Norristown which isn't too far and didn't start until 9:00. That gave me a chance to get the girls through their baths and help get them into bed before I needed to leave. Of course, it was the final Monday night game at that venue so I once again need to find a good, convenient place to play.

Anywho, there were somewhere around 20 players (maybe a few more that trickled in late) and I was sitting at one of the craziest starting tables I'd ever been at. And to say a riverchasers table is extra crazy is really making a statement. By the time we finished level 2, I don't think I had put a single chip into the pot except when in the blinds and one player had already increased his stack between 3 and 4 fold. People were literally handing him chips calling large bets with hands like second pair when he had already made the nut flush. Oh, and for an entire orbit at 1/2, the standard preflop raise was 12.5x BB. Nutty.

The first hand I actually got involved with was at 3/6. I had 44 in the BB decided and decided to check my option and actually get to see a cheap flop of J♣3♣2♣. Even though I held the 4♣, I wasn't all that happy with the flop and I was OOP so I checked behind the SB and was happy to see that so did everyone else. Then a 4♠ on the turn and all hell broke loose. SB bet out about 1/2 of the pot and I called. After a fold, UTG+1 went all in for about a pot sized raise. Button folds and so does SB, but only after tanking for about a minute. Now, I was most worried about a medium sized made flush, but that was only one possibility and I wasn't drawing dead even if that was what he had. I figured that, most probably, I was ahead and that he had a flush draw plus either a piece of the board or 2 overs. It is quite uncommon that I'm going to lay down 2nd set at a riverchasers freeroll. I call and my read was exactly right. 77 with the 7♣. He groaned as I flipped my set but, for some reason, the SB started yelling "c'mon, pair the board!". He was absolutely elated that the board paired the 3 on the river. He had turned a wheel and folded to the all in. Wow.

I picked up a few more chips with a check raise out of the BB with flopped trips and then watched QJs crack KK and 77 with runner-runner-runner straight. I wasn't in that hand but it was pretty funny. UTG limps for 10. UTG+1 asks me to change his single black 100 chip and then goes all in for 100. Not to be outdone, a medium stack in MP also asks for change of a black, then reraises all in. Classic. Original limper hems and haws and finally says F it and calls all in. Limper scooped and 77 boy was out.

Now the hand that got me over the hump and into contention. I get two black tens UTG and raise 3.5x BB. Only the blinds call. Flop comes 5♣8♣9♣. SB bets less than 1/3 of the pot and the BB calls. I'm not exactly sure where I am but, getting 6:1, I'll see what the turn brings. Q♣. Now I'm pretty sure I'm up against another flush, but how big? SB bets 1/10 of the pot and BB folds. What the hell do I make of THAT? Seems a little small for a value bet. Could my T♣ be good here? I call and the river brings an offsuit 3. SB now bets 1/12 of the pot and there're just too many chips in the middle to fold. He shows A♥6♣. Nice.

Not much later, we go to the final table of 9. Expectedly, the shorties are pushing and busting and we get down to 6. Blinds are 50/100 and I'm sitting on almost 600, about middle of the pack. UTG shoves for 100 more and I find AQ. Time to isolate with an all in reraise and UTG flips (with a groan) KQ. Best hand holds and there's another 350 chips for my stack. At this point, I start stealing like crazy. 66. A7o. KQo. Mostly from the button or blind vs. blind but it worked every time. We finally get down to 3 players and we're all pretty even. Somehow, two of us split the third guy's chips almost evenly before I bust him. I'm in the BB for 200 and he raises all in to 250 from the SB. I throw in 2 green chips without looking and he flips AT. I have T9. Well, that's about as bad as it could be, but it's not worse than 9:1 so the dark call is fine. 9 on the river and we're heads up just about even.

Since it's already almost midnight and I'm looking at about 5 hours of sleep max ahead of me, I ask him if he wants to chop and he agrees. We play 1 hand face up for first place points, and A7 > 89 so, officially, IGH second. I'm pretty sure I would've taken it down, but I really didn't want to spend another 20-30 minutes for 4 points and $15. I'm really happy how I mixed up my play a bit and was able to exploit my tight image against the players who I knew were paying attention. Let's hope this will be a continuing trend.

Exchange of the night:

Player 1 shows AA at showdown
Player2: 'You limped with aces pre-flop?'
Player1: 'I didn't limp.'
Player2: 'Did you raise pre-flop?'
Player1: 'No.'
Player2: 'Then you limped...'
Player1: 'It's not limping unless you're playing shitty cards.'
Player2: 'No, that's called limping with shitty cards.'