When I was down to $17, I made a push all in with A-Q and was called by A-J. After it held up I won a few more small to medium-sized pots and was sitting pretty at about $70. That gave me enough to get back in a groove and play some hands normally. It was at this time that I was dealt Q-J of hearts. After limping in for $2 a guy four to my left went all in for $7 more. One guy called and it was back on me. I was about to fold but decided to see what happened on the flop, so I called.
The flop came out Q-J-6 rainbow. The first guy to act bet $15. Of course I am going to play this hand, but it is a question as to what to do from here. A call of the $15 bet would leave me with $46. The guy betting had me covered by about $30. I decided to simply call and slow-play my hand.
The turn was another queen, giving me the nuts. The first guy to act bet $30. So by this point, if I call, I will have $16 left. I figured the bettor (who was pretty timid and didn't seem like a big bluffer) had enough of a hand to call $16 more dollars should I go all in, considering there was now $135 in the pot (including my call and raise). I did go all in and it didn't take long for the other guy to fold. I was truly shocked by this. I flipped my hand up and the guy that was already all in threw his cards in the muck before a river ever came.
The next big pot I won was with A-10 when I tried to get things heads-up between me and a short stack. I was the big blind and the guy on my left called the $2. The next player raised it to $8. It folded around to the small blind, who called. I looked down and saw my hand, deciding to raise it up and take a chance at playing the initial raiser only, who had about $35 more. I made it $25 to go, thinking that was enough to get things down to two players. Not only was I wrong about the number of people who would be playing the hand from that point on, but about who those players were going to be.
The guy to my left thought for a long time and decided to call. The initial raiser folded. The small blind called. So that's three players and none of them were all in. By the end of the hand, I had a pair of aces that ended up winning the hand. I can't recall exactly what took place throughout the hand, but I know the flop was checked and that led to me hitting my ace and ultimately having the best hand on the turn.
The most frustrating hand of the night for me was when I folded what would have ended up the winning hand, but it was a correct fold at the time. I had 9-7 and saw a flop of 10-7-3 with two spades. The player to my right bet and I decided to see one more card and see what happened. After calling it ended up just the two of us playing throughout the hand.
The turn was a non-spade nine giving me two pair. My opponent bet $20 and I decided to play the hand aggressively and raise. I made it $60 to go ($40 more). The guy thought for a little while and made it look like he was going to raise. I told him I had $160 more if that influenced his decision. He thought a little longer and said he would go all in (which put me all in). The guy had been on a huge winning streak and been hitting hands for the past 15 minutes. I knew for a fact that he was playing hands like 9-5 offsuit simply to see if he could get lucky. He could have had two pair also, a flush draw or absolutely nothing and was trying to push me off my hand.
I thought for a long time and decided to lay my hand down. When my opponent showed J-8 for the straight I was relieved to know I had made a good lay down, until they rabbit hunted and showed a nine on the river that would have given me a full house and the pot.
The last big pot of consequence for me was when I held 5-6 on what was said to be the last hand of the night (but ended up not being so). With four of us playing the hand, the flop came 9-8-7 rainbow. I decided I didn't want to slow play the hand because being the last hand of the night I figured I would get a little action anyway and I had already lost two flopped straights that night anyway. So I bet $15 into a pot of $20 (it had been straddled pre-flop). Two players called my bet and it got to the guy I had ridden out to the game with. He said he had A-10 and wanted to call hoping for a straight. He decided to fold and take a break even for the evening (which eventually didn't end up happening).
So then there were three of us for the turn, which was a nine. After losing twice already when I had a flopped straight I figured I was beat now and wanted to take things a little slower, not wanting to lose a ton of money on the last hand of the night. I checked it and the guy to my left bet $25 (the pot had $65). The next guy called quickly and I decided to simply call. So now the pot has $140.
The river was a jack, making it to where only a ten is needed for the straight. I again checked and the same player who bet $25 on the turn made a $25 bet on the river. The next guy thought for a little bit. While he was thinking I decided if he called or raised then I couldn't continue on and call. But if he folded then I would call. The guy ended up folding and so I called. The bettor had a nine, but nothing to go with it for the full house. That pot put me up to the $510 range and I folded the last few hands of the night (minus a $2 blind).
The night went well obviously, but the money won isn't going toward starting a new bankroll yet. So until I play again.
