Back in the game.

SnG Account: $292
Ring account: $110


Not sure why I haven't posted in over six weeks but there you go - I'm back.

The six weeks have been pretty good. I got my bankroll to $500 and then withdrew half of it (exchange rate is really rubbish at the moment). With the $250 that I'm left with I've decided to expand my horizons and look for new games. For SnGs I'm moved up to $8 rooms. Same format: 10 ppl, 5 ppl paid, winner gets 30%. I've had two thirds and a second so far.

Mainly, though, I've been looking at cash rooms. First of all I played in $10 rooms but found that they always filled up to 10 players and found that difficult to contend with as I'm tight at a full table. So I look for 6-handed(ish) tables with low stacks so I can bully them with aggression pre-flop and continuation bets after the flop.

I was doing well until last Friday. Was playing in a room with a complete fish who had already gone broke once. He was raising ever flop and showing silly marginal hands all the time. So when I got dealt JJs I was pretty confident I could rinse some money off him. I rasied pre-flop. He called. Flop was 245 rainbow. I put him on an ace with a gutshot so maybe six outs. I put in a very large bet, he called. Queen came. Still wasn't concerned because he'd shown lots of As in showdowns. I decided to get most of his money in there and then with a big (twice the pot). He called. An A came. I knew now that I might be in trouble but with 20$ in the pot and with him having only $2 left I stuck him all in. He called and had A5. So I'd read him perfectly and he out drew me. Then, to compound matters, I had 99, raised pre flop. A couple of callers, flop was 425. Someone puts in a sizable bet, I reraise and he calls. Turn is another 4. Guy goes all in, at this point I should be sensing something is wrong but I'm still steaming from the other hand and call. He shows 42s for a full house. Alright, I made a bad call, but his pre flop call with the 42 is bad - unless he knew I was slightly tilty.

I cooled down for a couple of days after that and tried again a couple of days later and this time I was on the right end of a big pot. I get QQ. There is a raise and a re-raise, still only $1.10 to call ($0.25 big blinds) but I guess I'm behind and need to hit a set. There are about four callers and the flop comes QJ4 with two diamonds. I sigh and say to myself 'well, I'm ahead but I need to thin this field to one ideally.' The original re-raiser sticks in $4 so I put him on an over pocket pair or a lower set which is perfect. I re-raise to $10, another goes all-in for about $7. All right, nothing I can do about him, not sure what he has but I've got the nuts at the moment. Turn is a low black card (not too sure what), the other active player now puts me all in (about $13). I still put him on a over pocket pair and I have to call knowing I have the current nuts. I do call. The pot is now $72.

The all in guy from earlier shows A7d - alright, a flush draw that a short stack is likely to play.
The active player shows KK - a perfect read with a hand he couldn't get away from despite my re-raise on the flop.

The river misses them both and I collect $73, my biggest ever single pot.

The KK guy might be annoyed about being sucked out on the flop, but I called for value pre-flop and showed him I meant business on the flop. If I'd got sucked out then I might have quit cash games for good. Instead I'm pleased so far with my progress. The swings are massive though. There can be long periods when nothing happens and then for 10 second your heart is pumping like mad.

But the fish is alive and in good shape... until the next bad beat.