Sunday Morning Coming Down

Well I said I hoped I could make it through the night without screwing up, and except for horribly misplaying Aces for the second time in as many games, I did okay. I hit a flaming ton of stuff, and made some good moves when I needed to as well. I did have to go two buy-ins deep, but ended up positive by more than five buy-ins, so it was a worthwhile endeavor. Two big hands for me on the evening.

Here's the one where I misplayed my Aces, trying to get more money in the pot. We're down to 5 or six-handed at this point from a high of 12-handed. I've picked up Aces after an evening of doing very well with almost all garbage hands, suited gap hands, crap like that. This is only the second decent pocket pair I'd started with, after losing with JJ earlier. Three limpers and I pop it to $3, pretty much the standard raise for the night. Three callers.

Warbucks bets $5 on the flop of AsKsXd. I elect to call here (MISTAKE #1) because I see Leo, the new guy to the game holding a $5 chip in his hand, ready to call and with top set I want his money. Had I thought a little more clearly I would have remembered his willingness to call big bets, and popped it to $20 or so. Warbucks bets $5 blind before the turn comes, and this time I think I raise (memory a little fuzzy, might have just called). Either way, if I raised, it was only $10 into a $40 pot at that point, so it wasn't enough, especially since the turn was a 10d, putting a lot of draws out there. River is the 3d, Warbucks checks, and for some reason I decide to shove with top set regardless of the completed straight and flush draw laying out there.

Of course I'm called in two places, Warbucks tables the diamond flush that I let him get, and I double him up (and then some, since there were two of us in the hand). I got greedy, and I got punished. Had I raised the flop hard, and then bet hard on the turn I could have gotten him to lay down 2nd pair with a flush draw, although it would have taken two big bets. I think I could have done it if I popped it to $20 on the flop and then shoved on the turn, but we'll never really know. Warbucks was holding second pair, no kicker, and might not have been willing to risk all his chips on a draw, but it was getting late and he may have been willing to go there. Regardless, I played Aces poorly for two straight sessions, so I might need to reevaluate that a touch.

My other big hand was a litte more pleasant in its outcome for me. I called a preflop raise with K5c, flop comes down with 2 clubs. Gregor had raised to $3.50 preflop and Warbucks makes it $10 to go on the flop. I pop it to $30 and Gregor shove all in for another $40 on top. Leo folds, Warbucks thinks about it and folds. I look at it, count it out, and realize I've got to call $40 to pick up about $110 and make the call. Odds-wise it was marginal, but when the club peeled off on the turn it paid off. Gregor had a horrible night, so I felt a little bad about stacking him, but that passed pretty quickly. I'd make that call again most every day.

Certainly the biggest home game we've had in a long while, and with a shitload of chips flying around. I had almost every chip in my cash set in play by the time we finished up, so that was impressive. I think most folks had a good time, even the ones that were down for the night. It'll be a couple weeks before we can play again because of rehearsals and stuff. Which reminds me, I gotta go build a set.