Hot Live Action

It's starting to happen...fewer hours of play (and poor results to boot) and less time to write posts. Right now it's because of a busy stretch of work, but I've got a baby coming in a month! I'm obviously expecting a slowdown then, but I'm hoping it won't be a complete stoppage. Let's see, what options might I have?

Learn the precarious art of belching baby on left shoulder while multi-table grinding with right?

Train baby early on to be soothed and calmed by the frequent sound of Full Tilt deal and bet sound effects?

Ask local poker rooms for possibility of in-house Day Care? (Wait, this really might not be a bad idea)

Dads, give me some advice here. Did you have to shut it down with a baby in the house? If you were able to keep playing, how did you squeeze it in?

I do have some updates and recaps to drop here. I got in a few sessions online this past weekend, but I'm going to post about that tomorrow, because I got to play a live 1-2NL game last night, and I want to post about that while it's still fresh.

So I hit a new poker house last night with friend Dave, resulting in two new things:
1) I now have potential place to play every single night of the week (Wheeee!)
2) I now have a place to play that is less than 5 minutes from my house (Gulp.)

I played real tight at the start, and didn't pick up many hands to play. I had AK maybe 3 times, and twice I raised, only to get reraised by the player to my immediate left, then call, miss the flop, and give up. The second time, I thought about overpushing, as two more players had called the reraise to $30, but I lost my nerve and have been beating myself up since.

After starting at $160, I floundered around and was sitting at about $125 when I picked up QQ in the CO, raised to $17, and got just one caller, a guy named Ed, from the BB, a loose aggressive player who I knew would be putting me on a strong holding. The flop came 7-7-K and he led out for $25. It seemed like a feeler, and knowing my reputation, I figured a push might shake off a weak K, so I moved my remaining $105 in. He insta-called and turned over 7-9 offsuit. Rebuy!

I was a bit frustrated but I bore down, waiting for a decent hand or a nice flop to finally arrive. But it was pretty slim. I took down several pots with a PFR + C-bet, but I still couldn't hit a thing. The one set I hit was with KK, but I didn't get any action on the flop.

When I finally picked up AA, I got 4 players to call my PFR to $15 from the BB. The flop came Q-high with 2 hearts and one spade. I C-bet for $25 and got one caller. The river was a low spade. I fired $40, and my opponent called again. The river was a third small spade, I checked, my opponent checked, and I turned up my hand. He groaned in frustration, flipped over the Q-9, then realized they were both spades. He had river the backdoor flush and not realized it! So I was torn between being pissed about the BS backdoor flush, and happy that my opponent passed on the opportunity to extract another bet from me on the river.

The very next hand I picked up KK, but after a C-bet on a 10-9-7 flop, an 8 hit the board and I had to give the hand up to a big bet. I finally get a run of cards, but some awful boards and bad luck, and I'm out another $100+ in the process.

At this point, it's getting late, but you don't just go home, not without at least one nice hand to show for your time, you know? It's depressing enough to get hosed for an entire session, but to not even have one somewhat redeeming hand? So I asked for another $100 behind, and shortly thereafter, this hand went down... After one EP limper, I picked up 6d-4d in MP, limped for $2, the Button limped, and Ed, in the SB, raised to $17. The EP limper called, and so did I, having transformed into a late-night, loss-chasing donkey. We saw the flop 4-handed. It came 2-4-6, with 2 hearts and 1 club. It checked to me and I bet $30. Only Ed called and the turn was the 10c. Ed checked and I bet another $50. Unless he had a flopped straight or a set, I couldn't see how I was behind. And I couldn't see Ed playing a monster like that so slowly. He called my $50, and the river brought the Jh. He checked, and after a minute of deliberating, I figured I was almost surely good, but that I might get him to call a desperate looking push, with him putting me on a missed straight or flush draw. I put in my last $110. Ed went in the tank, and finally called, turning over the Jc-7c, having rivered top pair, thinking I had either a missed draw or a small pair on the flop. I showed my 6-4, and raked a $400 pot, bringing me almost back to even on the night.

It being late, and finally having some satisfaction with a good hand, I shortly thereafter called last round. It came to my final hand, and I want to see how people would play this one:

Notes: Ed is loose-aggressive, frequently raising PF with a wide range, and seemed to bet his made hands regularly. UTG+1 has only been in for 2 rounds or so, and I have little info or reads on.

Position: UTG
Stack: $390
Hand: Ac-8c
Action: I limp for $2, UTG+1 limps, Ed raises to $15, it folds around, I call, UTG+1 calls.
Pot: $45

Flop: Ad-Jh-4c
Action: I check (considering a raise or call if Ed C-bets), UTG+1 checks, Ed checks

Turn: 8s
Action: I bet $25, UTG+1 calls, Ed folds
Pot: $95

River: Ks
Action: What does our Hero do here? I decided to check, thinking my best chance to make money here is to check-call, and because I don't want to face a raise. UTG+1 deliberates and then bets out $100 (river PSB!). What is Hero's action here? What do we put the villain on?

Results of this hand, and final results for my night, tomorrow.