Foxwoods session, part II.

I moved to a table where I had to wait 4 hands in order for the BB to hit me rather than post. In these 4 hands, the pot was over $400 each time! I was already liking my chances here and felt I'd be able to get paid off really well. Of course, upon posting there was a straddle put on in my BB. The table seemed a lot looser than before and more willing to come into pots. Seemed like a very profitable situation lining up for my tight-aggressive style.

HAND #1:

About a rotation and a half in at the new table I was dealt AJo in the hijack.
UTG+1 raises to $12, MP calls, I call, button calls, BB calls.
Flop comes K T 2 rainbow.
BB checks, UTG+1 bets $12.
MP calls, I call.

{I decided to call here because the pot was $85 and only $12 for me to call. I was pretty sure either the button of the BB would also come in and increase my pot odds. I also knew that with the way this table was playing big pots with very marginal holdings, if I did peel off a Q on the turn, I was going to win a lot of money. I also thought there may be a chance my A was good if I hit, but nothing to go crazy over. I was in this for a Q and my pot odds were good and my implied odds even better.}

Button calls, BB calls.
Turn comes a K and the pot stands at $121.

{This is where things get really weird.}

BB comes out betting $3... yes, $3.
UTG+1 folds. {Really????}
MP calls, I call, button calls.

{I was confused by the $3 bet, but thought it was either a weak K or a T and he wanted to get to the river for cheap. Then I also thought he was on some kind of straight draw and wanted to see the river for cheap.}

River comes a 2 and double-pairs the board, K T 2 K 2.
BB checks, MP checks, I check.
Button thinks for a few seconds and fires out $31.
BB folds, MP folds.

{Okay, when I checked I thought there was a decent chance that my A-high might take this or chop it with someone else that was holding A-high as well. I went into the tank here. I was playing the two pair on board with my A kicker. I came to these conclusions about the hands I was worried about: K10 he raises the flop. Kx he raises the turn, maybe raises the flop. TT still think he raises the flop or turn here. AT, or Tx, I think he either raises the turn or checks the river. 2x, why would he have a 2 here? QQ, JJ, 99, 88, 77 or smaller, don't think he'd bet the river. I then thought about hands like QJ, AQ, AJ, Q9, J9, which were all busted straight draws. Taking his line, I thought it was more like he held one of these hands and was trying to steal the pot for cheap in the river maybe even thinking his A-high with AQ or AJ was good. The pot was $164 and $31 for me to call, so a little over 5-1. I was pretty sure that my A-high is good here 1 out of 6 times, or 16.7% of the time. I figured I'd be good here 25% of the time.}

I call, he shows KQ for a full house.

I lost the hand, but I still think my play was the correct decision and will make me money in the long run. I also think I'll hit my hand a few of those times to make up for the way he played his hand as well. After the turn paired the board, I was still looking for my Q, but didn't plan on playing a big pot with a paired board on the river.

After sitting for about another 2 hours and seeing absolutely the worst hands ever, I was getting out of the zone and upset with my luck of starting hands. I tried raising up two pots PF followed by a CB to take it down, but it failed both times. The table was loose and I resorted to just waiting for my spot. Well, my spot never came. I knew I was out of it and decided to leave the table and get some food to clear my mind (Foxwoods has a great noodle bar and the duck on rice hits the spot every time!).

After dinner, came back and sat at a new table. I didn't recognize anyone and no one seemed to be really crushing the table.

HAND #2:

UTG+1 limps, MP limps, button limps.
I raise from the SB to $15 with QQ.
BB folds, UTG+1 folds.
MP calls, button calls.

Flop is T 8 2 rainbow and I lead for $30.
Both players fold.

{Standard here, wanted action and only got a little. Both players were really weak and pretty much dead money. I could have maybe punished them for more PF because I was pretty sure they would call my raise after limping.}

HAND #3:

UTG+1 limps, folds around to me OTB.
I raise to $12 with 99.
UTG+1 calls.

Flop Q J 3.
UTG+1 checks.
I bet $20, UTG+1 folds.

{Standard here as well. Raised PF and then CB on the flop to take it down.}

This hand happened the very next hand.

HAND #4:

MP limps, hijack limps.
I raise from the CO with QJo to $12.

{Now, I have a reason for this. I don't normally come in for a raise with QJo, but I am in position on the MP player and the hijack player and they have been limping a ton. When they limp, they will call PF raises and put extra money in before the flop. Both players were pretty weak and bad and I wanted to isolate against the dead money they provided.}

BB thinks and then calls.
MP calls, hijack calls.
Flop comes Q 3 6.
BB bets out $15, both other players fold.
I call.

{I thought about a raise here, but I have good showdown value and am in position so I elected to take another card off and exercise some pot control in the hand. I also don't think a raise gets called by too many weaker hands.}

Turn pairs the board with a 3.
BB bets $20, I call.

{Once again, don't really want to get too crazy with my hand here.}

River brings an A, no flush draw out there.
BB checks.

{Okay, now I am thinking, "what could he have?" I run through some hands and feel like he called PF, bet the flop and turn, and checked the river when the A came, so I'm thinking he has a Q. Something like KQ, QJ, QT, Q9 all make sense to me. I also think that he wants to check it down and show his hand and just get the split with the A out there, but may be worried that I hit the A. If I were him, I might have bet the river. I decide this is a good spot to turn my hand into a bluff. If I bet here, he may think I have hit the A and fold. If he calls, I still think we're splitting.}

I bet $45 into the $89 pot.

{I think this bet looks like a decent value bet and will get him to fold out a Q a good amount of the time. But then...}

BB announces raise and makes it $90, min-raising me.

{Like what the hell. Now I am just pissed because I feel like I have to call. I don't have to call, but I am so pissed off that he is going to table AQ and got me with a sneaky play on the river that I make the crying call. Pot is also $224 and $45 for me to call.}

I call, BB shows AQ.

After this happened, I only played a few more hands and then left the tables. I was upset with my play (particularly this hand) and my results. Looking back on this, I feel he's going to miss value more often than not there with his check/raise on the river whereas I'll profit by turning my hand into a bluff because I'll fold out some Qs the majority of the time. I don't think anyone that hits an A there will check on the end after betting the entire way, so I still like my play.

I left Foxwoods down $292, which is just about 1 total buy-in. Not bad with the way things went IMO. I did walk away when I felt I was getting a little too tilted to play and am happy with myself in that respect. Minus the AK hand early on in the night, I am happy with my plays.