Another Wednesday night live action

Kat called me yesterday and said that Astin and her were going to go take down some cash at the poker club. Looking outside it was a beautiful looking night so I asked Mrs. Guin if I could go play some poker. She understood but mostly I think she agreed because of my comment "I am in the zone and should win this evening." We are going to LA in a couple weeks and she probably has a few things she *needs* prior to the trip. So off to the club I go....

Played alright in the $40 tournament but the hammer couldn't hold up all night long. Got reraised preflop by the tightest player at the table on the first attempt. Tried to push a shortstack off of their blinds with it and somehow lost the race. That left me very short and I found myself in the SB with 77 with a raise and then a push ahead of me. With more chips I let that hand go no problem but figured that if I got lucky and found myself against two AK-Ax type hands I might be in good shape. Instead vs. 1010 and A9 and the 2 outer didn't find the board and I finish 12th (Out of 30).

Astin was already crushing the cash tables when I sat down while Kat continued to the final table of the tournament quite shortstacked. My buddy L had already headed home after donating to the cash table yet again. Kat did join us soon after and having 2 other bloggers at a table makes for a fun evening despite being card dead. Lost $57 of my $200 starting stack (1/2 NL) with AQ on a Ad 10d 8x board and I cbet $25 and called the min raise. We both checked it down and he showed the AK. Good thing I didn't go broke with TPGK but would have laid it down to any large bets on 4th or 5th street. The guy I was playing against knows me quite well so I knew he wasn't trying to pull a move with that min raise.

About an hour into playing at the table and I realize that I have only raised 2 hands thus far. I did call a few times with hands that didn't seem to want any part of the flop. Like Astin said "I would have had a boat if the Q I had, was a K, and that 2 I had, was a 4!" True enough.

Kat was winning lots of hands and Astin hit a straight flush against me. Sadly he didn't have to use both cards or he could have won 2 jackpots with that hand. Just as Astin took off for the evening on my last orbit I finally hit my hand.

910d in MP, 5 of us limp (including blinds) and see a flop of 9c 10c 4s. Top two pair and when it checks to me I bet $10, SB reraises to $20, BB smooth calls. Darn min raise... so I decide to call and figure I am done with the hand if a scare card hits. The BB I know from playing against him in the past that he chases draws. The SB has been loose and somewhat agressive but 44 could cause him to min raise to build the pot.

Turn is a 5s so it is a brick in my book but it might give these guys more outs. Pot is $70 so when checked to me I bet $50 (no free cards) hoping to isolate the BB since his hand range is easier to determine. Instead the sound of "call" and "call" makes this a big pot.

River is a 2h. It also dawns on me from the SB's chatter that he could have been playing an overpair in a very weird way. I figure that if I bet less than the $97 I have left into this $220 pot then I have to call a reraise. Checking is out of the question because then one of them pushes and I probably have to call. So I push all in and when I get called by the SB I figure I am toast. Two pair was good and I end up the evening +$180.

Kat's bike was acting up when I was heading out. Hopefully CAA managed to get her bike going so she could get home. She said she had lots of fun meetings to attend today.