Freeroll

I ended up playing tonight despite going back and forth on the decision. I was already up $1100 on the week, *and* I had just crossed the 10k lifetime mark again ($10005 to be exact). Those shouldn't be factors deciding whether or not to play, but I'm still not able to shut them out completely yet. I feared that the psychological hit of either giving up my first 1k cash game week, or crossing below the $10k mark (which I haven't seen since 2008) would deteriorate my game the following week.

So I starting working on my taxes and doing various other things (like downloading a guitar tuning app for my iPhone. Not bad for a free app...). 10PM rolled around, and I didn't feel like doing taxes anymore, so I looked at my poker stats. I decided that I could tolerate going under 10k since I should be able to re-cross that threshold if I continue to play well, but that I could not tolerate dropping below 1k for the week. That left me with $117 to play/freeroll with for the night. The only way to guarantee that I didn't drop below that threshold was to play SNGs.

I opened up both UltimateBet and PokerStars and decided that if I found a good opponent HU, I'll play, or else I'll go to bed. I found a fairly predictable opponent at the $100+5 on UB. If I lose, I close shop. If I win, then it becomes another judgment call.

First game, I beat him in 3 blinds levels (~30 minutes). I took little pot after little pot, and avoided calling any of his check-raises (calling c/r's w/ weak hands is a leak I must close) as to keep the pots we played small. This opponent gives up WAY too many small pots which allows me to accumulate chips without having to show many hands. In general, I played well and didn't need much luck, but I got really lucky on the last hand. I was up in chips 1950/1050. I had A259 and raised on the button to 90. He re-raised to 270 and I called. My hand was too good to pass up calling there. HU w/ A2, you have to see a flop. It definitely was not good enough to jam the pot though.

The flop came 335 which, with my hand, even against a re-raise, is still possibly good. It's one of those hands where I may be ahead for high (he had A2 w/ no pair or no 3) or for low (he has A3 counterfitted low draw), and I'm occasionally far behind and need serious help. He pot bet (540) the flop, which doesn't actually tell me anything about his hand, but taking all the possibilities for me, it's an auto-shove to get his remaining 240 into the pot. OOPS, he shows me one of the best possible hands he can have in that spot: A237. It's ok. Turn is a king, and I hit my 2 outer 5 on the river. Game over. +$95 more to my week tally.

I get up, walk around and come back, and he's sitting down for another one. So I gladly sit down as well. Same flow through the early part of the game. I take little pot after little pot. Then, when I'm up 3/1 in chips, UB generously gave my opponent life. He calls on the button to 40, and I check the BB w/ 8c5h3c3d. The flop comes QsJh3s. I bet out with a pot size bet (80).

A couple of reasons for this: 1) In this case to protect my set against the flush draw and 2) because it's the sort of flop where, if I had a simple combo draw type hand against this opponent, I would bet and could win in right there, or with a second bet on the turn. But instead or mucking or calling, he re-pots it to 320. If our stacks had been closer, I muck because I want to keep the pots small, and I'd give him credit for a good hand. However, when his stack is shorter, he is looser, so I'm less afraid of a higher set. He ends up showing AsQcJc9d for top-two pair. The turn is an 8 and the river is T to give him a runner runner straight. What goes around comes around...

We are now roughly even again. I take a second to compose myself as I have, more than once, lost control at times like that and TILTed off the few hands following. I get ready to grind again and things go as before. I take more *small* pots uncontested and quickly I'm back up to a 2/1 chip advantage. I guess the pots are no longer so small as the blinds have been going up. Last hand, 30/60 blinds. He raises from the button to 180 and I call from the BB with AcQc7d3s. The flop comes Kc5c4h. I'm not normally a check-raiser in these games, as most opponents recognize a check/raise as incredible strength (which is why I mostly bluff c/r, but that's a story for another time), but here it is an absolute must. With the pot at 360, and opponent at 800 after the flop, I can get the rest of his chips committed in a spot where I'm likely the favorite, so I check. He cbet's to 360, and I c/r to 960 and he calls with his remaining 440. He shows AdJh5s4c for top-2, no low draw. Turn is a 7 and river is a 2 for the scoop.

I decide that 2 is enough, and that I should brag blog about the night instead of playing another.

What a week: $1324.33 profit. I still can't believe it. I must remain focused and constantly remind myself that 9 weeks ago, making $100/week was considered to be a solid accomplishment.