Movin' On Up

Did some thinking over the last few days off here. Some of it actually involved poker, believe it or not.

I've been playing the .50/1 tables at Party since I've started playing... Well, there was that stint doing sit and goes. In any event, I've spoken with several other bloggers who have insisted that the play at the $1/$2 limit, though by no means "more skilled", was at least a bit more predictable. At one point I experimented on a one time deal thing a while back (during my bankroll's downward spiral), plunking $50 into a 1/2 table for giggles... For those that haven't kept up on current events, I got my ass kicked.

I'm not completely naive, though. After all, that was one table, one day. And we all know anything can happen in poker.

The bankroll has been holding steady around the $200 mark for the last week or so. I wanted to get to at least $300, but I'm impatient as Hell, so I decided to take a flyer and hit a $1/$2 table, with the idea that if I dropped to $150 in the bankroll, it'd be time to back off and wait till I hit $300.

I damn near hit $300 inside of 2 hours.

The day started off badly enough. A couple of nasty outdraws and I found myself $15 light on the buyin and wondering if this was such a hot idea. What the Hell, I was committed now.

Took some small pots and lost others for a while, hovering between -$5 and -$10 when this happens...

1/2 TexasHTGameTable (Limit) - Tue Jan 13 14:07:21 EST 2004
Table Card Room Table 3870 (Real Money) -- Seat 8 is the button
Total number of players : 10
Seat 1: 2ct7 ( $55)
Seat 2: svendamien ( $123.75)
Seat 3: BlakeFried ( $87.75)
Seat 4: pljenkins ( $42.75)
Seat 5: bibas ( $46.50)
Seat 6: Kevinwoody ( $16.75)
Seat 7: kgall ( $7.50)
Seat 8: NetOneSMM ( $69.75)
Seat 9: WoodMann ( $29.25)
Seat 10: JustGuessin ( $37)
WoodMann posts small blind (0.50)
JustGuessin is sitting out.
2ct7 posts big blind (1)
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to pljenkins [ Kc, Jc ]
svendamien folds.
BlakeFried calls (1)
pljenkins calls (1)
bibas folds.
Kevinwoody folds.
kgall calls (1)
NetOneSMM folds.
WoodMann calls (0.50)
2ct7 checks.


Not a bad starting hand. KJs in middle position.. Lots of callers... Let's see what happens here...


** Dealing Flop ** : [ 4c, Ac, 5c ]


Whoa. Your's Truely has flopped the nut flush. A45 sort of makes me weary if someone is holding onto 23c, but the chance of that happening is very remote.



WoodMann checks.
2ct7 bets (1)
BlakeFried raises (2) to 2
pljenkins raises (3) to 3
kgall folds.
WoodMann folds.
2ct7 raises (3) to 4
BlakeFried calls (2)
pljenkins calls (1)

Waidaminnut! I flop a monster and I get a bet and raise in front of me? I hesitate for a few seconds to reconsider the board and what the others could have. Obviously, I'm not the only one with a flush here... Excellent. But both of them hitting the flush? If this is true, the rest of the clubs are pretty much out of the deck. I start thinking about the possibility of 23c in someone's pocket. Screw it, I've gotta have the nuts here. I reraise... and it's capped?! Have I died and gone to heaven here, or am I cruisin' for a bruisin? Well, with the nut flush, you'd better believe I'm either cashing in or going broke right here.

** Dealing Turn ** : [ 7s ]

A rag. Cool.

2ct7 bets (2)
BlakeFried calls (2)
pljenkins raises (4) to 4
2ct7 raises (4) to 6
BlakeFried raises (6) to 8
pljenkins calls (4)
2ct7 calls (2)

Hmmm... Okay... So, 2ct7 obviously still is in love with his hand. I nail him for the flush right here, and silently pray he isn't holding the wheel straight flush. But what's up with Blake? He calls the bet, then caps it? I'm sure we're both scratching our heads now, but I'm committed at this point, and I'm certainly not backing off the nut flush for anyone.


** Dealing River ** : [ Ks ]

Hmmmm.... An ace and a king out there now... Perhaps Blake has Big Slick and is betting top pair top kicker? If so, he's probably thinking jackpot at this point, but judging by his raising what has to be at least one obvious flush hand, I consider perhaps pocket rockets for the set. In any event, the board didn't pair, so there's no boat out there. Absent the straight flush, I'm money at this point, though I'm sure the action will stop right here. Someone has to be getting the point by this time...

2ct7 bets (2)
BlakeFried calls (2)
pljenkins raises (4) to 4
2ct7 raises (4) to 6
BlakeFried calls (4)
pljenkins raises (4) to 8
2ct7 calls (2)
BlakeFried calls (2)

Hmmm... Okay, 2ct7 has GOT to have the flush now, and I imagine he's likely praying that the King is buried, in which case I've got a terrible surprise for him. Blake seems to have backed off now, but what's up with calling the cap? If he missed the draw, he should have been gone by this point. I'm thinking a set here, hoping for the boat.


** Summary **
Main Pot: $64 | Rake: $1
Board: [ 4c Ac 5c 7s Ks ]
2ct7 balance $34, lost $21 [ Qc Tc ] [ a flush, ace high -- Ac,Qc,Tc,5c,4c ]
svendamien balance $123.75, didn't bet (folded)
BlakeFried balance $66.75, lost $21 [ 4h Ah ] [ two pairs, aces and fours -- Ah,Ac,Ks,4h,4c ]
pljenkins balance $85.75, bet $21, collected $64, net +$43 [ Kc Jc ] [ a flush, ace high with king kicker -- Ac,Kc,Jc,5c,4c ]
bibas balance $46.50, didn't bet (folded)
Kevinwoody balance $16.75, didn't bet (folded)
kgall balance $6.50, lost $1 (folded)
NetOneSMM balance $69.75, didn't bet (folded)
WoodMann balance $28.25, lost $1 (folded)
DJBundy30342 balance $50, sits out

So, I was right. 2ct7 had the second high flush, and I'm sure he was hoping for a buried King. In his spot, I'd have taken a bath too... But what is up with Blake? A4h? I mean, it's great to hit two pair on the flop, but when the betting went nuts on the flop, you think warning bells would be going off in his head. Most certainly by the turn he HAD to know he was beat, so the only logical thought I can think is he was hoping to fill up a boat. No matter, he gave me $21, and I rake the absolutely biggest pot I have ever raked in my short poker career.

More importantly, though, it seems there are still a nice selection of fish here at 1/2, and the payoff when you reel one in certainly is better. The only negative I see is table selection is a little more difficult. Seems a majority of people on Party play 1/2, so there's always a waiting list. On the upside, there's also always a full table.

Through solid poker and some good cards, I was able to chalk up a great win.

Total take for the day: +$67

It wasn't all roses, though. Sat down at UB for an hour or so and dropped about $7 taking some horrendous beats. With my great run at Party, though, I was able to keep a light mood about it, which generated some comments from the others to the tune of "how can you laugh about THAT?".

I responded simply, "If you can't laugh, it's time to walk".