Home game lovin

Long post coming. If you like you can skip to the comments and respond with "awesome" or "best post ever" or "I want that 5 minutes of my life back" or "you sir, are a poker genius"or my favorite, "more hand histories please"

Home game was back on last night after a two week hiatus as the host was on vacation last week. I used to take this game all serious like. I would fret over all the cards and the what what in the butt. I was running bad in cards. The good hands I did get would be outdrawn or would have to fold to pressure. I was losing $20 to $40 a week. No big deal, but I was just used to winning that much or small loses. It all came to a head for me one week when I raised a pot with AcQc and 3 of us saw the flop of 2dJc9c. Check to me and I bet the pot. One fold, one slow caller. I should have known then. That guy doesn't do that with air. He doesn't call to steal later. He would have moved here if he thought I was weak. Turn is my card, 2c. He checks and I push all in. He tells me he isn't going to slow roll me. And I know. Quads. I don't think I get away from this hand. Just because of the size of the pot and how few chips, relative to the pot, I had left. But if I was big stacked, I can. But that is not the point. I didn't see it coming. I was playing only my cards and not him. Big stack or not I was going broke here. By the way, I hate his slow play of his bottom set here.

So I made a decision. I would start treating the home game differently. Instead of being about poker, it would now be about learning, getting away from the kids, and drinking beer with friends. The cards I was dealt and the results I posted would be secondary. I would focus solely on playing correct poker and be happy in the fact that I was with adults only and a cold beer in my hand. If I lost, who cared, I was having fun damn it.

And it happened. I played tight and posted a small win. Then I posted my biggest win to date
Next week I won $40. This week. Well, I run good.

First hand of the night I look down at AdJd. Limp from middle position and call a raise from Sheik, a Saudi Arabian going to school here who bleeds chips. Flop comes ace high and I check to him. He bets the pot and I put him all in. His AQ beats me and I am down half a buy in. That is ok. I am happy with my play. I was way ahead of his range there and I will make that play every time. Against him that is +EV. So I was down but still feeling good.

Three hands later. Limps around to button. He bets six times the big blind. He is a solid player but is loose and aggressive in this situation. He likes to pick up chips. I look down at JJ in the big blind. I move all in for my last $9, ($20 buy in). Everybody mucks and he reluctantly calls and says don't show me your cards. Board is 9 high and I win. He had junk. Never showed me his hand.

Seventeen hands later I get AA on the button. Can you say woot woot? Three limpers and I raise it up 5x the bb with a lackadaisical bet mid sentence. I was trying to trap the sb. Last week I did the same type of bet with AK, 3 handed and he called. Flop came 9 high and I c bet. He reraised me and I had to lay it down. He showed the bluff and told me he had me on AK. Well done sir. Well I trapped him. Him and 3 of his friends. Should have bet more. Now I am thinking of how quick I can fold if the flop is scary. Fourth guy thinks and folds to a chorus of "you were priced in", and "why didn't you call". Flop comes 645os. Sb bets out for the pot and gets a smooth caller. I push all in for $6.5 more. Sb thinks and talks and says, oh you really have something. He calls, correctly, and so does the smooth caller. 9 turn and 2 river and my aces hold up. I rake it in and needle the sb with "didn't have AK, did I". He says he put me on 99-JJ. Didn't bother to point out that his play still made little sense and he was still behind. No, he had me on AK. The smooth caller had a busted straight draw. Oh and the guy who limp folded for all those crazy odds had 23os.

Picked up AA again 20 hands later. Raise it more this time. One caller in sb. Flop J99. I know I am going to the felt here. If he has JJ or a 9, good for him. He bets the pot. I think, drink my beer and double his bet. He moves all in for most of my stack. Now I have seen him play a hand like this before. Against me. I call and he says good call. His A7 is no match and he goes home. They asked him what he was doing and he thought my thinking and taking a drink of beer was a sign of weakness. Store that away in the vault.

Get AsQs and limp call a smallish raise. Flop comes AJx and I check. Mp bets and the original raiser moves in. I pick up my cards and show the other half of the table I am folding this. Two of them look at me with exasperation. How can I fold that. I wink as to say just watch. Mp calls and his top two pair take down AK. A month ago I probably call. Two months ago I definitely fold. I guess I am coming back. Seriously, come play in my game.

Few hands later I get AK in the bb and way over raise the 4 limpers. The same guy from my JJ hand calls. Hmmm. Flop comes 8 high and I check with the intention of putting him all in if he bets. Remember, he bets at the sign of weakness. It's Pavlovian. He obliges and I push. He goes into the tank. My phone rings. It's my wife. He says he has top pair and is almost sure I am dominating him. I can't get the ringing to stop with my hand in my pocket and take out my phone. Answer it on accident. Just say hello in a sing song way. Wife wants to know where the cable company put the Weather Channel. I tell her. She curses the company and I say I will talk to her later. He folds. Says my answering of the phone sealed his fold. Put that in the vault. We ran it out anyway and I turned a K. They kept needling me to show my TT. I showed the bluff and struck fear in their eyes. Yeah right. One guy I respect called me a donkey. I told him the correct response was nice hand. I got him to lay down the better hand. I out played him. I played him. Other guys at the table cannot lay down TPTK. He could and that is what made my play profitable. Next time I make that move with a made hand.

Last hand, I swear.

Limp utg with AK. Shorty raises. Looooooose player on button calls. I put them both in. Shorty calls. Button folds. I am dominating with AK vs AJ. Flop Q high. Turn J, river J. Oh well. Only cost me $20 or so.

Hands for the night 2x AA
JJ
66
77
44
5x AK
2x AQ
AJ
AT

Finished up $70. My AK hand holds, I am up $110 or so. No biggie. I didn't play great poker. I just didn't foul up the good run of cards I had. Last three times at the home game, I am up a total of $270. The cards definitely help. But I like to think some of it is me.

RCJH

MT