A Few Thoughts

I played 1/3 at Hollywood last Friday. I buy in for the usual $300 I work it up to $450 I get JJ in middle position Jacks are a hand that I play differently every time. If there is a raise in front of me, a lot of the times I will re-raise to see where I am. Many times I will open limp with them. Just depends on the table, my position and my mood. Ep player makes it $15 Do not know much about him so I decide to play my hand like a small pocket pair. I just call. The button makes it $30 Now this is the older gentleman who got QQ and AA on the first two hands dealt after our table opened. He also had hit a set. He was sitting around $800 He is the only player at the table who can bust me or double me. The original raiser calls. I call. Flop is Kd Jh 7c. Here we go. Early position checks. I check to the raiser. He bets out $75 Ep folds. I think for a second and re-raise to $200 Villain thinks and smooth calls. Turn is a blank. I move my last $200 or so in He sighs and calls. Brick river He flips AA and I am a little over $900 for the session. I play for a bit I get AA More and more I do not like this hand in cash games. I get married to it and get committed and lose big pots. With that in mind I often over bet them pre flop I am in middle position Three limpers to me I make it $35 to go. I get called by one limper. Love how a three dollar hand magically becomes a thirty five dollar hand. Flop is T 8 2 rainbow. He bets out $75 In my experience this bet is almost always a pair or a draw. A set almost always checks to the original better. I have a pretty good feel for this player as well. He four bet into the AA guy earlier with JJ He is loose. Everybody knew the guy had aces. Back to the hand, I ask how much he had behind. He said about $200 I go with my read and raise him to $150 He instant calls. The turn is another 8 He shoves and I make the reluctant call. He moves all in and I make the reluctant call. Ends up he did not have ABOUT $200. As I was expecting to have to call a little over $100 He actually had $160 behind. Shame on me for not verifying I lost the hand Any guesses to what hand he called $35 pre flop out of position with? Tell you in comments if anybody guesses I still ended up the day with a tidy $412 profit for the day. Would have been 1k if that hand holds

Played again yesterday. A grinding kind of day. No big hands really Just a guy that would chase draws for any bet. I had AA Make it $16 and get three callers. The board is KcTc2h I make it $35 and get one caller The turn is the 8d nothing too scary I make it $100 about 3/4 the pot. He instant called. River is the Ks Ouch. We check it down. He has 9c7c Should have bet more on the turn.

The most interesting had was a bit later. We have a Mississippi straddle at Hollywood. Meaning you can straddle from any position sans the blinds. I occasionally straddle from the button like I did for the following hand. I look down at As3s I has been limped to me in 5 spots. Many times I will raise here with any two cards but there are three loose guys that play any two cards for raises so I decide to let my option go. the flop is 2s 5c 9h I have the gutter. Checks around and I take the free card. The river is the oh so pretty 4s I now have the wheel with a draw to the nut flush. One of the any two card guys comes alive from the blinds and makes it $15 I am thinking about my action when an aggressive younger guy flats. This feels like a flush draw to me so I decide to flat as well in position. The river is the Js giving me the nuts. First guy checks Younger guy makes it $30 I think a few seconds announce raise and make it $80 I felt a min raise would be obvious and I had seen the young guy pay off bets like this. First guy folds and young guy takes a minute before folding. I think I played this hand wrong on the turn. I put him on the flush draw. I should have min raised there. The first guy might have stayed and the flush guy would most likely have stayed. That bet would have also masked my spade holding possibly. I do not know. Ideas?