Hand 1:
In the first level of 25-25, I am under the gun with AhTh, the sort of hand that I'd like to play against the Blinds but not that I want to waste too many chips with. I limp and everyone passes to the BB. 8 times out of 10 this happens over here because the American players seem to limp with AA and KK under the gun more than we do back home. The flop comes A 6 9, BB checks and I bet 100, he calls (I feel he has a weak Ace or 2 Pair), Turn comes a 2, and he checks and I bet 200 to show strength, but he calls, river a K, and I don't want to put any more money in this pot, but he doesn't let me off and bets 1000. I think I'm behind to 2 pair and still make a terrible callhe turns over AJ to beat my AT. Down to 1200 chips and I played this hand like a sucker.
I had built back to 3000 chips by the next level of 25-50 with some nice solid cards; I had AK twice and flopped top pair, and had re-raised with pairs and not got called. However, the very skilful Mr Fitussi had been stealing my Blinds and my Button (it wasn't personal, he was stealing everyone else's as well!) so I felt I needed to make a stand. I had 2 rocks to my left and when he raised $150 again to pinch their blinds I looked down to see Ad7d, I called because I had position on him and made up my mind that I was going try and outplay this perennial poker thief on the flop. The flop came down rags, 5s 8h 2d, he bet $300 and I re-raised him $600 but to my disappointment he flat called, I need some help here, next card 5c and I'm not bluffing at this pot anymore, I'm done with it, its history, he can have it, BUT then he checks to me. He must have 99 or TT or maybe even 67 suited (its so hard to put the top players on hands) and he is scared I have a bigger over pair or have hit a set on him, or maybe I have A5he does not look confident. There is 2000 chips in that pot that I am going to lose unless I can make him pass. I make my mind up that my hand is not A7, it is pocket Queens, and I move-all for 1900 confidently. Bruno has about 1700 chips left and I soon feel like I want the ground to swallow me up as he looks at me, and looks at me, and looks at me. Seconds feel like minutes, minutes like hours. I now know he has at least A8 or 99 and I can't believe I am going out this early again, on a stone-cold bluff. I feel like he can see right through me, like my Dad used to look at me when he could smell cigarette smoke on my clothes when I was 12. I feel like saying, Bruno, please stop staring at me, just call and let me leave the table in peace. Then to my shock, Bruno mucks his hand, pats the table and says nice hand. I try to look disappointed and moan out loud to the Rock on my left, I didn't think he could pass his over pair, what a great laydown, I never get paid when I flop top set.
Hand 3:
A loose player raises SB 400, blinds 50-100, I have AcAd and just flat call looking to slow play, risky, but every time he has been re-raised he had passed, and I want him in. The flop comes ThJhQh - nightmare for AcAs. We check it down and he turns over KsKc - what an idiot I am, if I had put a small re-raise pre-flop he would have moved all-in and I would have doubled up. Even if I bet on the flop he may have moved-all in with and over pair and a straight draw (although I may have passed)? Is it bad timing or am I playing like a 20 re-buy player!
Hand 4:
Blinds 50-100, early position Rock raises and gets 2 callers, I am on button with 2h2d, flop Qc 2c 6d, I have a set, at last! Triple up time is here, initial raiser bets 400, gets one caller. What do I do - move in or slow play to get 2 people chips? No straight draw there but one of them may have 2 clubs. I could move-in and get 1 caller and double up? I'm just about to flat call and try to milk them when I little voice says stop being clever, Dickhead, and I move it my 3000 stack. To my dismay both of them fold and I win an average pot, the original raiser turns to me and says he mucked AQ and he put me on a flush draw, but didn't want to gamble, eh??? I feel sick, why didn't he call then? Another missed opportunity.
Hand 5:
Blinds 100-200, early raise of 600, I am on BB with QhJh, my opponent most likely has AQ, AK, AA, KK, QQ, JJ maybe TT. I am putting 400 in to win 900 and he covers my 4000 stack. Flop comes JdTh9h, I have top pair, and a straight flush draw. I think my J may be good as I don't believe this player would have raised with AJ in seat 2, Most likely he has AK and even if he has AA I can hit any of 4 Kings, 4 eights, 3 queens, 2 jacks and 7 hearts, giving me 20 outs x 2, making me a still a big favourite. I move-all all my chips and he calls instantly with QcQs and I miss my massive draw (although I was not in as good shape as I had calculated, as a non heart K or 8 would split the pot and a queen would give him the set). Out in 500th place.
I am sitting in the coffee bar at the Rio at 7pm posting this journal on a wireless GPRS laptop. Isn't technology amazing? I am wondering why I moved All-In 13 times in 4 hours today, more than the rest of the players at the table did put together, maybe I should learn from a comment from the French Master, Bruno Fitussi, when I raised his BB with 56s- He looked at his cards, contemplating making a move on me until I said, If you move in, Bruno, I promise you I will call, he looked at me through is tinted glasses, and cooly said, of course, as he mucked his cards. What he actually politely meant was, you are a Maniac.
