God, I love Mondays! I do not know what it is but the last 3 Mondays that I have played at The Venetian, I have made over $200 an hour! Last Monday, I made over $500 an hour! I don't get it, Mondays are supposed to suck. Tourists are supposed to be on their flights back home and the tables empty. Granted, the tables are emptier, but not empty and the action is nice.
So, once again, I have to sit down at a $1/$2 table while waiting for a $2/$5 seat. The first 3 hands I get dealt small pocket prs, so I limp and check/fold the flop. What did amaze me at this table is the amount of limping going on. I think in the 10 hands that I was there only one got raised preflop. Such a change from $2/$5 where 90% of them are raised pots.
Then the fourth one I am dealt pocket 8s. I call a $10 preflop raise along with 4 others. The flop is 2/5/6, 2 clubs. It is checked to me in the c/o, I bet $30($50 in pot) The button calls. Turn is Ah. I bet $50 and he folds. Very uneventful but I like that I bet the scare card. There was a time not so long ago when I would have checked it. So, I'm growing.
Then I move and there is a guy at the table that was there for my crap session from a few nights ago. He is super nice to me. He keeps mentioning how he hasn't seen his wife in 8 days and how is room is only 12 minutes away. Ahhhh, men.
So, in like the first round, I flop 2 full houses! The first one, I called a raise($10???) with 3s...flop is 883. I check, the O/R bets, the SB raises(so, I figure that he has an 8 right???) so I reraise and he folds showing J2...geez.
The last big hand I call with 9/10 on the button in a limped pot. Flop is K87. C/O bets $20(almost a pot sized bet but I figure that I have implied odds) I call. Turn is the money card, J. C/O bets $75, I raise to $200, he then comes over the top of me and puts me all in. I have the nuts so, of course, I call stating, K/J no good sir. River is a meaningless 5 and I double up.
I love when I call out people's hands and other people look at me in awe.
Kidding.
Kind of.
Once again, I noticed that I was a flirting machine tonight and did well. I need to figure this out. Is it because guys think that I can't possibly know what I am doing since I am a flirt or is my confidence level higher because I have all of this attention?
Monday, March 31, 2008
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Distraction
One thing that I do need to stop doing pronto is playing while my mind is elsewhere. I think that men are better at this than women...men seem to have an on/off switch that they can hit and then they are all about poker...me, not so much.
The funny thing about this though is that I play really well when I am flirting and having fun at the table, so that kind of distraction seems to actually help me. Hmmmm...will have to give this some more thought.
Anyway...bad, bad night. First hand that I put any real chips in with, someone calls a pot sized bet on the turn with a gutshot and hits it on the river. The funny thing is that had position on me and I checked the river(I had 2 pr and there was 4 to a straight) and he checked back...and then grimaced and said "ahhh, I thought that you were going to bet that"...WTF??? So, I reminded him that he had position on me and could have bet and he looked at me like he had absolutely no idea what I was talking about.
I then move to the main game and win a smallish pot after turning trip Js with a K kicker, they both called the flop, so I have no idea what they had...no real draws there. There was this real lagtard at the table...it was so funny...he raised every pot pre to $15. Apparently he was in for $2k and when he finally busted half of the table then left...they were all staying for him! So he raises my BB to $15 and most of the table calls because they know how wide his opening range is. I call with Q/10d. This is not a hand that I usually like playing, especially OOP but I am getting a discount and I know that if I hit hard, I am likely to get paid off. BINGO! Flop is 8/9/J . Come to mama! I check..laggy bets $15(into $75!!!) Button calls. I am torn at this point. I know that Laggy will call just about anything but I really want to keep the button in the hand as well. So I raise. I raise to $80. Laggy does not hesitate in calling. Button deliberates but then folds. Damn!. Turn is a 5 of clubs making 2 clubs. I go all in(wish that I had more) for $200. Laggy calls. He has a flush draw and a gutter. He misses! YAY! Unfortunately this is the last decent sized pot that I rake in.
A round or so later, I get pocket As in the C/O. I raise some limpers to $40 and the button from the previous hand calls in MP. This guy is pretty loose. He is used to playing at an Indian casino in California that has just an absolutely awful structure so it makes him kinda maniacal.
Flop is 8/8/6. I would think that is a good flop for As...silly me. He checks. I bet $60. He calls. Alarms going off. Turn is a Q. Check,Check. I figure at this point, I am either way ahead or way behind....fearing the latter. River is a 7. He bets $120. I figure that I have to call. I am getting 3 to 1 on my money. Of course, he has 7/8.
The rest of the night was more of the same. I would raise with A/K, A/Q and flop top pr and have someone raising the shit out of me. Luckily, and I don't know how I do it, but people show me their cards. Lots of sets and 2 prs. So, money not lost is just as good as money won, eh? I dont know if I totally buy into that but....yeah.
The funny thing about this though is that I play really well when I am flirting and having fun at the table, so that kind of distraction seems to actually help me. Hmmmm...will have to give this some more thought.
Anyway...bad, bad night. First hand that I put any real chips in with, someone calls a pot sized bet on the turn with a gutshot and hits it on the river. The funny thing is that had position on me and I checked the river(I had 2 pr and there was 4 to a straight) and he checked back...and then grimaced and said "ahhh, I thought that you were going to bet that"...WTF??? So, I reminded him that he had position on me and could have bet and he looked at me like he had absolutely no idea what I was talking about.
I then move to the main game and win a smallish pot after turning trip Js with a K kicker, they both called the flop, so I have no idea what they had...no real draws there. There was this real lagtard at the table...it was so funny...he raised every pot pre to $15. Apparently he was in for $2k and when he finally busted half of the table then left...they were all staying for him! So he raises my BB to $15 and most of the table calls because they know how wide his opening range is. I call with Q/10d. This is not a hand that I usually like playing, especially OOP but I am getting a discount and I know that if I hit hard, I am likely to get paid off. BINGO! Flop is 8/9/J . Come to mama! I check..laggy bets $15(into $75!!!) Button calls. I am torn at this point. I know that Laggy will call just about anything but I really want to keep the button in the hand as well. So I raise. I raise to $80. Laggy does not hesitate in calling. Button deliberates but then folds. Damn!. Turn is a 5 of clubs making 2 clubs. I go all in(wish that I had more) for $200. Laggy calls. He has a flush draw and a gutter. He misses! YAY! Unfortunately this is the last decent sized pot that I rake in.
A round or so later, I get pocket As in the C/O. I raise some limpers to $40 and the button from the previous hand calls in MP. This guy is pretty loose. He is used to playing at an Indian casino in California that has just an absolutely awful structure so it makes him kinda maniacal.
Flop is 8/8/6. I would think that is a good flop for As...silly me. He checks. I bet $60. He calls. Alarms going off. Turn is a Q. Check,Check. I figure at this point, I am either way ahead or way behind....fearing the latter. River is a 7. He bets $120. I figure that I have to call. I am getting 3 to 1 on my money. Of course, he has 7/8.
The rest of the night was more of the same. I would raise with A/K, A/Q and flop top pr and have someone raising the shit out of me. Luckily, and I don't know how I do it, but people show me their cards. Lots of sets and 2 prs. So, money not lost is just as good as money won, eh? I dont know if I totally buy into that but....yeah.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
A few more hands from last night
I am not playing tonight due to some drama....I have been trying to be disciplined about playing when I am not able to 100% focus on poker and unfortunately tonight is one of those nights.
So, I am going to cover some of the more interesting hands that I played last night.
The first was obviously the bluff that made me feel like a pro for about 5 minutes. I then moved to a $2/$5 table. I recognized Jim, he used to the poker room manager at The Luxor...he now plays at The Venetian because he is fucking one of the dealers(who used to work at The Luxor). I normally would be happy for them.....I love her and he is ok...but he is married, to someone else, so....yeah.
Anyway, I am there for about a round and really haven't played a hand...most of the pots are raised to $25-$30 preflop and I like to get a feel for the table before I start throwing chips into the pot. There is a real fish at the table...this middle aged asian guy. He never knows what the action is...I can never understand how people can play at at table and never know what is going on. I can tell you what is going on in every hand, even when I don't have cards. So, this guy is bad...calling any raise preflop with any two cards. He calls Jim all the way down to the river, in a raised pot, with pocket 4s! There were only 5 overcards to his hand! But as usual, these types of guys give to everyone else and take from me.
I like to call asian fish, sushi(please do not get offended, I like asian men, just not at the poker table) So, Sushi, raises to $25 in MP, I reraise in the SB with pocket Ks to $60. He calls. Of course, the flop is A/Q/6. I check...he bets $20! $20 into a $125 pot! I have no idea what this means...so I call. I'm getting like 6/1 on my money. The turn he is nicer and bets like $300. How he goes from $20-$300, I will never know. I fold. He of course, shows that he is not bluffing and shows the A/Q. How is it whenever someone has 3 outs against me, they always hit???
That was pretty much the story of my night with big pocket prs....everytime that I had Ks or Qs, an A would hit.
Except for the one time that I had Js. Now, this table was doing some crazy ass shit with Js. I saw, no less than 4 times, people open raising $200 with Js....saying something stupid, like....."thats the only way to play Jacks" WTF...so I say, "well, if you dont wanna play them, give them to me and I will". Wouldn't you know, a few hands later, I get Js! I raise to $30, the loosest guy at the table calls(sushi had left by this point) This guy had just won a $1500 pot with 74o after raising and then calling 2 reraises....flops 2 pr and then turns a boat cracking As and Qs!
So, he calls...flop is 9/8/2. I bet $50...he calls. Turn is A...I confidently slide a $100 stack in all the while shaking inside, I mean who knows what this lagtard is playing? ...he calls....river is an 8....I slide $200 in...he folds! I then flip up the Js and say..."now boys, thats how you play Js!"
So, I am going to cover some of the more interesting hands that I played last night.
The first was obviously the bluff that made me feel like a pro for about 5 minutes. I then moved to a $2/$5 table. I recognized Jim, he used to the poker room manager at The Luxor...he now plays at The Venetian because he is fucking one of the dealers(who used to work at The Luxor). I normally would be happy for them.....I love her and he is ok...but he is married, to someone else, so....yeah.
Anyway, I am there for about a round and really haven't played a hand...most of the pots are raised to $25-$30 preflop and I like to get a feel for the table before I start throwing chips into the pot. There is a real fish at the table...this middle aged asian guy. He never knows what the action is...I can never understand how people can play at at table and never know what is going on. I can tell you what is going on in every hand, even when I don't have cards. So, this guy is bad...calling any raise preflop with any two cards. He calls Jim all the way down to the river, in a raised pot, with pocket 4s! There were only 5 overcards to his hand! But as usual, these types of guys give to everyone else and take from me.
I like to call asian fish, sushi(please do not get offended, I like asian men, just not at the poker table) So, Sushi, raises to $25 in MP, I reraise in the SB with pocket Ks to $60. He calls. Of course, the flop is A/Q/6. I check...he bets $20! $20 into a $125 pot! I have no idea what this means...so I call. I'm getting like 6/1 on my money. The turn he is nicer and bets like $300. How he goes from $20-$300, I will never know. I fold. He of course, shows that he is not bluffing and shows the A/Q. How is it whenever someone has 3 outs against me, they always hit???
That was pretty much the story of my night with big pocket prs....everytime that I had Ks or Qs, an A would hit.
Except for the one time that I had Js. Now, this table was doing some crazy ass shit with Js. I saw, no less than 4 times, people open raising $200 with Js....saying something stupid, like....."thats the only way to play Jacks" WTF...so I say, "well, if you dont wanna play them, give them to me and I will". Wouldn't you know, a few hands later, I get Js! I raise to $30, the loosest guy at the table calls(sushi had left by this point) This guy had just won a $1500 pot with 74o after raising and then calling 2 reraises....flops 2 pr and then turns a boat cracking As and Qs!
So, he calls...flop is 9/8/2. I bet $50...he calls. Turn is A...I confidently slide a $100 stack in all the while shaking inside, I mean who knows what this lagtard is playing? ...he calls....river is an 8....I slide $200 in...he folds! I then flip up the Js and say..."now boys, thats how you play Js!"
Pulling Off A BLuff
Up until about 6 months ago, I could count on 2 hands how many bluffs that I had executed. I could count on 3 fingers how many had been successful. Yuck!
So over the past few months, I have decided to up the frequency of my bluffs. My goal is to bluff at least once per session. I am hitting about 50/50 on that goal but so far they have all been successful. I think that, for me anyway, the key is to build up your image beforehand and make sure that you are running a bluff on someone who knows how to fold.
So, last night, I ran my best one. Usually when I bluff, it is a semi bluff, or I have A high, or a pr smaller than anything on the board....SOMETHING! Last night, I had 4 high.
Now when you are reading this please don't use words like donkey or idiot or fish. This is totally outside my normal realm of play. I have considered posting this hand on a forum that I frequent because they all think that I am a tight ass nit. But I didn't want to hear their thoughts on my total idiot pre river play.
So, I sat down at a $1/$2 game while waiting for a full $2/$5 game. The main problem that I have when playing $1/$2(after mainly playing $2/$5) is that I have trouble taking $10-$20 bets seriously(a leak, I know). I will call with just about any decent or speculative hand for $10. So I have voluntarily played 1 hand in the round and a half that I have been at this table, so my image has to be fairly tight considering these guys will play any two cards for $2. Utg raises to $7.....lol..small even for a $1/$2 game. I have 2/4c. What the hell...I'm bored...I call. C/O calls, Sb pops it to $25. Utg calls with hesitation, I deliberate for a minute and I actually make this call out of boredom, no other reason. I also pretend to be studying these guys for a minute like I am trying to put them on hands....you know, like is my 4 high good?
Flop is A/10/3 rainbow. Checked to me, I check. Turn is a 6c. Sb checks...so now I think that he has a big pr under As. UTG bets $30....into an $83 pot.....I pretend to study him for 10 secs or so and call...I am thinking that he is pretty weak here..SB folds. River is 8s. Not a good card for me. I have now invested $55 with an absolute turd of a hand. I am ready to muck until I am given a sweet gift....UTG checks to me. So, I decide to pull the trigger. I start counting out my chips while trying to decide on an amount that he will view as me wanting a call but not so little that he will call out of curiousity(yes, $1/$2 players do this, ALOT) There is $143 in the pot...I decide on $75. He mucks. I then cannot help myself, I flip them over......UTG gets all defensive, saying how he didnt have anything.....I knew this of course, but I bet that he had 4 high beat!
So over the past few months, I have decided to up the frequency of my bluffs. My goal is to bluff at least once per session. I am hitting about 50/50 on that goal but so far they have all been successful. I think that, for me anyway, the key is to build up your image beforehand and make sure that you are running a bluff on someone who knows how to fold.
So, last night, I ran my best one. Usually when I bluff, it is a semi bluff, or I have A high, or a pr smaller than anything on the board....SOMETHING! Last night, I had 4 high.
Now when you are reading this please don't use words like donkey or idiot or fish. This is totally outside my normal realm of play. I have considered posting this hand on a forum that I frequent because they all think that I am a tight ass nit. But I didn't want to hear their thoughts on my total idiot pre river play.
So, I sat down at a $1/$2 game while waiting for a full $2/$5 game. The main problem that I have when playing $1/$2(after mainly playing $2/$5) is that I have trouble taking $10-$20 bets seriously(a leak, I know). I will call with just about any decent or speculative hand for $10. So I have voluntarily played 1 hand in the round and a half that I have been at this table, so my image has to be fairly tight considering these guys will play any two cards for $2. Utg raises to $7.....lol..small even for a $1/$2 game. I have 2/4c. What the hell...I'm bored...I call. C/O calls, Sb pops it to $25. Utg calls with hesitation, I deliberate for a minute and I actually make this call out of boredom, no other reason. I also pretend to be studying these guys for a minute like I am trying to put them on hands....you know, like is my 4 high good?
Flop is A/10/3 rainbow. Checked to me, I check. Turn is a 6c. Sb checks...so now I think that he has a big pr under As. UTG bets $30....into an $83 pot.....I pretend to study him for 10 secs or so and call...I am thinking that he is pretty weak here..SB folds. River is 8s. Not a good card for me. I have now invested $55 with an absolute turd of a hand. I am ready to muck until I am given a sweet gift....UTG checks to me. So, I decide to pull the trigger. I start counting out my chips while trying to decide on an amount that he will view as me wanting a call but not so little that he will call out of curiousity(yes, $1/$2 players do this, ALOT) There is $143 in the pot...I decide on $75. He mucks. I then cannot help myself, I flip them over......UTG gets all defensive, saying how he didnt have anything.....I knew this of course, but I bet that he had 4 high beat!
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
A Super Short Session
So, I drove all of the way down to the Venetian last night. I am so glad that I did. It was one of those sessions where you seem to get perfect cards and the perfect flop just when you need it.
The $2/$5 was super shorthanded, so I played $1/$2 until it filled. Geez...I can't stand playing $1/$2 much anymore. I just sat there for 2 rounds thinking...what idiots! Why can't I get anything against these jackasses. I did get A/K in MP, put in a good sized raise and get 5 callers(the most from any raise in the 2 rounds that I had been there) I think that when tourists suspect that you are a local/play poker for a living, they are automatically suspicious of everything that you do. They always think that you are trying to make a move. Not that...well this person plays 50 hours per week so maybe, she can outplay me(which is what I would think if I was sitting with someone more experienced than I)
So, I raise, 5 caller and I whiff....not even a flop that I can make a decent c-bet with it came 678 2 spades...So, I said goodbye to that $15. Then I call a raise on the button with J/10o because it is only $10...so in my $2/$5 mind, it was just a min raise...so I have to call, right?
Then I get to go to the big girl's table. I sat down and immediatley lose $50 due to a straight flush draw. How is it whenever I have more outs than not, I never hit? I would have raised the guy but I could tell that he was an inexperienced tourist and would have never laid down top pr and would have pd me off if I hit, so I just check/called.
But then 3 hands turn it all around!
I get dealt q/9s in the Sb and complete, option checks. Flop Q/10/9, 2 clubs. I looked down the table and I can tell that UTG liked his hand. Checked around. Turn is a 9(nines were my friend this session) I check, UTG bets $40, Button raises to $75, I raise to $200, UTG immediately calls. I put him on the straight. Button folds. Then horror of horrors, the river is a Q! Worst card for me. UTG checks, I go all in and he folds K/J face up! Shit.
Then I move to the main game(reluctantly, if I only knew) I call a straddle with J/9h(it was my bb, so only $5 more and this is a hand known to me as 'The Royal Gannon', named for one of my bestest poker buddies, Mark Gannon. It is his fave hand and usually wins with it.
Flop is J/9/k all clubs. Checked around
Turn is 9. checked to the button...he bets $15(into a $60 pot, god, I love poker) I decide to just call. The only hand that he is probably going to call a raise with is a flush or a 9(or a better boat) and I want to get $15 from the other gys that might be chasing. 2 other callers. River is a 3.
Button bets $40, I raise to $140. Button calls. He doesnt show but he sees my boat.
I dont even limp with any other hand until this last hand. UTG raises to $10(???) I call(along with 4 others)OTB with K/Q. Flop is KKQ. I cant ask for much better than that, can I???
I am really big into reading people. I could tell that no one really liked that flop, so I check. Turn is a 9...hoping that helps open up some straight possibilites(that they are drawing dead with). I check.
River is a 10! YES! Utg bets $15(gotta love em), a caller and then C/O(same guy from prev boat) raises to $50. Now, since he saw my last full house, I wanted to make sure that I played this one a little differently. SO, I decide to min raise. Normally I dont do this but since I bet so strong(and big) last time, I wanted to do the opposite. Folds to the C/O and he raises $100 more, I then push(he only has like $150 behind) and he calls with a J for the straight!
So, then I leave. I made money and had a nice time but I wanted to make sure that I left on a high note.
The $2/$5 was super shorthanded, so I played $1/$2 until it filled. Geez...I can't stand playing $1/$2 much anymore. I just sat there for 2 rounds thinking...what idiots! Why can't I get anything against these jackasses. I did get A/K in MP, put in a good sized raise and get 5 callers(the most from any raise in the 2 rounds that I had been there) I think that when tourists suspect that you are a local/play poker for a living, they are automatically suspicious of everything that you do. They always think that you are trying to make a move. Not that...well this person plays 50 hours per week so maybe, she can outplay me(which is what I would think if I was sitting with someone more experienced than I)
So, I raise, 5 caller and I whiff....not even a flop that I can make a decent c-bet with it came 678 2 spades...So, I said goodbye to that $15. Then I call a raise on the button with J/10o because it is only $10...so in my $2/$5 mind, it was just a min raise...so I have to call, right?
Then I get to go to the big girl's table. I sat down and immediatley lose $50 due to a straight flush draw. How is it whenever I have more outs than not, I never hit? I would have raised the guy but I could tell that he was an inexperienced tourist and would have never laid down top pr and would have pd me off if I hit, so I just check/called.
But then 3 hands turn it all around!
I get dealt q/9s in the Sb and complete, option checks. Flop Q/10/9, 2 clubs. I looked down the table and I can tell that UTG liked his hand. Checked around. Turn is a 9(nines were my friend this session) I check, UTG bets $40, Button raises to $75, I raise to $200, UTG immediately calls. I put him on the straight. Button folds. Then horror of horrors, the river is a Q! Worst card for me. UTG checks, I go all in and he folds K/J face up! Shit.
Then I move to the main game(reluctantly, if I only knew) I call a straddle with J/9h(it was my bb, so only $5 more and this is a hand known to me as 'The Royal Gannon', named for one of my bestest poker buddies, Mark Gannon. It is his fave hand and usually wins with it.
Flop is J/9/k all clubs. Checked around
Turn is 9. checked to the button...he bets $15(into a $60 pot, god, I love poker) I decide to just call. The only hand that he is probably going to call a raise with is a flush or a 9(or a better boat) and I want to get $15 from the other gys that might be chasing. 2 other callers. River is a 3.
Button bets $40, I raise to $140. Button calls. He doesnt show but he sees my boat.
I dont even limp with any other hand until this last hand. UTG raises to $10(???) I call(along with 4 others)OTB with K/Q. Flop is KKQ. I cant ask for much better than that, can I???
I am really big into reading people. I could tell that no one really liked that flop, so I check. Turn is a 9...hoping that helps open up some straight possibilites(that they are drawing dead with). I check.
River is a 10! YES! Utg bets $15(gotta love em), a caller and then C/O(same guy from prev boat) raises to $50. Now, since he saw my last full house, I wanted to make sure that I played this one a little differently. SO, I decide to min raise. Normally I dont do this but since I bet so strong(and big) last time, I wanted to do the opposite. Folds to the C/O and he raises $100 more, I then push(he only has like $150 behind) and he calls with a J for the straight!
So, then I leave. I made money and had a nice time but I wanted to make sure that I left on a high note.
Getting Started
So, I finally did it! I started a poker blog. I think that my friends get tired of hearing the seemingly endless recap of poker hands(and most of them don't understand what I am talking about anyway) ;)
I'm Jessica. I moved to Las Vegas 2 years ago to give it a go at poker. I am also a grad student working on my Phd in psychology. Psychology used to be my passion. I read psychology books during all of my free time and my two heros were both famous psychologists. One, internationally so and the other only in our little community in Indiana.
I ended up here(this location and my my life, in general) by accident. I was heading home 2 years ago to Indiana for a vacation. I saw the sign to Vegas, and said, 'what the hell?'
I never left.
I love Las Vegas. I get to meet new, exciting people everyday. There are so many exciting things to do here but honestly, I spend most of my time at the tables. There are only a few things as exciting as having a big pot pushed towards you.
As far as the title to this blog, I cannot take credit. That all belongs to one of my favorite people, Jake. He is trying to convince me to post a pic of what inspired the title.....still mulling it over....don't know if I want pics of the girls floating on the internet. ;)
I'm Jessica. I moved to Las Vegas 2 years ago to give it a go at poker. I am also a grad student working on my Phd in psychology. Psychology used to be my passion. I read psychology books during all of my free time and my two heros were both famous psychologists. One, internationally so and the other only in our little community in Indiana.
I ended up here(this location and my my life, in general) by accident. I was heading home 2 years ago to Indiana for a vacation. I saw the sign to Vegas, and said, 'what the hell?'
I never left.
I love Las Vegas. I get to meet new, exciting people everyday. There are so many exciting things to do here but honestly, I spend most of my time at the tables. There are only a few things as exciting as having a big pot pushed towards you.
As far as the title to this blog, I cannot take credit. That all belongs to one of my favorite people, Jake. He is trying to convince me to post a pic of what inspired the title.....still mulling it over....don't know if I want pics of the girls floating on the internet. ;)
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