What is the use?

Ninja.

I continue to run mostly bad. I actually had a “magic cards” game this past weekend and took first a 5.5, but when fate fucks you for a c-note at a time finding the occasional 20 dollar bill on the ground doesn’t really help. That same day I played two higher buy-in games. One I ran my over pair into two bigger over pairs and in the other I got sucked out on my a hand I had dominated on the river thus going out on the bubble… The win from the gimme game paid for one of those two entries.

Truth and I talk occasionally about him playing a game and me watching and us discussing hands. We did some of this early on when I was learning and we watch one another in the background still sometimes. But never fully focused… Anyway, I am really frustrated because my results are still those of a losing player and I just don’t feel like this reflects my quality of play. This isn’t a short run- this is over a long period of time. I hate being the “oh man I just get so unlucky all the time” player so even when I feel good about my game I am digging and examining and trying to find the holes. So last night we had the chance and I sat down with Truth to watch him play.

Here is what happened- in Cliff’s Notes:

AJoff UTG- fold. I might have played it, I might not have. Shrug.
Lots of folding- no real opportunities.
Getting short stacked, shove with AToff- get called my JJ, suck-out to double up.
Healthy but not strong, shove with AKoff- get called by TT, suck out to double up.
Decently strong, AA flop comes A9something, badguy has pocket 9s, full value vs. a strong stack, second in chips now.
We discuss how having a big stack might change his play. His textbook answer, “I will be a little more aggressive with position, but otherwise it won’t change much”
Two hands later he limps from early with 68s and then calls a raise then takes the pot after the flop. It wasn’t a horrible play or anything, but it was risky and loose.
It wasn’t all one sided, now he gets sucked out on, but its by a small stack- his position doesn’t change.
Long period of folding and occasional stealing with one more loose/weak limp-call from early with suited connectors. There were maybe two steal opportunities he neglected and maybe two others I would have skipped. When asked about why each decision was made he mumbled some nonsense then went with “sometimes it just feels right/wrong and I don’t know why”
Final table. Big stack to his left gives up a huge pot in a horrible play to the guy on his right.
We see AKs a couple of times. QQ three times. JJ twice. A strong double up gave him a large chip lead and then he played some nice strong poker to build a very very strong lead. I was pleased with the way he used his large stack during this phase.
He did get sucked out on again- but it was by a the big blind who did not have enough left behind to pay another big blind.
When they get down to four it is another player who knocks out 3rd and 4th so they enter heads up with about 30k to 45k in chips.
Truth talks some shit about owning the guy in heads up, but really it was just pretty standard stealing back and forth until, with roughly the starting chipstacks, they went all-in preflop with something like A8 vs K7 and Truth had the best of it.
Bang. 170 dollar win. I’ve never had a win that big online.

Key points? Sucking out twice to double up then double up again followed by aces in a set over set match to almost double up a third time.
Only get sucked out on my micro stacks.
AKs more than once, QQ three times, and JJ twice to build a monster stack at the final table.
Use your monster stack well during the second half of the final table.

Okay sezzee I, I can do this- poker is easy.

I log in on my own.

First game- KJ in late position first hand- flop trip kings- make a few chips.
JJ in mid, limpers ahead, pot raise, one guy comes with. I flop top set. He bets with connected overcards- he is three to a straight. I reraise, he calls. Turn is another undercard- gives him open ended. He bets, I reraise, he calls. River is an ace- first overcard- two hands beat me here. AA and KQ. I bets, I reraise all-in, he turns over KQ.

I shove with 88 for 5 big blinds on the button- BB calls with AT and I go out.

Second game- I earn some chips early- don’t recal how.
KQ in late. I raise, button calls with AJs. Flop comes KT5. I bet the pot, he calls. Turn is a 7. I bet about half of his stack- not quite a pot sized raise- he calls. River is a Q giving me two pair and I am only scared of AJ or a sneaky set. I shove, he calls. Oh, of course he called to the river with a gutshot…

I am left with 320 chips, blinds are 50/100. I hit AJ in the big blind. Hijack limps, SB limps, I shove. Hijack folds. SB calls and turns over AQ. Done.

I go to bed.

I feel so fucking helpless.

An interesting hand…

I draw AA for the second time this morning. First time a standard 3x from early stole the blinds… Bummer. Second time I get THREE callers.

Flop is JT4 with two clubs- I’ve got one club. Pot is now 780 and I’ve got 1200 behind and am first to act. I would love to see HUGE value here- but my position is horrible. With so many people in the pot and flush and straight draws on the board I am unsure of how to proceed. I would love to check raise, or bet weak and raise, but with THREE other players (all with good stacks) it would be very easy for people to create odds for one another. Here is a scenario:

I make a pot sized-

I need to interrupt this.

44 in the SB. UTG limps with a small stack. One other limper. I limp.
I don’t hit my set, but the next best thing. Flop is 223.
I bet to put the small stack UTG limper all in. Everyone else folds. He turns over 62.

62? Under the gun with a small stack?

Followed by raising from the button with KQ and the small stack BB goes all in- I call- he has 88- I hit a K and he hits an 8.

Guess who is the small stack now motherfuckers?

Anyway, back to the AA. I’ve lost my will for the narrative. Basically, I felt that all it took was one jackass overcalling his flush draw to create a 4 way pot with the straight draw and the guy with TPTK putting me in a position with two cards to come and half the deck killing my AA. So I shoved. No callers.

Hey! I am out. With my small stack I shoved with A2suited. I get called by A6 who flops a motherfucking full house.

I am on tilt. I close poker.