Thursday, May 04, 2006

A streak, then a run

It's nice to have a big hand, finally. I haven't won a big one in more than a week. Three of my last six nights have been net losses. And I'm still bruised from my $58.25 loss on April 23, and a $34 loss last Friday. It's been a bad streak, punctuated with bad play and few good hands. Perhaps tonight marks the beginning of a new winning phase?

Tonight's first 8 hands at the 10¢/25¢ table:

53 (BB, checked to the river, fold to Q42/K/T rainbow board)
J5 (SB, folded)
KT (button, flopped straight, split $5.60 pot with QT rivered stright.)
K5 (cutoff, folded)
KJ (middle position, limped and called preflop raise. Board was Q97s/K/4; My KKQJ9 beat Q5, 92, and JJ).
AK (middle position, lost to QT straight.)
AQ (middle position, scared off the final better on the river to win $3.15 pot with A-high)
KK, my monster hand of the night. Won a $14.47 pot. Here's the details.

In fifth position (nine-handed), UTG and UTG+1 fold to me. I raise to 50¢. Johnny calls, the button calls, and the big blind calls. The flop is AQT. I'm pretty sure at least one of them has an ace, so I figure I've got six outs: the four jacks and two kings. Runner-runner hearts would give me the nut flush, but that's a slim chance. Make it 6.5 outs, a 14% chance.

The big blind bets 25¢, making the pot $2.10. The pot odds are 12%, but implied odds make it worth it. So call, or raise? I can't explain why, but I raise. This was probably a bad move that turned out well. Johnny calls, the button re-raises, the big blind calls, and I call. The pot is now $5.10.

The turn is a shocking A. With two aces on the board, I begin to wonder if someone really does have an ace. Maybe I'm facing a flush draw. Maybe I'm facing a set of queens. Maybe a straight draw. The big blind checks, and I bet. Johnny calls, the button raises, and the three of us call.

The river, the glorious river, is K. I've got a full boat, and only AA, AK, AQ, or AT can beat me. I bet, get a caller, a raiser, and a caller. I re-raise, can get an all-in and two callers. My hand stands up, for KKKAA, beaing Johnny's Q6 (AAQQ6), the button's A7 (AAAKQ), and the big blind's A9 (AAAKQ).

Yeah, I got lucky. Really lucky. And ended up with my best night in two weeks.

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