Broken Streak

It had to happen sooner or later, didn't it? In cash game play at my place, I had been in the black in every session since mid-February.

Thursday night was no exception. We had ten in attendance, with $212 on the table. I was in for $20 and out for $50. Glenn (another of Mike V's friends) was up $40 for the night, and the big winner was Woody, up $47. The big story was the early chip leader, Miguel. Miggy had the deck wallop him upside the head in the first hour. There were whispers everywhere that Miguel was just keeping his chips warm until his Q4 offsuits, T5 suiteds, and gutshot draws failed him. It took about three hours for him to redistribute all of his chips.

Sunday night didn't go as planned.

First off, Bruiser showed up early, and we decided to postpone the tourney a half-hour until Woody showed up. Bruiser challenged me to a $10 heads-up cash game, and who I am to refuse a guy that puts ten-spot after ten-spot on the table? Really, I was interested in playing the often-maniacal Bruiser heads-up. I hadn't played anybody heads-up in a cash game live. I've felt good about my heads-up play for a month now, and thought Bruiser would be a good test for me.

It took us less than ten minutes to have a rebuy. It was mine. Oops. I flopped bottom two pair, and Bruiser flopped top pair. All the money went in on the turn, and the river paired Bruiser's six kicker.

We had another all-in confrontation, when Bruiser reraised me preflop, and I decided to push with AJ. His KT offsuit flopped a ten, but the jack on the turn end up giving me the pot. Score: one rebuy a piece...

I got a little "creative" (read: damn lucky) when I bet into him, holding Q8-suited, on the JT7 flop. He called, and the turn saved my bacon, hitting my gutshot with a 9. It also gave him the idiot end of the straight. The river was no help to him - rebuy #2 for Bruiser.

Everyone had shown up in time to watch that hand, and we decided to forgo the tournament for a six-handed cash game. I loved the idea.. I had $30 in front of me, and everyone else was buying in for $10.

Which I proceeded to bluff and chase off to just about everyone. I probably bled half of it before I buckled down and started playing a tigher, smarter game.

I learned it doesn't matter if Bruiser has a two kicker. He's not folding top pair short-handed.

The big hand of the night was what put me in the hole. I had built my stack up to $40 or so, and we were four-handed. Forty Ounce Dave raised to $1 under the gun. Oklahoma Jeff made it $3 total on the button. Albert folded his small blind, and I look down at pocket aces in the big blind.

It's. On. Now.

I paused a little, thinking about the best way to play the hand. I called, as did Dave. The flop was a fairly benign Qd, 9s, 2h. Dave and I checked to Jeff, who bet $5. I raised to $15 total, hoping he didn't have a set of queens. Jeff went all-in. I called. Jeff showed pocket kings. I said "yeah!" and showed my aces. Jeff had a mournful "nooooo" to contribute. He had me covered, but just barely.

Turn, queen.

River.

King.

Ouch.

A $90 pot almost went my way. Almost.

I guess I should take some comfort in the fact that I was a huge favorite in the hand when all the money went in. And that I played my third $10 up to $21 before it was quitting time.

$9 in the red. Thirty minutes of bad poker, and one unlucky hand. Time for a new streak.