Played until about 2am last night putting in a solid 8-hour poker ‘work’ day. Cashed out a whopping $33 of which I was honestly pleased with considering at one point in the session I was down about $650.
I had started at a table which was frustrating – players getting up for 30 minutes at a time, leavng us short handed,…they’d come back for 30 minutes, and leave again. Frustrating. The floor person wasn’t much help and a little rude actually when I said something and he stated ‘they can’t control people eating’…. Anyway, a couple of hours in there’s a big pre-flop raise to $30 in early position. One call and I look down at JJ. I’m in mid-position with four people to act behind me. What do you do? I elected to smoothe call. three other callers! Wow, for a pre-flop 6-player pot of over $180. Flop J,7,4 all diamonds. Two checks. I think and I have to think what the best possible way to play this is. I have about $350 in front of me, and if I throw in $100-150, I’m pot committing myself if someone’s flopped a flush. And even if they did, I still have 10-outs. I simply elect to move-all-in to scare away the ace or king of diamonds. Button shows his cards to the the player on his left and says ‘I’m going to call’. Everyone else folds and the guy flopped a King high flush (K8) – yes he called $30 with that – I suppose he was getting odds. No paired board and I’m felted. Tough when you flop top set and lose. At worst though, I was only about a 60-40 dog.
Well, I buy back in donk off another $200 until the cards and my play change a little. I pick my spots, little semi-bluffs. Good reads on certain players (same guy that flopped the flush, opted to throw $35 bluff into a $60 pot when it was checked until the river). Me just having Ace high (AQ), called him and he states “queen high”. I threw over my Ace high and he is stunned I called him with no pair. But that move also gave me the confidence to start playing better poker and essentially win back $600 and leave about even for the session.
It’s 10:45am here and an hour and a half from the $1060 NL event here at the Wynn – event two. I’m struggling now about shelling out $1,000 for this event enen though I’ve earmark the funds out of the poker account and somewhat readied myself. I’ve been on a little negative streak lately and am not quite feeling the mojo. Haven’t made a concrete decision quite yet, but I may elect to skip this one and veg today; do a little work, lounge by the pool, hit the spa…actually relax and get myself ready mentally for a good poker evening.
Trying to close one of the biggest deals in my eight years of recruiting today and so kind of got that on my mind too since the economy is slowing and placements have been a little more difficult to come by. I’m here to relax not stress over a $1K tourney buy-in. For tourneys, I’m a firm believer now having played in 35 now in the last two years that you have to be mentally ready. I’m not sure I’m there right now.
