I thought it would be an interesting exercise to record all of my played hands for a session and document and graph out the results. Naturally, I happened to do this for one of the worst runs I've had out here to date. This was on a $4/$8 table with half kill at Red Rock on 2/24/08. You'll note over the course of four hours I only played 20 hands out of the blinds. I know it's all pre-flop info, but if you have any feedback, I'd be happy to hear it.

Finally had a decent session tonight where I was playing well and making solid hands. My hand reading has improved with all the time I’ve been putting in and I also managed to pick up on a solid tell, tonight. Again, I sat at a table with the regular who had his mucked hand returned to play in the Worst…Dealer…Ever entry. Every time we’d get to the river and he wanted to take a stab at the pot with no hand, he’d put his bet out farther than normal and then start to turn his hand up. I watched as he did this five or six times and whenever he was raised he’d instantly fold his hand. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to capitalize on it during this session, but I certainly will in the future.

In general, the poker career is suffering. Over the past couple of weeks, I fell victim to the double-edged sword of the grinder. I had a lot of people come through town during that time leading to a very limited number of poker sessions. That time away from the felt meant that I wasn’t making money playing and was instead spending money since there was a lot of ‘going out’ involved. Not that I would take playing over the amazing times I had during those weeks, but it does serve as a reminder as to the drawbacks of relying on a pastime for a paycheck.

Had an interesting session while the guys were in town for Mark’s bachelor party. It was getting to be late in the night and Kurt, Aaron and a couple other guys were sitting at a $1/2 NL game over at Harrah’s. Tired but bored, I decided to kill some time and sit with them. On the fourth or fifth hand I was dealt, I looked down to find Q-Jd in middle position, so I bumped it up to $10 or so. Had 3-4 callers to the flop which came out: K-10-6 with one diamond and two spades. I think I bet out $20 and dropped two callers. Asian guy in late position called, leaving us head’s up. Turn put a 2nd diamond on board giving me another set of outs and so I bet out another $25 and was raised to $50 by the guy in late position. Given the number of outs, I went ahead and called. River came the ace of diamonds, so I went all-in with my last ~$40. Guy calls and I say, “I caught my flush” as I turn over my cards to find the Jack of diamonds and the queen of hearts. Oops. “Uh, I guess I have a straight.” Cards speak, hand is good and I’m doubled up.

About two or three orbits later, I look down to find Ad-Kh under the gun, so again I raise to $10. Three people come along for the ride, including the guy from the first hand. Flop comes out As-6h-8h. Figuring I have the best hand, with a draw to the 2nd nut flush, I lead out with a pot sized bet. First caller drops and the Asian guy calls. Turn comes the 9h and I lead out with $35. Other guy makes it $70, total. I make what is probably a –EV call and throw $35 into the pot. River comes out the 5h, putting four to a straight flush on board, but making my backdoor draw. I check and the other guy checks behind me. I turn over my cards, “I just have the King…” Curiously, when my cards are exposed, it turns out I have the ace of hearts. Heh. Fortunately, the guy didn’t have the seven of hearts and my 2nd misread hand of the session was good.

As the pot was being sent my way, the other guy looks over at me, “you very lucky!”

Better lucky than good!

Dave H. will like this one…

I’ve been grinding out the last five and a half hours on a $3/$6 table over at TI and look down to see the remaining three stacks of blue and some change before me. Fatigue has set in and I’m ready to wrap up my lackluster shift so I decide to throw caution to the wind and straddle my last hand to at least finish with some sense of entertainment value. Five callers limp in and, without looking at my cards, I bump it to 3 bets; “no point in straddling if you don’t raise!” Everyone calls and we’re 16 bets to the flop.

Curiosity gets the best of me and I peek down to see what I’m working with; 10h-4d, awesome. Flop comes out 10s-6d-4s and no one is more surprised than me, so I lead out laughing. Player to my right raises and a woman at the far end of the table calls. I make it three bets to go and he 4 bets it! The woman calls both raises and I just call the final raise, saying, “I’m on a draw.”

Turn is the King of spades, which makes me a little nervous, so I check. Guy next to me says, “oh no, I’m not betting your hand.” Checks all the way around. River is the deuce of diamonds and, given the turn action, I figure my hand is still good so I lead out again. I get called in two places. First guy had a pair of sixes and the woman didn’t show her cards. “See,” I said, “I was on a full house draw.” Two pair good!

Decided to change up venues tonight and play some cards out at the Red Rock Casino. Got seated quickly into a $4/$8 game and, with the exception of splitting the first pot, went totally card dead for the first hour and a half. Lucas was waiting out the endless Omaha board, so I talked him into sitting down for a little bit in the hope that he’d be able to cash in on the multiple donkeys at the table.

We were coming into the third hour and had the displeasure of experiencing the worst dealer I’ve ever seen in Vegas. I mean, Jennifer made the Soboba dealers look like Wynn material. In the half a down that I was willing to sit through, I saw the following:

Second or third hand dealt by this dealer, I am in the big blind with K-9h. We’re 6 handed to the flop, which comes out 2-3-6 with two hearts. I lead out and have 5 callers. Turn is a 4 of spades. Pot equity says to bet, so I throw another $8 into the pot. Lose a couple callers and we’re 3 to the river. River is a 5 of clubs, putting a straight on the board. I lead out in hopes of splitting the pot instead of taking a third. Both guys call and I say, “I’ve got the board.” Next guy folds his cards and the third guy turns over A-4o. Dealer, in reference to the guy with the ace says, “he’s got the ace for the straight.”

“That’s great, but I have a 6-high straight.”

“Everyone has a straight,” chimes in some guy at the end of the table.

The dealer then pulls the 2^nd guy's folded cards from the muck and begins splitting the pot 3-ways. “Excuse me, those cards touched the muck,” I say, trying to salvage my half of the pot.

“Oh, he didn’t mean to fold. Sorry Hank.” Three-way split it is.

Two hands later, the final board is 6-J-5-5-6. First hand is shown was J-4o and called out as “two pair, Jacks and fives.” Some other guy shows an Ace and folds. Third player turns up a six for the boat. “Looks like we have sixes and five for two pair.” Dealer starts to muck the third guy’s hand. No one else was speaking up, so I said, “uh, he’s got a full house.”

As the pot is getting pushed over to the correct person, I look over at Lucas, “ready to pick up?”