On a heater

Last night I had my most profitable single day of my poker career, making $460 in a 5 hour session. It was probably also one of the softest tables I've ever played at. I got to the poker room around 4pm and sat down with a full buy in at the 200nl game. I started off on the right foot this time, flopping a set of Jacks and slow playing it until the river, where I check-raised a $17 bet. I made it $42 to go, got called by God knows what, and just like that I was off to a good start.

That same player rebuys for another $100 and a few hands later I bust him again when I flop top two pair in a 6-7-8 all heart flop. I bet something like $20 into a smallish pot, he raised all in, $50 on top and I called, hoping he was on a draw. He was, as he tabled Ah7x. The turn and river brick and I drag in another nice pot. Then THE SAME GUY rebuys again, tilts off some of his stack, and I bust him again with QQ vs. his A-10 all in preflop.

That's 2 times that I felted the same guy, all within my first hour at the table.

Then I lose a somewhat medium sized pot when I call down an opponent on every street with KJ on a King high board and he shows AK. I don't let it get to me though, and a few hands later I pick up pocket ducks, flop another set, and get value on every street, from a guy who was wearing a donkey hat that got a good laugh out of the whole poker room. (see above pic.)

The same donkey hat guy pays me off again when I river trip fours on a straddled pot.

I'm not going to lie, I was running like baby Jesus the entire night. I think I got dealt pocket Queens four times the entire session and they held up each time. I also won another sizable pot where I had JJ in the big blind. A player in early position raises to $11 and gets like 5 callers. It gets back to me and when I look down at JJ, I throw out a green ($25) chip and then announce "Make it $25 all day." The dealer announces my action but the player on the button who had called the $11, protests, and says I made my verbal bet after the green chip had touched the felt, thus making my very obvious intention to raise, a call. Whatever, I don't make too big a fuzz about it and throw $11 out and take the green chip back.

The flop comes Q-J-x and I fire out $35 with my set of Jacks. I get one caller and the turn is another Queen, giving me a full house. I make a tiny $25 bet, hoping to get raised by trip Queens, but my opponent just calls. The river is a blank and I try to figure out a good value bet amount into the $175 pot. I finally settle on $75 and my opponent insta-mucks. In hindsight I should have probably bet a little less, maybe $50 or so, but then again, either he has the Queen or he doesn't so I don't think it made much of a difference.

I won a few more smallish pots the rest of the night and cashed out around 9pm for $660 ($460 profit.) Like I said, I was a card rack the entire night, but I also think I played very well and was able to avoid marginal spots by tightening up and not getting too out of line.

Today I decided to hit up the casino again for a quick session before work. I got to the room at 2pm and had work at 4pm. Since I got there just as the tables were getting started, I was stuck in a game full of regs, not exactly what I wanted. I got stuck $100 pretty quickly after calling a bet with 2nd pair on a wrong read and playing a bit too lose. I was down to like $110 and decided to straddle for $4. Five players call the straddle and I look down at pocket sixes. I decide to make it $20 on top, and get one caller. The flop comes 9-5-2 all hearts. I double check to make sure I at least have the 6 of hearts, which I do, and decide to shove ~$85 into a $60 pot.

My opponent calls almost instantly and I figure I'm drawing pretty thin. To my surprise he turns over 10-2off with no heart. He says he put me on AK and thought his deuces were good. My pair of sixes hold up and I double up. A couple of orbits later I pick up AK in early position and raise to $8. I get 4 callers and we see an A-4-5 rainbow flop. I lead out for $20, a guy to my left raises to $50 and it folds back to me.He only has like another $50 behind so I decide to push and he insta calls with AJ. My AK holds once again, and I drag in a nice pot. I left the card room around 3:30 and cashed out for $359. A $159 profit in 1.5 hours. Not bad. Then it was time to go to work, to make half of that in 8 hours, lol.

Anyway, the win this afternoon extended my winning streak at the charity casino to 7, dating back to this past summer. I hope to make it 8 in a row tomorrow. I have the day off from work so I look forward to putting in a longish session.