Trying out 200NL

Uggg. I did not play good this weekend. Made quite a few mistakes, plus had a couple nasty beats.

For the whole weekend, including this morning, I made 3 buy-ins at 100NL, but lost 2.5 buy-ins at 200NL, for a net loss of about $270 or so on the weekend.

I played 200NL for the first time in a couple months, and for the first time at Full Tilt. There are still plenty of bad players at 200NL. It's just too bad that I was on the losing end of things this time. I lost 3 big hands at 200NL to a 5 outer, 6 outer, and a 3 outer (Well, really a 12 outer on that one, but I don't pay off if the flush card hits. Too bad his Inside St draw card hit)

Here is the biggest one. This one sucked, because I definitely should have bet more on the flop. Plus, I usually raise all my pocket-pairs, but The button was one of the biggest fish I've seen and knew he would call any PF raise, so I limped. He was running at 80/30.

I didn't anticipate the button cold-calling my re-raise on the flop. With him cold-calling, the UTG player definitely had odds to draw. A pot sized raise would have been a raise to 27 (UTG would have to call 21 into a 42 pot). But I raised to 23 instead. But then button cold-calls the 23, so UTG only has to call 17 in a pot that already has 61 in it (3.6:1 instead of 2:1). If I would have raised to 27, and if button cold-calls, UTG is still getting 3.3:1 on his call. So raising more on the flop probably didn't make that much of a difference (Though I suppose raising to 30 or 35 gets both of them to fold ????)

The thing that sucked, is that I was pretty much spot on with my read. The button was so bad, that he could have any two cards really. I wasn't worried about what he had, and I was sure I was way ahead of him. But when UTG flat called the re-raise, I knew he was on heart draw. If he has two pair, or a higher set, He probably raises there, because it would look like to him that either me or the button would be on a draw. So when the innocent looking 8 fell on the turn, I felt my hand was still good.

I was right on my read. He had hearts. Too bad he had 67 of hearts, and that 8 hit his inside st draw. If a heart falls on that turn, I am not betting that turn and hoping for a paired river card. Uggg, I learned my lesson on that hand though.

Full Tilt Poker - No Limit Hold'em Cash Game - $1/$2 Blinds - 6 Players - (http://www.legopoker.com/hh)

SB: $198.00
BB: $273.05
UTG: $390.55
Hero (MP): $200.00
CO: $198.00
Super-Mega-Fish: $251.50

Preflop: Hero is dealt [2d] [2s] (6 Players)
UTG calls $2.00, Hero calls $2.00, CO folds, Super-Mega-Fish calls $2.00, SB folds, BB checks

Flop: ($9) [9s] [5h] [2h] (4 Players)
BB checks, UTG bets $6.00, Hero raises to $23.00, Super-Mega-Fish calls $23.00, BB folds, UTG calls $17.00

Turn: ($78) [8c] (3 Players)
UTG checks, Hero bets $65.00, Super-Mega-Fish folds, UTG raises all-in to $365.55, Hero calls all-in for $110.00
Uncalled bet of $190.55 returned to UTG

River: ($428) [Qd] (2 Players - 2 All-In)

Pot Size: $428.00 ($3 Rake)

UTG had [6h] [7h] (a straight, Nine high) and WON (+$225.00)
Hero had [2d] [2s] (three of a kind, Twos) and LOST (-$200.00)

*****************************

A couple other hands that I butchered at 100NL and ended up losing included:

Me having Aces, and a decent player calls with position. Flop is 994 rainbow, and he calls my cont bet. Turn is a Queen, and I decide to keep the pot small since I am OOP and check(MISTAKE!). He checks behind. River is a another 4. I check call a 2/3 pot sized bet and he has 43s. Oops

And then me hitting a set from MP with 22 after calling UTG's (A half stack) bet. Flop was 932 with two diamonds. I Just called his lead on the flop, cause I didn't think he was on a diamond draw. Turn was a diamond, and we get it all-in and he has K5 of diamonds (so he raised UTG with K5s. Huh???)

AA vs KK all-in PF against a half stack and lost.

Those hands were all on Saturday. On Sunday, I actually ended up a few bucks. I worked my way back to even after suffering a couple nasty beats.

The worst was this hand, at 200NL.

SB: $136.00
BB: $200.00
UTG: $163.60
CO: $199.00
Hero (BTN): $200.00

Preflop: Hero is dealt [Ah] [Ad] (5 Players)
UTG calls $2.00, CO folds, Hero raises to $9.00, SB folds, BB calls $7.00, UTG calls $7.00

Flop: ($28) [Tc] [3h] [6s] (3 Players)
BB checks, UTG bets $28.00, Hero raises all-in to $191.00, BB folds, UTG calls all-in for $126.60
Uncalled bet of $36.40 returned to Hero

Turn: ($337.20) [9d] (2 Players - 2 All-In)

River: ($337.20) [Qc] (2 Players - 2 All-In)

Pot Size: $337.20 ($3 Rake)

UTG had [Th] [Qs] (two pair, Queens and Tens) and WON (+$170.60)
Hero had [Ah] [Ad] (a pair of Aces) and LOST (-$163.60)

******************************

Then there was this one, at 100NL. This guy had a big stack, but was really bad, running at 60/20. He was a master suckout artist. So he calls my flop bet with an inside st draw, and hits runner-runner two pair. Awesome.

Full Tilt Poker - No Limit Hold'em Cash Game - $0.50/$1 Blinds - 5 Players - (http://www.legopoker.com/hh)

SB: $65.25
BB: $520.40
Hero (UTG): $169.50
CO: $78.05
BTN: $101.00

Preflop: Hero is dealt [Ac] [As] (5 Players)
Hero raises to $3.50, 3 folds, BB calls $2.50

Flop: ($7.50) [9d] [7s] [Js] (2 Players)
BB checks, Hero bets $6.00, BB calls $6.00

Turn: ($19.50) [Ks] (2 Players)
BB checks, Hero bets $14.00, BB calls $14.00

River: ($47.50) [8c] (2 Players)
BB bets $47.50, Hero calls $47.50

Pot Size: $142.50 ($3 Rake)

BB had [8h] [Kh] (two pair, Kings and Eights) and WON (+$68.50)
Hero had [Ac] [As] (a pair of Aces) and LOST (-$71.00)

**********************************

So then I struggle my way back to even. And then this hand happens. I had to close down all my tables after this one, as I went on tilt when I saw what he had. I made the crying call, expecting for him to show two pair, or a made straight, or a big draw or something like that. uggg. First time I've been on mega-tilt in a while

Full Tilt Poker - No Limit Hold'em Cash Game - $1/$2 Blinds - 5 Players - (http://www.legopoker.com/hh)

SB: $113.00
BB: $196.65
UTG: $254.15
CO: $344.50
Hero (BTN): $196.65

Preflop: Hero is dealt [Kc] [Kh] (5 Players)
2 folds, Hero raises to $7.00, SB calls $6.00, BB folds

Flop: ($16) [Tc] [8c] [9s] (2 Players)
SB bets $6.00, Hero raises to $30.00, SB calls $24.00

Turn: ($76) [2h] (2 Players)
SB bets all-in for $76.00, Hero calls $76.00

River: ($228) [6d] (2 Players - 1 All-In)

Pot Size: $228.00 ($3 Rake)

SB had [6h] [6s] (three of a kind, Sixes) and WON (+$112.00)
Hero had [Kc] [Kh] (a pair of Kings) and LOST (-$113.00)

*************************************

So then later on, I logged back on, and actually climbed my way out of that hole. No memorable hands from that quick session. AK vs KK on an ace high flop. For some reason, he didn't believe I had an ace. AJ vs KJ against a donk and won his stack. etc...

Then won another stack this morning at 100NL. So to be down only $270 or so from this weekend after some of these hands is actually kind of amazing.

Cheers!!