BB: Stupid Limit...

Just got ripped a new one two-tabling Stars 1/2. Just steady series of second best hands and not many premium hands (especially AK) until two hands in a row ripped $35 away from me, ending up -$60 overall (my 30BB stop-loss, coincidentally).

The first hand I lost $20 on -- EP (solid player) raise, I three-bet w/ AhKh, BB (fish) cold calls, raiser calls. Flop 9h 4h Qs, EP bets, I raise, BB cold calls, EP three-bets, I call, BB calls. That's where I should have put EP on AA, KK, AQ, maybe KQ, or QQ. Turn is 4d, BB bets, EP raises, and I cold called both raises on the draw. This is where I had my best chance of minimizing my losses on this hand. If I'm going to raise on the flop with the draw, I need to use the information I get, and seriously consider that EP has QQ and I'm drawing dead. The result -- hit the flush on the river, I raise and cap it (another chance to save a bet, at least), and lose. Pot was $55ish.

I can't really complain -- much of my loss was due to calling the raise cold on the turn when I could be drawing thin. Yes, I had good odds ($25.50 in the pot) but the paired board should have let me know my draw may not be completely live, making the odds about even, and I save money. Other than that decision, I can't criticize my play of the hand too much. My flop raise was a play to get a free card and gain information, my raise on the river is a value raise (sadly, the re-raise was just silly).

Next hand on the same table, I pick up AA in the cutoff and raise a few limpers. SB cold calls (fishy BB from previous hand) and BB three-bets. Limpers fold, I cap, SB cold calls both and BB calls. Flop all low cards (3s 7d 5d), BB and I get into a raising war and SB calls the whole way. I wasn't worried about the BB (figured he had a high pocket pair) but I wanted to get the SB out because he might have hit the board. Turn is 5c, SB leads out, BB and I call him down (river was 4s). SB had K5h and wins $37 pot. Tilt, here I come.

Again, don't regret much except maybe I could have gotten away on the turn when the SB led out -- a good chance he had a 5 or even a straight but I have a hard time giving these crazies credit.

Obviously, I have a lot to learn. One of my first lessons has been that limit really, really, leaves you helpless to the cards and variance. At least in NL you have a chance of stealing small pots -- in these games you really need to hit the flop.