Hands from Today... Err, Four Days Ago

I'm lazy. I admit it. At least I remembered to make a note of the hands I wanted to think about later on Saturday night.

Saturday night was an odd one because I went to Bay 101 and the list was SUPER full. I asked the brush what the wait was and he looked at me like I was crazy, saying "A couple of hours. Fridays and Saturdays are our biggest days!" It didn't help that the Shooting Star $1K satellite was winding up and still taking up a table.

The odd part was the Omaha H/L 4/8 with a half-kill had about 10 people on the list but I got called for the table in less than a half-hour. In fact, when I was sitting at the table, it was churning over really fast, with at least 5-8 players moving to it within 45 minutes (and the list got emptied out).

The 4/8 LO8 has a bit of a strange structure but I prefer it to GC. It has a half-kill, meaning the stakes rise to 6/12 when the kill is on. The kill is put on any time someone scoops a pot over $40 and the stakes increase plus the winner posts $6. The kill acts in turn, so the rest of the hand is the same except there's an extra $6 posted, meaning one more player in the pot most of the time. While I was playing, the kill was on maybe one third of the time.

One really aggressive guy sat down and started running over the table -- he was older and pretty knowledgeable, but was raising a lot of hands pre-flop. He also won a big string of pots and had a monster stack in front of him.

I spent about 45 minutes at the table and was down around $50 most of the time... Until I flopped top set against the loose guy and he missed his draws, putting me up $9. At that point, my 6/12 got called, and while I wouldn't have minded staying at the Omaha, I figured it was my duty to scout 6/12 at Bay 101.

The 6/12 had a few bad players and a few good ones (similar to an average table at GC). I quickly won a few pots, but then bled most of the rest of the hour and a half that I played. Admittedly, I was playing quite aggressively and a bit looser than usual. Not really sure why, but I was in an aggressive mood; it may have been that I had to leave after a relatively short time. I don't think I was playing badly, although I made a few mistakes.

Some hands:

• 44 in the SB. Raised in MP after a limper by a tightish guy, cold called by one or two behind him, and I called. Looking to flop a set, and I checked the 299 rainbow flop when I missed. It checked to the raiser, was called by one behind him, and then I, on impulse, raised. I figured for the caller behind for overs (he was an aggressive player would would have raised a pair in that spot) and I wanted to see if the raiser had AK or not (I felt like he might). He called, so I was quite confident I had the best hand. The turn was the 7s (putting two spades out) and I bet again. Raiser slowly folded, the caller called after a little thought. River was a horrible card, the Js. I checked, he bet. I wanted to fold, I really did, but this guy had been bluffing a lot and I felt like I had to call in this spot because he was capable of the bluff. But he had a flush... I'm both proud of this hand and a bit ashamed. Is 44 in this spot too small of an edge since I'll be against a ton of overs? Knowing they both had high cards helped a lot. Can I fold on the river?
• AKo in the BB, 4 players in, I raise, 225 flop. I bet, only the small blind calls. On the 3 turn I bet, he raises, I call. On the 5 river, he checks, I immediately bet what I feel is the best hand. He calls and asks if I have a 5 (always a bad sign) (he had A2o). I think I royally screwed this hand up, not considering his range when he raises me on the turn. It was a hand played without thought, and it cost me (at minimum) the river bet -- he'll call for the chop or anything that beats me. Not sure if I can fold the turn (I have two overs which may or may not be good, a 4 which may or may not be good). Hell, maybe I shouldn't even have bet the turn. What would be a better line in this spot?
• QJo in late position, I limp with a bunch of others (maybe 5 total). JT9 rainbow flop, MP bets, I raise, button thinks a while and then calls, MP three-bets (I've been raising him/three-betting him quite a bit) and I cap (assuming I have the worst hand) hoping to either get the button out or get check to on the turn and get a better read. Turn comes 9, checks to me, I bet. Button raises behind me, MP folds, and I think for quite a while then fold thinking I'm drawing dead or nearly dead (figuring him for a set or two-pair that just boated). Button, BTW, wouldn't bluff this spot. Button said he had KQ and MP complained about me always raising him and he knew he had the best hand (KJo). That I liked, he was marginally on tilt after that... If he's three-betting me with top pair and a gutshot when he's out of position, I'm happy. But, was there a better line in this hand given my hand? The flop is really nasty, and while it is excellent for my hand, there are many ways for me to be in bad shape as more cards come.
• A little mistake: I raise A9o in LP and get two callers, J94 flop with two clubs, I bet, MP raises (tightish guy, 90% he has a jack or better) and I call. Turn is a blank, and I call a bet. This was a bad call, I think. 6 big bets in on the turn, 7 with his bet, so I'm getting 7:1 while my five card draw is more like 8:1, and he may not even pay me off with an ace. On the bright side, my draw is quite clean. River is a club, and we both check. At the time, I thought my turn call was pretty bad, but in hindsight, especially with implied odds, I don't think it is that bad. But once I get to the river, I pretty much need to call another bet there too getting 9:1. So maybe folding the turn is lower variance in an even EV situation.
• I missed a bet with T9 (ten on the flop) on the river. My opponent was tight and quite solid (I raised his flop bet). He called me down and I thought he might have a flush draw or top pair, but it turned out he had T7. One of the two top pairs I could beat :) FYI, he limped (which was rare) in MP. A little later his 20/40 seat opened up.

Here's some food for thought. When I sit down, I can usual tell how good a player is based on look. Well, maybe not just look, but how they look around themselves (how aware they look). Against stronger opponents, I wonder if it would be worthwhile to look like an idiot. How could I do that without spewing chips in bad spots?