I went to Houston last week.  We had a good time, saw lots of friends and family, and (of course) I played poker a couple of times.

The first game was $1-$2 rotating between PLHE and PLO/8.  To say the game was loose and aggressive would be like saying Erin Andrews is sorta pretty.  Just consider the fact the Junell was stuck $600 with like 2 hours to go but cashed out $500 up.  And nobody really noticed.  It takes a lot of action to hide an $1,000 swing over 2 hours in a $1-$2 game!

As always, the quality of the play was high despite the action (well, actually as evidenced by it, but that is a different story for a different post).  On the first hand of the night, I hit a straight flush.  Crap.  In the history of poker, nobody has ever hit the straight flush on the first hand and managed to cash out positive.  I got up a couple hundred, went card dead for the last couple hours, and cashed out a small loss.  I caught Junell bluffing once and managed to push him off a hand once.  On one hand, he stone-cold bluffed me and got me to fold.  I had half a mind to call him, but we both had like $1,000 in our stacks, and I got the feeling I would have had to pay the whole $1k to find out if my hunch was right.  That seemed like a bad risk/reward decision to me. 

That group is easily my favorite group to play with in terms of the action and the conversation alike.  The jawing between McAndrew and Junell alone could make a great movie.  Maybe Clerks II – Mopping up the 24-Hour Newstand.

An intersting question was raised that night:  Is there a difference between a “smooth call” and a “call”?  I did some major research and learned that there is.  I guess I got so used to Junell saying things like “I smooth-called his rasie pre-flop with 72o”, that I stopped appreciating the difference.

The second game was $0.50-$1.00 NLHE at the Hocks.  The field was about as opposite to the field in the first game as possible.  Pretty timid.  Bets almost always meant strength.  Bets were consistently made for <25% of the pot, offering mega pot odds on just about any two cards.  Thus I played just about every hand. 

Two players in the game deserve some attention.  One chick, bless her heart, had a propensity to fall in love with flopping top pair, any kicker.  She’d bet it on any street no matter what came on the turn and river.  I got my opportunity on a hand when she flopped a pair of tens and I turned my queen.  I called on the turn and popped her all-in on the river.  She called and busted out.  I wish poker could be so easy at Winstar.

Another player, Dufus (actually, he isn’t a dufus, but it’s my blog, so I get to choose the names), was less interested in making money than he was proving to the world how much he knew about poker.  I took advantage of this when I noticed his propensity to fold any time he faced an all-in bet holding anything short of the nuts (I think his rationale was that if he lost his stack, he’d look stupid, but if he folded, he could tell the table what a “great fold” he made.)  If your goal is to look like a hero and never take a chance, his is the right strategy.  I put the heat on him a few times, including a hand in which he flopped the nut flush.  The turn brought a pair and I bet all-in with nothing.  I got him to fold the Ace-high flush.

Just to needle him a bit, when I bet, I asked him if he had the ace.  After then hand, he said “you know, I did have the Ace.” I replied that “my hand was too strong for him to call with nothing but a draw to a fourth heart on the board.”  He said “no, I had Ace-suited, I made the flush on the flop.”  I said “Oooooo shit, then you had me totally crushed.  You really should have called.”  Hee hee.

That game got a lot more fun when Juan arrived.  When one player tries to get the game out of the muck, it rarely works and it can be costly to try.  Two guys straddling, raising blind, acting the fool, needling and carrying on can attract some action.  Juan and I did just that.  Gracias, Juan.

When we got back to Dallas, we had a league game.  I won 770 big blinds ($335).  I liked that.  I’ll tell you about one hand but leave out the ending for now.  Let me know what your thoughts are on the hand, and I will let you know how it played out.  I actually found the hand to be fairly straightforward, but one guy tried to make the case that I totally misplayed the hand, and I struggle to understand his point.  Maybe you can enlighten me.

I kinda made up the dollar amounts as I don’t recall for sure, but the gist is right.

• I get A3 in the “small” (i.e., “first”) blind.  (Note that the game is two blinds of $0.50)
• Three callers preflop, I check.  So does BB.  $2.50 in the pot.
• Flop comes AQ3.  I overbet the pot: $4.  BB calls, all else fold.  Pot is $10.50.
• Turn is a K.  I overbet again, $15.  He raises $30 to make it $45.  Pot is now $70.50 and I owe $30 to call.  His stack has another $70 in it, and I have him covered.

Here are my thoughts.  He could have 

1.  AQ, AA, QQ, 33, all of which have me crushed
2.  JT, which has me crushed, needing 2 outs.
3. AJ, AT, which I am beating but each of these have 7 outs to beat me (14%)
4. Nothing but a bluff

I rule out 1) because he would have really been slowing playing the first two streets with this, which is unlikely for most players and certainly not his style.
I rule out 2) because that would have been a pretty stupid call on the flop
I rule out 4) because I know the player

So, I figure I am looking at 3) and act accordingly: I move all in. 

I can’t fold since I think that I am most likely ahead.  I can’t call and let him get a free card.  If I move all-in, I’d love a call, but I am not bothered by a fold.  After all, I can’t win any more money on the river against these hands (though I could certainly lose).  I consider this a pretty easy all-in. 

In the unlikely case that he had 1) or 2), I still have a re-draw, albeit only two outs (the two 3s).

I go all in.