Home Game

I'm delighted to report that I think I might have actually found a home cash game that I can regularly play in.  This game changes venues and I might even be able to host it a time or two if they are willing to travel out to BFE.

I went broke on the 3rd hand last night - as MM so kindly reminded me when I was trying to cajole Fike into rebuying - when my set of 8s ran into MM's turned straight.  The board didn't pair on the river and I was digging into my wallet for a rebuy.

All in all, it was a fun time.  The game has a "Hammer Rule": win a pot with 72 and you get an additional 2.5BB from each player.  If I recall correctly there were 3 payouts last night - one to ME!  I raised it up UTG and got, hmmm, only 4 callers!  (There were only 5 of us playing, duh!)  Flop came out ATX and I bet about 1/2 pot and they all folded.  "Is everybody out??" I asked.  Then I showed my powerhouse hand and collected my bounty!  Woooot!  I think these guys give me a lot of respect, too much mostly.

I grinded my way back up by stealing quite a few pots and value betting some of my weaker hands but mostly I wasn't called.  My rhythm must have been spot on last night.  I managed to get calls when I was ahead and folds when I was most likely waaaay behind.

Fike opened early and I called his raise with 4h5h.  The flop came KhQhT; he fires and I'm not folding my flush draw.  The turn is a 4 and he checks to me which is only an invitation for me to rob him blind: I bet, he calls.  The river is a 5 and I'm pretty sure I'm good here: he checks and I bet for value.  He tanks for a moment and calls me down.  "Two pair," I announce.  He taps the table and says you're good.  He realized I had the flush draw and wasn't going to fold only to back into a decent hand. 

I flopped broadway with AK and got a flop call.  I should have checked the turn because the chances were that I was so far ahead he wasn't going to pay me off if I didn't let him catch up;  alas, I bet the turn and he went away.

I bluffed at one pot on the river when the flush hit and everybody went away.  Another time they gave me too much credit but I'll take what I can get.  It took me the rest of the night to eke out a small profit.  Fike lost two buyins and Gordo dumped one.  MM was the big winner on the night but Derek also left a winner.

I missed the game last week which I heard was primo.  With any luck we'll pick up some more players as other extracurricular activities start to die out.  The only bad thing: this game is Tuesday nights - same as Corporation Poker.  I'm sure there'll be times when I can't make the cash game and you'll find me donking it up at the Corporation table.