Gleaming Positives From a Negative

I want to give a rundown of my day. I got up and played both the 1500 Limit and the 2nd day of the NL. Some people thought it was dumb to play both, I didnt. I got up to 7k in the 1st 2 hours of the limit then I went to the NL and lost half my stack. If things didnt turn around I would have been so glad I was in the limit, as the field was super soft. Im not gonna go into the limit event because I want to talk about the no limit a lot. Lets just say on dinner of the NL I went to the limit and played really fast and gambled hoping to amass a lot of chips since I had a ton in the NL and I assumed I would be there a while. I went broke in the limit but by this time I didnt care at all.

On to my day of the NL, I rediscovered some controlled aggression. I was so happy with my play over all. I did some things I hadnt done in a while. I played really tight which I usually do, but had my chips to about 50k. A young kid opened the pot for 5k and I sensed he was weak. Also, I had enough chips to really hurt him, so I reraised him 13k more from the blind with A8o. I had 29k behind leaving myself enough to fold if I was wrong and he woke up with a hand....I was right and he folded. I had raised another internet players blind several times and he folded, but I could tell he was tired of it. I wasnt raising his blind again unless I was prepared to call an all in shove which I thought was coming.....I get AK and raise he shoves like I thought with AJ, we have 120k in the middle and flop comes AJ3...turn 5....river K! He gets super lucky on the flop and I get super lucky on the river. I leave this table with 160k, after I reraise another guy with KQ and he folds. I was very successfull with 3 betting marginal hands and picking up dead money.

I move tables and this table seems to be pretty aggressive. The only player I recognize is this kid Binh, who came in 2nd to Andrew at the LAPC, he has about 100k. I fold for the 1st 15-20 hands at this table, then I finally go after the blinds and antes which are high and raise to 5800 with 65, Binh raises me 10k more leaving himself about 70k. I normally auto fold here, but my instincts were he didnt have a super strong hand and I hadnt played a hand, so I raise him 25k more with only 65. He folds and I pick up big pot. Then we go to dinner. Come back and I raise the cutoff with 34h, Binh calls from the blind. Flop A27 2clubs. He leads for 10k, I would just call if I had an A so I call and plan to win the hand later. Turn is a Q, he chks and I figure if I had an A I would chk behind so I do. River is 6c, he chks, I bet 25k, he folds I win another one with 4 high!

Little while later I raise 2 black 8s, blind calls. Flop is T93 all spades, chk, chk....turn 3....he bets 10k, I call. River is 8 he bets 10k, I raise 30k he calls I win, now I have 250k......Here starts the fun.....My image at this point I believe is tight and always has it. I raise the hijack with A7d to 7500, button calls. Flop 833, I bet 13k, hoping he has AQ or AJ and will fold, he calls and I can tell he doesnt like it....I think he has 55 or 66 or even 99 or TT. Turn is 4, I bet 24k to get him to fold most of his hands. He calls....Im done with it I think.....River is K, now I take one last shot for 38k, he calls leaving himself about 25k. He has red AQ!!!! He called off 83k with A high 75k of it with no draw. This is a horrible play, but he looks like a genius. Im really happy I had the guts to make this bluff. 99 pct of the time I win this pot in this spot, so Im proud that I had the guts to fire the river, if I chk and he chks and shows me AQ Im gonna be so mad at myself cause I would think no way he would call and I should have bet.

So I still have 170k and am fine. Folded to me on the button and the same guy is in the Big Blind. I raise the J7h I just cant fold here. Same guy makes it 23k (I opened 7500). I figure if I hit the flop I can get a lot of value here, so I call. Flop comes TT9 2 hearts. He bets 50k, I raise him an additional 90k, he calls and has AKh. Bad hand for me to be up against, but i win if I catch a J8 or 7. After preflop call all the money is getting in so just unlucky and I miss.

I go from great shape to out in 5 mins, but I am so happy. My reads are so dead on and Im having the guts to go through with it. I got so many chips by outplaying people it was fun. I used to be aggressive and Im glad to get a little of it back in my game. Saturday another 1500 NL Lottery Event. Lets Fire it up.