A Not Very Nice Little Session

Ugh.

In three letters, that best describes my most recent session out in Ventura.  Got seated in a 1/2 game right away.  Bought in for the $100 max.

For the first hour, I perfected the art of folding.  Card dead in the extreme.  Didn’t get a pocket pair.  I was dealt an Ace twice, once with a deuce, once with a 9, both unsuited.  I got a King once—with a 5 (also unsuited).  I did see Queen-Jack off once—by the time it got to me it was already a three-bet pot, so I folded it.  Suited connectors? Mythical creatures to me.  I don’t think I even got a suited one-gapper.

Just from posting blinds and such I was down to around $70.  Then I finally saw a pocket pair.  Jacks, to be exact.  Under-the-gun, I made it $8. A couple of players called.  Then a guy with a big stack bumped it to $25.  He hadn't been out of line since I'd been there.  I probably should have folded.  But I hadn't had a hand worth playing all day.  In that case, considering my stack, I should have shoved.  But I went ahead and just called. So did the other two who had called my initial raise.  Pretty big preflop pot for this game.

The flop was all low cards—I think it was 9-high, and pretty dry.  It checked around to the three-bettor and he put out $60—more than I had. I would have folded if an Ace hit the flop, and probably a King.  But with the overpair, the size of the pot, and the fact that I only had $39 left, I figured I might as well call.  The others folded.  The board bricked out.  He showed pocket Queens.

I rebought for another $100.  Soon thereafter, I got my second pocket pair of the day.  This time it was Aces.  After a limp or two, I made it $10.  Again, it was four-ways.  The flop was Jack-high. A guy donk-shoved $37.  I shoved back.  The others folded.  The board bricked.  He showed Queen-Jack.  It was the first pot I'd won all day.

I know I won another pot—a small one.  For some reason I didn't write it down.  I think it was a big blind hand because I sure wasn't getting any cards, except the two aforementioned pocket pairs. 

I had about $130-$140 when I got my third (and last) pocket pair, this time 7's.  Ah, lucky 7.  I was in the big blind.  A guy made it $18 after a limp or two.  He had a big stack and had just won a pretty big pot.  Next guy called the $18.  He too had a big stack.  Worth noting, the guy on my immediate left had limped in under-the-gun.  He too had me covered.  Based on his semi-maniacal play all day, I was 99.9% certain he was gonna call the $18.  So I figured my potential payoff if I hit my set was definitely big enough to call the $18 and set-mine.  I did just that, and indeed the guy on my left called.

So four of us saw a flop of Queen-7-2, rainbow.  Nice.  I checked, confident that the preflop raiser would bet.  He did—$40. Two players folded.  I just called, setting the trap.  The guy on my left folded, which was somewhat surprising.  The turn was a blank and I checked, expecting the guy to bet again.  This time he bet $60, almost my remaining stack.  Of course I shoved.  He snap called and immediately turned over pocket Queens.

As I said in the beginning, Ugh.

I didn’t hit my miracle one-outer.  I decided to call it a day.  Clearly this wasn't my day at the poker table  You might even say my session was a big bust.