Schmucks are all around us

Went to play live poker last night. I probably shouldn't have. The spousal unit wanted to play last night as she was going to be busy today driving down to Cape Coral and back to see our nephew ride in the BMX state championships. She didn't want to play tonight and be tired. Thing was I didn't sleep well on Thursday night so I was pretty tired Friday. Knew it would impact my play, and it did. Especially in the tournament when I need to be super focused. Oh well.

So the tourney starts at 8. I play a little low limit holdem prior to the tourney and make a few bucks. The tourney starts and my table is very very aggressive. I don't play many hands at all, mostly cuz my hands continually suck but also the raising going on. A while ago I read an article about tells and it was fascinating and informative. The biggest tell most people have is their hands. Now I already knew that a lot of people grab their chips when they are preparing to bet so I always look to my left to see if anyone is getting ready to raise before I play but this article specifically mentioned how people put in their chips when they bet can often times tip you off to the strength of their hands. So I checked it out last time I played and it was VERY HANDY. So I'm watching the guy just to my right and I have a good read on him but I never get a chance to use it. I finally get QQ and raise to 4 times the big blind, which was my first mistake. I get 5 callers. And I hadn't played a hand in almost an hour. The flop is 10-7-6 and the moron 2 places to my right pushes in. Now I know he has played all kinds of crap hands and so if I thought about it I would have had to put him on either 6-7 or 8-9 but I was tired and so I called. He has 8-9 and I lose 2/3 of my stack. I ended up going out a while later with A-8 (yes I know it's Ace rag but it's the best I had) when the same yahoo of course has AA. Lately it seems every time I push someone has AA and when I have it I manage to lose with it.

After that I ended up playing low limit holdem. The poker room at Derby Lane is running a special that all hold em tables are eligible for. The highest hand each hour gets $250, the next highest gets $150 and the 3rd highest gets $100. So I mostly played to try to get a high hand. Minimum hand is Aces full but most hours the 3rd best high hand is quads. So I am only playing good high hands and suited connectors and pairs trying to either get quads or a straight flush. I don't play many hands at all. Well last night I am running well. Hitting some hands that hold up and staying out of most hands. Many of the players are playing every single hand trying to win a bonus. Then I get the hand that really illustrates limit holdem. I am in the big blind. The guy to my left opens for a raise. A few people call including the small blind and myself. I am sitting with A5 of clubs. Not a great hand but has possibilities with the right cards. Flop is a pretty 6-5-5 with the 6 as a club. I immediately bet out as I am pretty vulnerable. Guy to my left folds immediately. Lady in seat 10 calls as does a couple of other people. Turn is a 2 which I don't like but I am pretty sure I'm still ahead. I bet and lady in seat 10 calls along with 1 guy. River is a 4 which I HATE. I'm sure people are staying in with straight draws and so I check. Lady in seat 10 of course bets and I have to call. She flips over a shitty 8-3 offsuit. I could not believe that. First to call a preflop raise with it then every bet I made on the off chance you can get runner runner to win the hand?? WTF. I had seen her play every hand so I knew she had a shitty hand but I put her on something like 6-3 where she actually had a pair on the flop and a reason to call. Calling with 8-3 was just tossing money away except of course I was in the hand so she was bound to win. So I muttered something to my wife in the seat to my right and waited cuz I knew I was gonna get her if I waited long enough.

She made a couple of other hands with complete shit and got a bit of a stack. A little later I am sitting with 55 and call an unraised pot. Flop is Q-9-2 and seat 10 bets out. I put her on a 9-4 or some such crap and decide to call as most of the table does as well. We go 7 handed to the turn and there is my 5. Seat 10 leads out and 3 people call till it gets to me where I raise her. I was hoping she would re raise but she only calls as does everyone else in the pot. River is another 9 and it's checked to me. Everyone checks and I bet out. Seat 10 calls though I was hoping she would raise with a 9 in her hand. One other guy calls and I flip over my boat and say 5's full which gets me a dirty look from Seat 10 when she flips over KK. I was surprised on that hand since she didn't raise preflop but it was typical for her. I was just happy to take back a bunch of my chips from her. She continued to spew off chips and was about half the stack she had before I hit her up by the time I got up and left.

So I at least left with some cash and a decent attitude. I'm thinking of going today while the wife is away but I got some chores to do first so I better get cracking. Remeber the golden rule, playing with schmucks can be very profitable- just ask Very Josie - and don't let the bastards get you down.