Welcome to the Rock

Last night we went up to Red Rock and played.  I pretty much got destroyed.  I was down about $550 at one point. 

In one hand I had K-K.  I raised to 7 (my standard raise).  I had been raising a TON up until then... probably 5 of the last 9 hands or something ridiculous like that.  So I thought my image was really good to get paid on this one.  Guy on the button reraised me to 27.

I thought about reraising, but just called.  I thought that reraising might define my hand too well, and calling gives me a really wide range so it will be hard for him to know I had KK.  In retrospect I probably should have reraised anyway.  I'm out of position, and raising a ton of hands up to that point makes it more likely that he would call my reraise.  And if he doesn't, that just keeps my image up that I'm a super aggressive player, which I like.

Anyway, I just called.  Flop came J-9-4 or something.  I checked, he bet something like 20, I called.  Turn was a 7.  I checked, he bet 35. 

At this point, I thought that if I wanted to get the value out of these kings, I need to get some more money in the pot.  So I decided to raise.  I made it 110.  He instantly went all-in.  It was 150 more to me.  I didn't see how I could fold, and called.  He had J-J and I lost a giant pot.

Looking back at the hand, I played it pretty bad.  The preflop call I think was fine, but if I do that I have to play the hand differently post-flop.  I think call-call-call would have been the best line (assuming I didn't reraise preflop).  Because really on the flop I'm basically hoping that he flopped a jack with A-J or whatever.  So he bets, I call.  Turn, blank (essentially).  He bets, I can call.  The on the river, pretty much same thing... I can check/call both for value (against A-J) or as a bluff catcher. 

On the turn when I raised, there really wasn't anything I could hope to beat that could call me besides two hands exactly : A-J and Q-Q.  With A-J, I think he would have to make a pretty bad call to call that raise.  With Q-Q, fine.  He might call or go all-in there.  But that's literally the only hand that I can beat.  Or tie K-K.  He could easily have had A-A, J-J, 9-9. 

Also any time someone shows strength like that (reraise pre - always a huge tell of strength, then bet flop and turn) that is really scary and I should respect that more.

That had me stuck 300. I had one unlucky hand against the same guy when I bet the flop and turn with J-J on a 9 high board, river came a 9, and he had 9-8 (I didn't lose anything on the river).  Overall I kept losing losing losing, and was down $550. 

Then I got in a pretty sweet hand with 5-5.  :-)  Raised with it preflop, got a couple callers.  Flop came J-3-4.  Checked to me, I bet, one caller.   Turn, 5.  Checked to me, I bet 20, check-raised to 70.  YES.  At that point I really felt like the other person flopped a set of 3s or 4s.  She was a tight older lady.  I don't think she would have called with 6-7 or A-2.  And I didn't feel J-J either.  There WAS a flush draw on board so I could have been worried about those with the flush suit, but I didn't really think of it.  :P  So she check raised me, I called.  River was a 9 (brought the flush).  She bet 100.  I raised her all-in (for 100 more).  I showed my set and she didn't show, so I'm pretty sure it was 3-3 or 4-4.  Pretty sick turn card.  That got me back to being only down $200.  :-)

So I ended the night down $200.  Not bad at all considering how lousy I had done and how much I was down all night.  Plus I had a lot of fun.  Looking forward to my next session!