The Nug

I played the last couple nights at the Golden Nugget.  Short sessions.  I had some other stuff to do (just hanging out with my wife) but I wanted to get some poker in.

I had my warmup and cooldown routines in place and I executed on those.  I also set goals for the sessions.  My goals were as follows:

• Count the pot before acting after the flop.
• Make consistent physical movements.
• Take breaks.
• Play solid preflop.
• Pay attention to one player during each hand when out of the hand. 
• Don't factor in physical tells information to decisions.

Some of those might seem weird, like the last one.  However I've noted that one of my weaknesses is looking too much into physical tells, so I figure for now I should actively try to NOT factor that in.  Of course, I was trying to pay attention and see if I could pick up anything.  That didn't really come up in any hands I was involved in.

Golden Nugget

I scheduled breaks each time and followed through, although they were short sessions anyway.  Once I sat down, I set a timer on my phone for 2 hours.  That's what was recommended when I went through the WPT Boot Camp as well.  

I had some trouble executing on my goals, as simple as they seemed.  In the second session especially I had a really hard time focusing when I was out of the pot.  It may have been because I didn't eat dinner and just went straight there after work.  

I did better with the physical movements stuff, but definitely not perfect.  I decided that I would try to always have my arms folded, check my moving my right arm, and when I bet I would fully extend my right arm and put the chips in a single stack.  I don't really have multiple arm bets worked out yet.  And when the pot was exciting or big, it was hard for me to think about this.  But that's why I have to practice - so eventually it becomes second nature and I do it every time.

Preflop I played pretty solid, but there were some hiccups.  The first day I was playing fine and was down 50 or 80 bucks.  I definitely got a little looser.  Honestly it was 1 or 2 calls, but I need to strive to play perfectly.  For example, really early in the session I folded 44 under the gun.  It's debatable but I personally think it's a good move overall.  Later in the session when I was losing a bit, I limped with 33 under the gun.  Then it got raised huge out of the big blind (to $27) and I called.  Another guy called before me, and the guy had a little less than $300, so I thought it was somewhat OK, but not ideal.  Overall I think it would have been better to stay out of that situation.  I also called a raise with a suited connector in a situation where if it was earlier in the day, I would have folded.

Counting the pot was sketchy, I would forget to do it. Especially in the session where I was less focused.  I paid way more attention to players than I have in the past, but it wasn't 100%.  I'm improving though.

I felt like mentally I was holding it together pretty well.  I could tell I was getting hot and a little frustrated on the first day for a while, but at least I noticed it.  

I played one interesting hand over the 2 days and I think I played it pretty well.  Bunch of people limp and I'm on the button with KQo.  I raise to 15.  I get 4 callers.  So the pot is HUGE for a 1/2 game at this point, $75.

Flop comes pretty good - Kh6c3c.  Top pair but some draws out there.  Checks to me and I bet $60.  I get 2 calls.  One guy is pretty short (maybe $80-$100) but the other guy has a decent amount of money - maybe $350 more.  I have everyone covered.  

Turn is an offsuit 2.  They both check to me.  I thought about it for a while and checked.  The straight got there, but my main concern is that I was against two people.  If I was against one I think I would have bet.  I also didn't have a hand where I was going to get two big bets in, probably just one.  So I could wait till the river and see what happens.  Dangerous to do that because of the flush draw, but that's what I did.

River is another offsuit 2, and both people check to me again.  I think my hand is best at this point.  Pot is $75 + $180 = $255.  Well, $250 after rake.  I thought about it for a while and bet $150.  Old guy with a ton of money calls pretty quickly.  I flip up the KQ.  He turns over KcTc for top pair with the flush draw and I win a pretty big pot.  

Yesterday I had a hand that I messed up a bit.  Guy who is playing relatively tight raises in early position to $7.  I'm on the button with AK.  I just call.  Thought about reraising, but then again, why?  This guy is playing tight.  AK is pretty good against his range regardless, but reraising also makes my range way narrower.  So I'm going to get a lot of his worse hands to fold.  Probably better to play a pot in position with a great hand.  So I actually like the call.  If I had been super active recently then I think a reraise would be better.  

Flop is Axx with a flush draw.  I don't remember the other two cards but they were low and not connected.  He bets out $15.  I just call.  Again, could raise here, debatable.  I don't hate the call.

Turn is another ace.  He bets out $20.  He has around $100 or so left, maybe $120.  I raise to $60. 

He folded.  However, I think my mistake here was that I didn't just go all in.  A raise is going to get him to fold pretty much anything.  Actually if he has a flush draw, he might fold but he's getting about the right odds to call, and with the implied odds its a insta call.  And with an ace, there is no way he is ever folding.  So I think the right play there would have been to go all in.  With an ace he's calling either way, and with a flush draw he has to fold.  So that was the mistake in that hand IMO.  Preflop and on the flop are debatable but I like my reasoning for playing them that way.  

I won about $250 the first day, $50 the next day.  Not a bad start when getting back into some serious poker play.  I was pretty happy with how I played overall too.  Not great, and I need to improve my concentration when I'm not in the hand especially.  But I did play pretty solid and didn't do anything too stupid.  I'm looking forward to the next session!