Happy new year to all!

January 2nd and 3rd featured some more winnings. The Jan 2nd session started out poorly as I donked off $70+ with Bribri's account -- a combination of questionable plays and bad luck. Fortunately in the afternoon I more than undid my morning mistakes and soared back into the green. I had 3 NL25 tables going, and I also stuck around at a NL50 table for a lengthy stretch as I was trying to get to some fish (and I eventually did it with AA vs AK on a K-high flop -- http://www.pokerhand.org/?709667). A few big hands late in the day boosted my bankroll up to ~$1165 (already after refilling Bribri's account).

Mistakes aren't easy to undo. I should always remember this.

I also played an unexpected afternoon-evening session on Wednesday. It was quite productive. At one point I had doubled up at 3 of my 5 tables. At the end I had >3 buyins at 2 tables. But not everything was good. I started making loose plays, losing money and building a poor image at 2 other tables, necessitating me to top up my stack from time to time and eventually just get the hay out of there. At the end of the day my BR was a modest $1238, modest because at one point it peaked at $1260+.

Some interesting Tuesday hands. All of the at NL25 (0.10/0.25 blinds):

http://www.pokerhand.org/?709669

Some poor soul was dealt a SB-special top two-pair hand and thought it was good. Unfortunately for him I was salivating with bottom set.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?709670

This is a hand that needs serious analysis. I chased 7-outs -- a gutshot and overcard -- for a fairly small price, and hit the gutshot -- unfortunately once too often. I was aware of the possibility of a full house, but didn't have the discipline to fold to the check-raise. In retrospect I should've bet less on the river since my hand was pretty obvious from my betting. What hands were going to call my big turn check-raise and then another big river bet? Probably only a full-house or 65. Trip 4s probably won't call turn and any 2-pair hands on turn would have either improved to a house or been counterfeited (Q3, Q2, 32) and won't call river.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?709692

I have seen this opponent limp with AA in early position a few days ago, and I got burned back then when I overcommit with KQ on a K-high board for almost half a buy-in ($12+). This time he had a chance to reraise preflop......his small reraise was a recipe for disaster, as it defined his hand almost completely (big pocket pair) while still allowing me proper implied odds to set-hunt (according to common belief a person can't set-hunt profitably if he has to commit >1/8 of his chips preflop). I hit my set on the flop, and the rest is straightforward. Almost all NL25 players don't know how to lay down Aces on a rag board. Flopping sets is fun!

http://www.pokerhand.org/?709741

I called a small raise preflop with suited crap, flopped a combo draw and hit both draws on turn (of course I only needed to hit 1 draw). Opponent played his AK terribly -- min. raise preflop, bet smallish on a flop that he hit and not repopping my check-raise, and then kept calling after he was outdrawn.

Quite a few Wednesday hands worth posting:

http://www.pokerhand.org/?712325

T9 in late position, flopping top 2-pairs. Fireworks ensued -- BB went ape-shit with his hand, and some MP called all the way with what turned out to be a combo draw. Beside a set with 33 BB could as easily have worse 2 pairs, which was exactly what he had. Shortie MP hit his draw on the turn but I rivered the full house that allowed me to collect the 200+BB full pot. It would have been more fun if the ten of clubs appeared on the board -- it would have improved all 3 hands!

http://www.pokerhand.org/?712326

KK, flopped full house, and then this donk check-raised with Ace-rag. I was so glad he was interested in tangling so I simply pushed. He called. Unfortunately my hand wasn't as strong as it looked. A full house like this only holds up ~77% of the time against higher trips. This was 23% of the time that I would get outdrawn, as he paired his rag (4) on the river.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?712328

Flopped straight with preflop-raised AQ. The sweet feeling was gone by the river when a second King arrived and I had to face an all-in raise by this semi shortie. There was so much in the pot, I had to call. I was praying for trip Kings only, but he showed the nut house and scooped up the pot. What else could I have done? Maybe push all-in on turn? That would have been an excessive overbet. I don't know.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?712329

Flopped TP + gutshot royal flush draw, and hit the prettiest out on the river. A royal flush, and it was paid! My AQs was prettier than his.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?712332

This happened right after the KK vs A4 house under house hand (712328). I flopped a small flush and doubled up through AJ 2-pairs unimproved. It did take away some of the sting from that suckout.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?712333

An unsuccessful bluff. Next time know the player before making this play. =(

http://www.pokerhand.org/?712735

Another opponent played his AK feebly. Postflop I did everything right (raised for information, checked when suspecting that I fell behind, value-raised when I hit my miracle 6 on the river) and he did everything wrong. 1) A 3-bet on the flop by him was probably warranted. He had a flush draw and 2 overcards against a 9 or an overpair like TT to QQ, so he was actually ahead. Had he 3-bet I obviously would have folded. 2) I don't know why he checked the turn. He hit his out for Christ's sake! 3) Did he need to call that big an all-in at the river?

http://www.pokerhand.org/?712737

Another bottom set vs. a blind-special top 2-pair situation with him drawing slim (4 outs for a boat). I managed to get him to call my all-in at the river.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?712745

AA vs. KK preflop all-in for almost a full buy-in. The rich (me) just got richer.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?712761

Another miracle catch at the river. This time it was a Jack that gave me a full house. When he raised me I thought I had his AK trapped. Turned out he had K9 instead. Still the same -- I busted him with a house over a straight.