Nancy Drew

If you are not interested in long, boring, poker-related blogs, skip to the previous blog. If you are interested in angry, slightly depressing poker tales, keep reading.

So I went to the casino again tonight. I was feeling really well, and sat at sort of a dream table. There were only one or two people at the table that I didn't recognize, which means that I had a pretty good idea of how everybody played. Most of the players are fairly decent, so it looked like it would be a good and enjoyable night for me overall. My very first hand I was dealt Ks8c in the BB and saw an unraised flop with 4 other people. Flop comes Kxx rainbow and I bet pot. 2 callers. Turn peels off a second heart, and I pop another pot bet out. The next guy to act says "Pot, pot, huh?" I reply "Probably some sort of tell." They both fold. I'm so witty. A couple of hands later, I'm dealt AJo in late position. An old guy on my right that I don't recognize makes it $10, I call, and the SB calls. Flop Ad 6s 2d. SB checks, old guy bets $10, I raise to $35, SB calls, old guy folds. turn comes another 2, SB bets $50 and I go into the tank. Hands I'm afraid of: 66, AQ, AK. AK or AQ he is leading out on the flop because of the diamonds, or he is at least check-raising. 66 he is check-raising the flop and then checking the turn because he boated. I decide I'm good and move in for another $25ish. He calls and shows A5o, drawing dead to 3 5's or an A or 2 for the split. River is his miracle A, and I have to chop the $250ish pot instead of scooping it. I fold a couple of rounds and then get dealt AThh in the BB with 4 limpers. I decide to make it $5 straight to build a pot in case I hit the flop. Old guy calls saying "not enough to make me fold," and I know he has some sort of connectors. Flop T84 rainbow. I lead out $30, folded to old guy who makes it $60. I instantly know he has T8. I actually said it in my head. The problem is that my mouth said "All-in" right after that, he calls. I say "You have T8" before he flips it over, and sure enough, he shows T8, and I brick out. I rebuy another $100, and play a couple of hands, getting up to around $120 again. I'm dealt 9s8c in the steal position, and the hand gets folded to a decent player immediately on my right. He pops it to $10, and I instantly recognize the steal, so I call. We take the A56dd flop heads up, and he bets $15. This is a weak bet, and I again say in my head "He has nothing, raise." So I call. The turn is an offsuit 2, and he bets $28ish (something odd and weak looking), and I again say in my head "He has nothing, raise." So I call. The river peels an offsuit 9. He thinks forever, asks me for a count ($65), counts out $65 of his own, plays with it, looks at me, looks at the board, thinks some more, and then checks. I think I have the best hand here, but I know I should move in because he will definitely fold if I do. So I check. He flips over Q9o, meaning that if I had listened to myself at any point in the pot, I would've won. But I didn't. I took another flop or two and missed to get down to around $30 when I felted again. I limped with T9o in EP. A late position caller, the SB and I took a flop of 8c 6c 3h. The SB checked, I checked, and the button bet $7. The SB called, and I thought for a minute before I sent the chips in for something like $26 more. I put both of them on draws or weak pairs, assuming that I would have 2 overs, a gutterball, and possibly running clubs. The button looked me up with 98o and I bricked out to get felted again.

I'm really not sure what is going on with me. I have been ridiculously card dead for nearly a month now. In over 45 hours of live play at the casino, I have been dealt AA exactly one time in a bounty tournament, and zero times in a cash game. I have had KK exactly 3 times, one of which was against AA that cost me $500 on a 225 rainbow flop. I've had QQ and JJ several times, but anybody that didn't skip this section knows the roller coaster that those hands are. Card deadness aside, I'm inside of other peoples' heads. I simply know what is going on at all times. Which is amazing considering that I keep doing the exact opposite of what I think I should. 2 of the last 3 trips I should've cleaned house for probably $300-$400 per trip, but both times I ended up -$200. The only thing wrong with my game right now is me, and I'm not yet sure how to fix me. I'm contemplating doing something mildly stupid in the coming week, but I won't disclose it yet. Let's suffice it to say that it involves a game that I shouldn't sit at for several reasons, the biggest one being that I don't have myself under control. I'll see how I feel in the morning.