My buddy Brian came into town back from his trip to Oregon and since he was staying a day or two in the Bay Area convinced me to play at Garden City again. This time though, I decided to stop ignoring the Spread Limit game and actually sit down for a change. And, I have discovered I cannot play a tight game there and survive at all(but I am going to try again on a weekend soon...worse players after all). Anyway, I was card dead for about the first hour and was adding on chips to be a full stack constantly(the game is 3-100 spread limit which means min bet is 3, max bet is 100, blinds were 1/3, $100 max buy in) which is quite expensive in this game. I must have limped in with 5 pocket pairs but every time the hand was raised to something like $18 preflop after I limped with others, and then I would fold not getting the proper odds to hit my set. Plus, I never really saw a hand...so I moved tables, to the right of my buddy Brian. I still was card dead, but this table was more passive, so I was able to see some hands all the way to the flop! Where I would promptly fold...bah. I did pick up a couple of pots, won a JJ hand against the big stack on a board of 9853, two diamonds where I pushed on the turn because it was a little more than the pot, and I just wanted to win a hand! Had KK in the SB and raised to $23 and after six limpers got no callers. Called a raise of $15 with TT, and when heads up, PF raiser checked a flop of J88, I bet $20 in a $33 pot. He called. Turn was a Q, check, check, river was an Ace, and he bet $30 which I just rolled my eyes at and folded...this was the one semi-tight guy at the table...at least I was 90%+ sure he was raising preflop with big aces and big pairs, from what I had seen. Took down a couple of pots with nothing. and some with bottom pair top kicker, but always small ones other people had given up on. Ended the night down about $100 which came mainly from being blinded down...really crappy.

It seems a method of outplaying my opponents postflop might be what is needed in this particular game, since getting odds for my pocket pairs, and playing tight cost way too much money. Maybe I just need to hit more hands as well, having only KK, JJ twice, and TT as hands that I felt were the ones I could raise(Had ATo a number of times, mostly against a preflop raise, and small pocket pair I constantly limped and chucked.

Anyway, I'll think about what I need to do, but gathering chips early in that game seems really important...but also really easy as I watched a young guy do it with KK, AA, and AK against the junk hands of his shortstacked opponents. I was just wishing I could get a little run like that. It was interesting though...and enjoyable. And lucrative as well, as long as I figure out how to see flops cheaper.

Big hand of the night and donk move of the night goes to my buddy Brian who of course was on the button with AKo. UTG, who hadn't raised more than once in an hour, raises $40 into a pot of $4(yes, he was a donkey). UTG+1 pushes his stack in for about $51, and it folds around to Brian who decides "I need to push here and get that money!". UTG calls Brian's push and flips his QQ and the board bricks. Man, I was pretty stunned at that move and was just rolling my eyes as he mentioned what a HORRIBLE play that was...which I was nice enough to agree with his analysis. Anyway, this guy raises to $40 and gets tons of action, I raise to $13 and it folds around...I need to play more hands methinks.

Thx, Zmej. I'll try to follow a different course of action in that game...I can see right away that I was way too tight for it and waiting for my spots too long. Plus, I have to be willing to accept the higher variance. Or go find a better game...which is probably a better plan, but I'll try it a few more times at least. Iceman wrote something about the NL capped tables(capped in how much you can bet for the whole hand). I will try and take some of that info as well because the game plays similar. San Jose sucks monkey balls or having NL illegal.

ED....when do you wanna go?????

BTW, I finished not last in the BTP WCOOP event for STUD. HUZZAH! I think I could have played better, but I was pushing chips around like I had to go somewhere, and I did. But I wanted to check it out and at least give money to the don.........nice people around here. so I know where to find it.

Story of the weekend - When I got up to the cabin, I found that the furnace was out for the downstairs, so we were getting heat. I don't mind too much...I just wrap up in blankets and a sleeping bag, but my buddies Greg and Zach about both about 5-10 and weigh about 155 and 135, respectively, so they can't keep themselves warm. So, after Greg whined at me to relight the heater, I went out there and tried to light it. We tried a few times with these long stick matches, but finally gave up and went to the store to get one of those plastic snap lighters which are useful. So, we get back later in the day, and go out there again(why the furnace and water heater are located on the side of the house with only outside access is beyond me). This time, following the instructions, I put the switch on pilot to light the furnace, hold the button to get a little gas going, and light the pilot light. It lights, no problem. But, when I turned the switch to on, it was supposed to light the whole furnace. Instead the pilot light would just go out. I did it twice, and twice this happened which got me frustrated. So, I figured I should try and light it while on the ON position. This was not my finest decision ever.

There was enough of a buildup of gas in the area because of the first couple of attempts that when I lit the area around the pilot, the area completely flamed up. Basically, a fireball came toward Greg and I and while he yelped, I turned my face left because of course I was closer to it. I didn't catch on fire...thank God, and the furnace was lit and working! All seemed good, and so we went back inside into the light(it had darkened enough so that we had needed a flashlight). When I stepped in and turned to Greg in the house, he said, "Holy crap! You have to look at your face!" I went up to the mirror and saw that the fireball had 'affected me'. I had grown my hair out some and the hair around my forehead and ears had all burned some and crinkled. My eyebrows had suffered some, thinning them; my eyelashes had burned and curled in half. My facial hair on my chine had turned an ashy white...it looked like I had died it, although it was just stubble. I was very very lucky not to have been seriously injured or have any burns on my face, but at the same time, the look was amazingly comical. Thankfully, after a shave and a shower, it was pretty hard to tell anything was amiss, although my eyelashes are still curled and frosted. Next time, I'm calling the $50 guy or sleeping in the cold.

Well, went out to Artichoke Joe's tonight and played some 3/6 LHE. Could not catch many cards though, ended down $24. Really just a lousy night because my table was usually shorthanded, and I couldn't catch anything. Paid off one idiot $6 when I shouldn't have on the river(he CR'ed the turn and I had TPTK, but never improved...pretty easy laydown). And the people at my table weren't paying off that great either...pots were smaller...people acted like they had sense. I better go back to the LC and win again. There, no one has any sense.

So, I went to Tahoe. Spur of the moment because my buddy Brian said he was getting a job in a week, and he wanted to enjoy his last week of freedom, so we headed up to Tahoe on Monday night. Poker for the whole week!

Monday, we couldn't find a game, so lost a little playing BJ. Played limit on Tuesday night at Harvey's, made some money, but was wanting to play NL, although there wasn't a big game that day. Won about $176. Brian bubbled out of the tourney he played in there 7th where top six paid, of course. Rigged.

Wednesday morning, Brian gets sick. So, I head over to the Reno(El Dorado) by myself, play 3/6 LHE again. Lose about $120...bad night...didn't get cards. NL game was up , but I didn't play there...pretty tight. Thursday night, I went to back to Harvey's in SLT(by myself, Brian is still sick) to play. The NL game was up and looked juicy at Harvey's, but I sat down at 3/6 LHE AGAIN. There is a NL $300 max game 2/3 blinds at Harvey's...a little big, but pretty easy money because the players are extremely bad, usually. Still, even though I had a roll of $1K to play with, I didn't sit down. I had no comfort level, although I though I was better than most everyone at the table. I played limit for a while, and could not get cards...very frustrating. So, I finally buckled, put my balls on and jumped in the NL game.

I sat there for the most part, trying to collect some pocket pairs and maybe hit a set. There was a few regulars at my table, and one player who was pretty decent. The decent play was a woman, about 24-26, who played at Lucky Chances in the SL 500 max bet game, no cap on buyin. She was pretty darned comfortable with the game and the action, and have bravery I was looking for, so I watched her play. Her postflop decisions were pretty good, and she knew how to take down orphan pots and push her advantage usually. What also helped was that she was pretty attractive and shapely...lots of fun to play against. I sat there and just raised when I had a decent hand, and never bought a pot...which I thought was pretty weak tight, and it was. I won a couple of bucks at the game, but rarely got any action which made me think the style I was playing was not conducive to winning alot...and that's what I wanted to do. So, next night, we go to Harvey's. I jump in the NL game again, and the people are still bad, although some of the people I played on Thursday, so I know who to avoid and when. The attrative woman who was at my table on Thursday is there, in position on me at my table...and so I watched her. I was starting to loosen up preflop, because most times it was easy to get into a limped pot, from any position. Finally, a hand came up. I completed in the SB with , seven players in. Flop is . Decent flop for my hand. I bet $15 into a $20 pot. Two folds, and a MP player raises to $50. He was a tight player, didn't usually bet with a decent hand. After him, a shortstack cold calls the $50(horrible player). Folded to me, and I got greedy. I decided to push, even though I though I was behind. So, I push for about $240 more, and the MP player calls instantly. The shortstack takes about a minute and folds KQ. The MP player has JT of course, and no heart comes...but I took that hand in stride. It really helped me; I found out that I could lose a $600+ pot and keep my cool. That hand actually gave me confidence and finally provided that comfort level I was looking for. I'll write about more hands later.

So, I got another rebuy for $300 and stayed at that table. I really didn't get alot of great cards, but you could limp in and speculate with some hands...not alot of raising. I had not won a hand since, down to about $260 when I picked up TT in MP. I raised to $20, and I hadn't raised but once before. One guy called in the CO and the button, an older lady, who pushes all in for $106. She had done this before once, UTG, with QQ, and was called by A2o(wish that guy had stayed longer). The BB, the shortstack from the previous hand, calls allin for $81. I thought about it for a minute and finally decided I was getting a pretty good price, and if I was ahead, they probably had close to the same cards, so I decided to gamble(not sure about my logic there) and called. CO, after agonizing over his 33, finally folded it. Lady showed KQo, BB showed AKo, and I held onto my TT while the dealer laid down JJ886 and I won with my three pair. I swear, this felt almost like a tourney with these people.

After that hand, the table broke up. I moved over to another table with my $467, and had some fun. I started limping alot, and I was hitting alot of flops. Took down some pots on flop bets, and then limped UTG w/ A8d, totally out of character for me, but the table was pretty passive. I decided getting into hands was the best way to make money, hence the limp from EP. Seven people to the flop(pot was $21) which came . Checked to me, and I bet $14 into the pot...or at least I thought I had. I said 14, but one $5 check stayed behind. Two people called me quick, an older man, and a older woman on the BB(pretty tight passive). The turn came a , and I then bet $25, to protect my hand against draws. Only the button calls. The river is a and I checked. I thought she had a hand, and looked like she did. She bet out $50, but I decided to call pretty quickly, thinking she could have two smaller pair than me pretty easily. She flipped over A7 and MHIG. I think against most of the other players at the table, I would have bet the river unless I suspected a draw that didn't get there, but against this older lady, I think controlling the pot was the best bet.

Then, I played a hand stupidly. I limped w/ in EP, six of us see the flop($18). Flop is . Checked to me, and I bet $15. Folded around to the SB, who checkraised to $40. This bet seemed fishy to me for some reason. I'd seen him do this pressure type of bet before without the goods, so I decided to call. The turn comes the , and at this point, I think I own him. He bets out $50, and I call really quickly, to act like I am on a draw. The river is the . He bets $80 into me, and I do the second stupidest thing here...I just call. He says he has a ten, I flip over my hand, and he mucks. I can't believe I didn't just raise there...I'm pretty sure now he would have called a raise, if not a push. We both still have $300+ at the time of the river. Anyway, I completely spaced out on the river...but it just felt the whole time it was a bluff. I called without thinking about it, which is horrible...and I will strive not to make that mistake again. Fearing quad tens wasn't even my excuse, I just flat out got caught up in the moment.

I got my stack up to $740 at that point which was pretty nice. Had everyone covered for once.