Oceans 11 last night

i've been running pretty bad lately in live games and the beginning of last night was not any different. i was quickly down $200 at 2/3 NL, doubled up with a set a Jacks, but then grinded for hours, not making any hands or getting any cards. i more than doubled up with unimproved pocket Qs when i raised on the button and got 4 callers. with 2 other short stacks all in on the flop, and then me going all in over another caller, i was lucky that 1 pair of Qs held up, especially with an Ace on the river.

i could never hit anything better than 1 pair on the flop and continued to get check-raised. very frustrating. i was finally ready to leave, down about $500 when i raised in early position with KQ suited and a guy came over the top of me. i pushed all in, for only $50 or so more and he called. Flop was A-K-10. I stand up and say, "Do you have an Ace?" He smiles and says, "Yep -- 2 pair." He shows A-10 for top and bottom pair. I am drawing to 2 Kings and 4 Jacks, but the board comes runner runner Queens to fill me up for the biggest suck out I can remember giving. wow. i am one lucky donk.

soon thereafter the night got fun. our table broke and i went to sit at another 2/3 table. there was 1 complete fish with over $700 and then there was the crown jewell - our friend we call the Oceans 11 Maniac - Mo. he has actually calmed down a bit, but i remember several months ago sitting with him at a 2/3 table and he was in the game for over $3000. the crazy part is he made it back to even playing the same maniacally loose game that is his style.

soon after sitting down, he doubles through THE fish by making a flush with 10-5hh in a raised pot. the fish turned the nut straight with K-10 as Mo made his 10 high flush. they got it all in on the turn and the flush held. wow -- over a $1200 pot. how do you call all in when you are re-re-raised as the 3 flush hits the board? i just wish i could have gotten in a hand with that guy.

i win another nice pot with QQ, and then call a Mo raise with Q-10ss. i flop top pair of Qs, and he calls my bet. i turn 2 pair and he again calls my bet. i began to doubt myself when he check calls on the river, but he held A-8, no pair. wow. i think he used that hand as advertising for the future, cuz he started catching some cards and got paid off big. people continued to try to bluff him out of pots, but they failed to realize that he will call if he has a piece of the flop. it was unbelievable how time after time he would check call a big bet on the river and be good with third pair. he soon had over $2000 behind. he also made some nice hands: he flopped 2 straights, and flopped 2 sets in the span of 2 hours. he also won a decent pot from me when i flopped top pair with AK and he turned a straight (i re-raised preflop and he called with J-9). i was able to get away from it for less than my whole stack which was nice.

things finally came together in the span of about 45 minutes, i flopped the nuts twice and doubled up both times. obviously it helps to flop the stones, but the challenge was getting all my money in the middle and getting them to pay me off. thankfully, my opponents both had strong hands with some outs to beat me, but my hands held up.

in the first pot, i held AKss on the button and raised a few limpers pre-flop. it folded around to the cutoff, who re-raised me $40 more. this didn't really make any sense. if he held a strong hand in the cutoff, he would have raised. i called instantly. flop was 3 spades. jackpot. i hollywooded the shit out this hand. he checked, and i did the hole card peeky "to see if i had any spades". i checked behind. turn Q. he leads for $70. i think and call. i have only $75 left. the river was a blank and he bets $25 (!!!) into more than $260. what the hell are you thinking dude? i ponder and try to look weak as i push all in. he calls and i show him the nuts. he tells me later he turned top set of Qs, so he had outs on the river, but why bet $25? either check or push me all in for $75....thank goodness for terrible players.

the pre-flop action here was incredibly weak by him...he limped in in the cutoff with Qs, with 3 other limpers already in the pot?!?!? trying to go broke he was.

about 30 minutes later i make a small raise with KJ and flop the nut straight. a guy doubles me up with top 2 pair Q-10. he was pissed at me too for being "greedy". what sir, would you like me to just check down the nuts? we're playing this game for money if you didn't notice. i checked dark on the turn and then raised his $100 bet. he called and then called my all in on the river. he was normally a fairly solid player able to laydown hands, so i was surprised that he paid me off there.

anyway, i got back to positive territory at about 6am after being down for almost 10 hours. crazy game.

i'm planning on playing the viejas $100,000 purse tourney tomorrow and am feeling confident about my game. i plan to cash.