Early morning Poker session 2: a comeback

Yesterday had been hard going from too many football bets and I nearly ended up losing my whole bank roll won this week!  However in the last few sessions on the micro stakes cash game poker games I've been feeling really confident playing poker recently and have definitely got the 'bit between my teeth' as they say...in other words playing with 100% confidence and everything going right!  

I hadn't given up hope after going down to just £24 bankroll and began two cash game sessions on separate tables - one on $10 buy in 0.05/0.10c and the other $16 0.08c/0.16c both 10 player games.  Many of the rules I now implement in my game thanks to my readings of Poker literature have resulted in these kind of decisions being made.  Therefore I stick only to playing in games with these number of opponents.  For me it work so much better and then I can apply all the concepts I've learnt correctly, rather than getting myself involved in the short handed games, where the strategy rules are a bit different.

Anyway it worked and I managed to dig myself out of a big hole in just about 2 and a half hours.  Altogether that equates to about £28 an hour earnt!  Ive also started to consider hourly earnings too and how that can affect the decisions I make.  Do I call? Do I raise?  Do I fold on the river and if so am I 90% sure he or she is winning?  If not I'll call etc etc

1. This was the first hand I won on the 0.08c/0.16c table - hitting a set with pocket 7s.  The hand before that I missed out when I held 22 and folded to a big pre flop raise and I would have won big on a flop of 992

2. I refuse to slowplay monster hands like aces or kings.  These days I always raise big with them and it always seems to attract callers! I re raised a loose (bad) player from early position with these bad boys after he had re raised my 30c raise before the flop.  I re raised to $4 committing him to the hand and I even got one other caller!  Big mistakes on their part lead to me making money thanks.  I hit a set of aces on the flop, bet out big and the loose (bad) player went all in for the rest of his stack, drawing dead.  Some players may have decided to check here to induce a raise and keep players in, but that is no longer how I play.

3. My next win was a big one with AA again, but this time against a very strong player with a big stack.  Unfortunately for him when he re raised my early position raise and I re raised again to $12s he called (and committed himself) with the cowboys.  I don't blame him for calling but he had to think I had the best hand in poker surely!  Anyway, the flop came 539 rainbow and I went all in for $19 more.  He called with his Kings and with my eyes closed I allowed the deck to fall...97... K! YESSSS!

4. Here you can see I've got up to $62 on the one table up from $16

5. The next big win.  Now that I had a big stack I could play a bit more loosely and when I held A4 unsuited, for some reason I felt compelled to call the small preflop raise to my right.  The flop came 5Q3 with a gutshot straight draw on the board for me.  There were two other players in and me.  One to my right and one to my left.  The initial raiser checked and from my readings I know that holding this kind of hand on this kind of flop requires one thing...raise!! So I did and the player to my left called.  The miracle 2 diamonds came and my initial flop raise would now disguise my hand strength.  I bet big as I mainly do when I have a strong holding and the player to my left went all in!  He held top set with QQ.  I close down my eyes praying for the board not to pair and it didn't.  My straight held.

6. Below.  Relentless today! Playing against the good player again, this time with JJ.  He raised my raise preflop which I called.  The flop came 428 and I put him on overcards rather than a big pair. Something like AK.  So I decided to bet big on the flop, then the turn and then the river as well.  The river bet was important for me as I've allowed players on Pokerstars too many opportunities to bluff me out by checking.  So I was braver and bet half the pot for around another $7.  He folded.

Here are the final standing of my bankroll on both tables.  Job done :)) (finished with $100 on the right actually)

Thanks for reading.  No football bets for me today!  I've learnt my lesson in the hard way.  Thank you Poker gods 🙏 Good luck.