Chasing Losses: The Liveblog

Earlier in the day, I played some 3/6 NL and dug myself into a $400 hole, which isn't too bad but I want to keep my six-day winning streak going.

So now, at 11:28 p.m. (5:28 a.m. EDT), I'm trying to win that money back and keep the streak alive!

My biggest loss earlier was when I had AK and hit my K on the flop. I bet and was called. The turn brought an 8, and the fish min-check-raised me. I didn't know what was going on, and I should have folded. I had a good read on him, and his actions didn't make sense ... unless of course he hit his set on the turn. I lost about 3/4 of a buyin on that crap.

I also folded a set of 2s when a flush hit on the river, and I lost $210 on a failed three-bet steal attempt. Boo.

Now it's back to the action!

11:33: Man, traffic is really down at this hour, even though it's a Saturday night/Sunday morning. I guess it's to be expected, but I hope I can find some decent tables. At this hour, there are usually plenty of loose drunk donks out.

I'm currently playing 2/4 and 3/6 NL as my main games, but I'm willing to jump into a 5/10 NL game if it looks fishy. My bankroll is close enough to 5/10 levels for me to take a small shot if the game conditions are right.

11:36: I wish my new monitor were here. My secondary monitor blew out its power source somehow, and a replacement is still in the mail. That means I'm working off of only two screens -- my 21 inch monitor and my laptop. I never thought screen space could be so important.

11:40: My next door neighbor, who is talking on the phone outside on the porch, is soooo hot.

11:41: I felt like I played far too weakly in my session earlier today. I plan on doing something about that this time. I've sat down at a 2/4 and 5/10 table on Full Tilt. No hands to speak of yet except for JJ out of the big blind where I 3-bet a raiser and he folded preflop.

11:45: My game plan is to not do anything stupid. As long as I take my time and think every decision through, I should be able to get in with the best of it nearly every time.

11:51: Crap. I called a big reraise preflop hoping to bust these calling stations with T9s, but I missed the flop entirely. Fortunately, I won the next had with Ax top pair on the flop.

11:54: At risk of jinxing my computer system, I will say that MarkNet rules. MarkNet has been in great shape ever since I added that extra gig of RAM.

11:57: AK just went all-in vs. TT preflop in the 5/10 game. A ten on the flop and another on the turn ended that. I'm quitting this game -- it isn't as good as it sounds.

12:01: Lessons from limit hold 'em often still work in no limit games. Check-call, check-call, bet is a classic line in way ahead/way behind situations, and it frequently works as a way to control the pot and win the most money with a medium-strength hand.

12:10: Just got lucky when I hit a gutshot on the river with KTo and paired Aces on the board, but I didn't get paid off. Still, it was a nice river. I put the guy on a pair of nines.

12:20: "Folds to continuation bet" really is the best PokerAce HUD stat ever. If I'm heads up and I know my opponent will fold to a continuation bet more than 50 percent of the time, my move is obvious: bet. If my opponent does not often fold to continuation bets, I'll wait till the turn to bet anyway if I'm checked to. Even calling stations will usually fold the turn if they checked it to the lead bettor.

12:37: Just won a decent pot with turned trip 7s. I just called my opponent's river bet -- he wouldn't call any raise unless he had me beat with a better 7, a straight or even an unlikely boat. Turns out he was betting a busted straight draw.

12:39: Crap. Those winnings were erased when I got in with the worst of it twice vs. a short stack. Whatever. Shortstacks will pay later.

12:45: Dammit!!! This is infuriating. Pocket 3s called me on the flop and hit on the turn, and it cost me my stack. Those turned two outers are nearly impossible to read. I guess now I'm at least 1K in the hole for the day.

12:50: OK, just won some of it back by busting a half-stack with top pair, top kicker AQ. He had second pair Tens.

1: Come on. Give me a good hand and a caller. Any day now.

1:03: Ug. I called this huge fish with A5o out of the big blind. I flopped an Ace and check-raised him. He reraised me, and I folded. Weak.

1:08: I finally get dealt AA and flop a set of 8s in consecutive hands, but neither get paid off. It's got to be coming.

1:10: Grrrrrrrrrr. Just ran my top pair and an open-ended straight draw into a set of Tens. We got it all-in on the flop, and I didn't improve. Stupid cards should hit for me.

1:17: Just hit a gutshot on the river vs. KK. That was worth $100. Woohoo.

1:28: There it is! Doubled up based on a ballsy read that my top pair Kings while I was holding KQ were good. My opponent had A8 for third pair and a flush draw, so I guess he was slightly ahead when the money went in. Still, I like my play and the double up that came with it. That should put me within $600 of even.

1:34: I need a beer.

1:36: Flopped a set of 3s, and got a guy to call my flop check-raise. Unfortunately, he folded to my half-pot turn bet. Then I lost $50 on the next hand when I called the same guy with KJo and whiffed on the flop.

1:41: Even in a 6-max game, there's nothing wrong with playing tighter preflop when you feel like you want to play it a little bit safe. The lost blinds don't add up to much.

2:08: There it is!

A loose-aggressive fishy player fired three bullets, and I called him down with JJ in position to win an $1,800 pot in a 5/10 game. The flop came non-threatening cards, and I called his flop and turn bets. The river was a kind-of scary Queen that could have completed a flush draw. But I held my breath, stuck with my read and called his half-pot all-in bet. If he really had me beaten, he probably would have reraised preflop or check-raised me on the flop rather than leading out. Score!!!

Total for the day: +$58. That was some hard-earned money, but my winning streak is alive. Make it seven straight days.

I'm outta here.