Badger Poker...Oh how I miss thee

Strange things run through your mind when you are running bad. You over analyze some hands, questioning your play. You change your style and play either tighter or looser just trying to get back into the winners column. But most players will tell you that there is one and only one thing to end a losing streak. Walk away. Stay away from the game for a period of time. It may be a couple days, maybe a week or a month. It has worked for me in the past so I walked away, albeit only a couple of days. So I did feel a bit refreshed and ready to go when I collected my chips.

The was a new site for Thursday’s game- Stenys. I used to come down to Stenys quite a bit in the past. When Walker’s Point had a good bar scene. Now it seems that too many of the places have gone gay- not that there is anything wrong with that. But Stenys has always stayed the same. Harley hanging upside down. Playing reggae (though they didn’t last night) among other types of music. They redid the place since I had last been in there adding more space that once was a beer garden. They even had 35 cent wings, but I did not partake. Hey, I was there to play poker.

The assigned seating arrangement seems to be gone for now. My opin is that sucks. I like the random opponent better than walking up and find 6 buddies at the table. Yeah, the buddy table can be quite fun but you never know what shenanigans they might be up to. My first table (a foreshadow of things to come???) wasn’t bad. I sat down with my friend C on my right. Lo and behold Trick or Treat was on my left. Nice. Across from him was his little/big brother and bro’s girlfriend. Slow Bus was at the far end. There was a really young guy on my end. I wonder if he got carded? Someone I will call Snatch was on the far end next to a loose player. A guy in a white shirt rounds out the table.

Play started out rather interestingly. Slow Bus paid off the ToTB’s girlfriend to see her full house. 3 kings were on the board as well as a flush. I can’t believe he called the bet with just the flush. From late position, I tried to limp in with 5,6 but White Shirt raised it up a thousand so I mucked. Flop came 6 6 K. Ouch. Further ouch when the case 6 hit on the river. Funny thing was that I tried to retrieve the hand to show my friend but grabbed out 9 5. Did I see my hand wrong to begin with? I only had one beer in me. Hmm. I finally get into a real hand after a full orbit. Get 6 6 and raise it up 500. Get 4 callers. Flop comes 7 3 4. I bet it out and only White Shirt calls. Turn is K and I check. White shirt checks as well. River is a 7. I bet out 2000 feeling my two pair is good. White Shirt calls it and shows pocket 5s. My 6s hold up and I take down a good pot. My friend Cor is throwing chips around like he is shooing flies and goes out early. Trick or Treat is playing like he always does. Any face or ace means he is in the pot, calling any raise as well, even if he only has Q 2 or something like that. Soon after my friend was knocked out, I look down and see Kojak. Usually I would raise in mid position with this hand but I decide to just limp in. 5 people see the flop- K J 6, two diamonds. Top two pair is nice. I bet out 1500. Of course, Trick or Treat calls and does the loose guy down at the end of the table. Turn is a rag but a heart. Now there are two diamonds and two hearts on the board. I feel one of them is definitely on the flush draw so I will make them pay. I bet 4000. ToT calls right away and the loose guy thinks before slamming down his chips. I know I have him beat right now. River is the 2 of clubs. I bet out 5000. Trick or Treat calls as the loose one mucks. Two pair are easily the best hand as Trick or Treat was drawing for the flush. I find myself up quite a bit here around 37000 after that hand and at the first break.

One thing I didn’t like at the table though was the actions of Snatch. I noticed he would grab some people’s cards that were mucked when the hand was over. He did that a couple of times. I waited for him to try that with me but being on the other side of the table, it would have been extremely difficult. Another thing was Slow Bus. I am willing to bet he tightened up just so he could read about his play here. Yep, I am on to you Busboy. Still can’t believe you paid off that early hand but the full house you filled with the pocket 7s was nice.

I feel pretty good about my play so far. I vow not to make any stupid and unnecessary aggressive plays. Yeah, right. Right after the break, I look down and see A 9 hearts. I raise the pot 2000. Trick or Treat comes along from the small blind. Big blind calls as well. Flop comes Q J 8, only one heart. I bet enough to push Trick or Treat all in. He calls (what a shocker!) but White Shirt folds. ToT actually has a hand- A K. He fills his straight on the turn and takes the pot down. So much for not being too aggressive. A couple of hands later I try to defend my blinds with Q 2. Flop came Q high so I bet it out. Snatch raised me up. I told him he either flopped a set or two pair and let him have it. Apparently he only had a pair of queens but easily had me out kicked. They break our table soon after that.

I head over one table to find myself next to AK Slowplay. A number of weeks back at Rock Bottom, I was knocked out by his slow playing of Big Slick. I would not let that happen to me tonight. On my right was a pretty aggressive guy. An older lady had a good size stack in the middle. A loud youngun was dancing away at the far end. White shirt was there too. I came over with about 33000 or so. Wasn’t thinking about mixing it up unless it was necessary. I talk to AK Slowplay a bit about the ruckus they had earlier in the night. Apparently one guy was pissed that his pocket jacks were beat by pocket 3s when the 3 came on the flop. Jack boy was “degrading” AK about making a very bad call because he had jacked it up by the pot pre-flop. Hey, this was AK Slowplays hand, pocket 3s so he wasn’t going to get away from it. In the end Jack boy was booted. Good move by Jason and Wes to keep things under control.

Again, I didn’t want to tussle with anyone unless necessary. I guess K K makes it necessary. Aggressive guy on my right raised the pot to 3000 under the gun (blinds 300/600). I look down and see the Cowboys. I take my time and think about what I want to do. Funny thing happens here as I ponder how much to raise, AK looks at my watch and says “Cowboys???”. My first reaction is how did he see my hand. I know he isn’t cheating and the comment is just a coincident. So I push all in. AK Slow play calls quickly. The big blind limps in with her remaining 2400 and the early raiser folds. A king hits the flop and I am sitting pretty. The older lady slow plays her pocket aces and knocks out the aggressive guy. Maybe I shouldn’t say she slow played because she never raised a pot. Always placed a minimum bet or called a bet. There was another hand I played against aggressive guy where I had a ton of outs but didn’t hit any.

I get moved again to a new table. White Shirt seems to be stalking me as he get moved to my left at the new piece of felt. Jersey is there with a decent stack. Loud youngun gets moved there as well. He Man doll would be moved in. There was Horse (he had a long face). There was Curly and an aggressive Asian. I was sitting with around 45k or so and knew that as long as I didn’t do anything too stupid, I would survive into the points. Well, of course that would be boring. I find myself on the button with K 8 diamonds. It has been folded around so I raise it up to 2000. Both blinds call. Flop comes 5 K 7, two diamonds. I bet 4000 and White Shirt calls, Jersey folds. Turn is a heart. White Shirt checks as do I. River is a non diamond rag. I don’t feel too good about my kicker. WS checks again. Greed sets in and I bet 4000. Bastard check raised me all in. It will cost me only 3500 so I call. He flopped a set of 5s and played me like a fiddle. Now I have around 25k. Jersey goes out on two somewhat bad beats to Curly. Curly hits runner runner on back to back hands to send him packing. It was rather brutal to watch. I stole some blinds after that to basically keep myself where I was at. Just before they broke our table, I raise up the pot to 15k with Big Slick. I knew the loud youngun, who had limped into many a pot would fold his early position limp and I could take down 10k with the blinds.

With about 30 people left, I get moved over to an interesting table. I sit next to Aaron whose eye is killing him. Tattoo guy is there chowing on winds and being quite loud. The older lady is hanging around trying to get far enough to get a t-shirt. A somewhat attractive blond is on my end as well as He Man doll. Oh yeah, how could I forget. Bagman is there as well with a big stack going, though they were basically all scattered in front of him. People kept telling him to clean it up. He got organized after the harassment and the chip up. Blinds are now 2000/4000. I tried to limp on in with A K on the button. There was a early caller and the blinds seeing the flop. I had thought of raising but if I did, I would be pot committed. I was willing to take a chance and make a big hand with a slow play. Flop came 2 4 8 with two hearts. Aaron on my left was basically all in after calling the early raiser. He filled his flush on the river beating the set of fours. I wonder if the 4s would have folded if I had raised it up preflop? Probably not. Not at Badger Poker where people think a pair is mana from the Gods.

Blinds soon go up to 5000/10000 with 1000 antes. I lose another chunk of chips when I am in the small blind and raise the pot to 20000 with K Q. Aaron is sitting with around 13k and decided whether to call me or not. He goes with the WTF call and matches the 10k. Flop comes J high. I check as does he. Turn is a 10 giving me the open end straight and I look at him and push the last 4k in knowing it would end up in the pot anyways. He turned over J 6 suited. Classic WTF call. Bad, but what can I do about it.

I don’t play many hands at this table. I get blinded off and am forced all in from the SB. Somehow I survive with a pair of 6s and quad up. But with the antes and blinds coming around soon again, I know I need to make a move. And this is where I make a mistake. We have gotten down to 20 people and are at the last two tables. Stoner Girl has been moved to our table and is sitting with a hefty stack. She raises it up 10k. I see K J. I am all in if I call here. I feel she has a pair minimum and my best hope is two over cards. I should have pushed but folded instead. I don’t see anything from there on out and get blinded away finishing 12th.

Not bad as I like the feeling of getting somewhere for once. Now I just need to build on it.


It's back! Bagman's words of wisdom- Bagman always likes to act like his the nice guy at the table. He will flirt with the girls and try to be cool with the boys but sometimes he doesn't get it. At one point, with the older lady on my right, I am in the BB. He looks at this cards and then his stack. He folds. Older lady folds her small blind to me and I win uncontested. He then says to her, "If I knew you were going to fold, I would have bet. I didn't want to take your chips but would have taken his". Whatever tough guy! It doesn't matter what your actions would have been on that hand. No one fears you. Was I suppose to be shaking in my boots?