Monday poker - Winning big pots with bad cards

I played in the weekly $40 tournament last night, and I busted out early when I made a move at the blinds and got called.

So I headed to the cash table, playing $1/$2 no limit hold 'em.
My 2nd hand at the table goes like this:

RockHD: :Ah :Ac

I raise it to $17. Melid (very loose player) calls. Two more call. It gets to Lucien, and I tell him he should raise. And as expected, he re-raises to $50. It comes back to me, and I go all-in for $98 total. Melid calls his last $51, and Lucien calls.

Melid: :Kd :Tc
Lucien: :Th :Jh

Flop: :Td :4d :7d
Turn: :9c
River: :Kh

Melid makes two pairs with his shitty hand, and takes down the main pot. I get the side pot ($60).


After losing a few bets, and waiting until I had calmed down, I bought back for another $100 (I had $35 left).

I'm dealt :Kc :Qc

I just call the $2, and so do most of the others, as we're 7 players to the flop.

Flop: :Ac :Qh :3c

Lucien leads out with $25. I have 2nd pair, the nut flush draw. I just call. Everyone else folds.

Turn: :Tc

Lucien bets $60. I only have $105 left, so I go all-in knowing he's pot committed. He calls.

He shows: :Jc :4c. I take down the pot.


A few hands later, I'm on the button. There are 6 limpers for $2, and I decide to call since I figure the pot odds justify putting in $2 with $12 in the pot.

I have :5c :2d - I didn't say I had much!

Melid, in the small blind raises $5, everyone calls, so again I call because of the pot odds.

Flop: :Kd :5h :2c

The first player to act bets $20, the 2nd player raises to $40. Now I have a decision. Do these guys avec a higher two pair, or just top pair. I have to find out before I lose all of my money, so I raise it to $100. The small blind re-raises me all-in for $178. The other two players fold, and I call another $78.

Melid shows: :Ah :Ad

Turn: :9c
River: :Jh

My two pair holds up, and Melid gets what he deserves for only raising $5 when there are 6 limpers in the pot. Especially at this table, where everyone calls with pretty much any two cards.


I made a bad bluff a little later... lost $100. So my stack is at about $450 (up $250).


My last big hand of the night went like this:

Marc, a very agressive player, raises to $12. I have position and a playable hand if I flop something, so I call the $12. 4 others also call.

My hand: :8d :5d

Flop: :6h :4d :2h. So I have a double belly buster straight draw... I need a 3 or 7 to make my straight.

Marc comes out and bets $60 into the $60 pot. Although he is very agressive, he won't usually bet that much if he has a draw, or just high cards. I looked at my stack, and decided it was time to gamble. I figured if I didn't hit the turn, I could fold and still make a profit for the night, but if I did hit, I'd get all of his chips. 3 players fold, and Phil calls. So there's over $240 in the pot.

Turn: :8c. This card gives me 5 more outs, since I now believe that an 8 or 5 will also give me a winning hand.

Marc bets out $100... if he had gone all-in, I don't believe I could have called. But it now only costs me $100 to see a $350 pot, with what I believe to be 13 outs. So I call. Phil folds.

River: :5c

Marc bets out $200... I have $211 left, so I call. I show the two pair, and he shows pocket Jacks.


That was it for the night... I made $680 at the cash table, so a profit of $640 for the night, which brings me back to even for 2007.