This week in poker

Monday:

I went to the weekly $40 tournament. Made it to the final table by playing very few hands (I didn't get any cards all night). I busted out in 8th place. The cash table was full, so I called it a night.

Friday:

Went down to the usual Friday location after hockey. Sat at a 1/2 NL table at about 10:30 pm, and played until 2:30 am. I bought in for $100. Lost it all on my 4th hand.. when Phil's 88 flopped 8 K 10 against my KQ. Bought back in for $100, lost a little and decided to top up with another $100.

I lost a $300 pot on this hand:
I raised pre-flop to $20 with :Ad :Kc. There were too callers.
Flop came out :As :5h :8h.
This very bad player (I think he must have lost about $700 on the night) leads out for $50, and he has only $45 left. I raise to $100 to put him all-in. Then the third player goes all-in himself for $106. The bad player folds (folding $45 when there's $300 in the pot shows me he had absolutely nothing or that he knows very little about poker).
The all-in player shows :Ah :Th.
Turn :Js
River :4h
He makes his flush on the river.

I won a few pots, got my stack up to $450. It went up and down from there, and with six hands left in the night (last turn around the table), I was down to $150.

I'm dealt :7s :8s
I just call the blinds, there are 4 players in.
Flop :Ah :5h :6h.
First player bets out $25. I don't put her on a flush, so I call with my open-ended straight draw.
Turn :9c - I make the straight.
She bets out $50. I go all-in for $78 more. She calls.
She shows :Ad :8c. She's drawing dead (a seven would have split the pot).
I win, and I'm up to $310.

Next hand, I'm dealt :6c :8c.
Lucien makes a live straddle, so I call the $4 from the small blind.
Nobody raises.
Flop is :4c :4d :6d.
I check.
Lucien (loose player) bets $5.
Colin (good player - who's up about $800) calls $5.
Another player calls, so I call.
Turn :6s.
I have a full house.
I check, Lucien bets $5 again.
Colin and the other player also call.
I just call.
River :Qh
I lead out and bet $30.
Lucien goes all-in for over $200.
Colin folds (he showed AA).
I insta-call.
Lucien shows the :4s for a smaller full house.

So I ended the night with $545, up $245. On that last hand, Colin didn't raise his AA because he was under the gun, and he knew Lucien almost always raises when he straddles. This time, he just checked, and I got to stay in it and hit a big hand.

Lucien really played this badly. He flopped trips, and only bet $5 when there was a flush draw on board. But the really really bad play, was going all-in on top of me when he has only the small full house. He should know better, especially against a player who has a solid image like myself.