Since people are apparently reading these posts I'll continue to write them. Problem guy from last week didn't even come to the door, so I didn't have to turn him away
The carrots definitely DID NOT eat the bunnies this week, my wife had a pretty bad run for $30 early on, the majority of which left her stack when she got the wrong end of set over set, JJ vs KK... I still don't know how she didn't go broke on that hand. I lent her $20 from the table when she busted (we allow money to move around the table during the game, you just cannot pick it up from the table) and about six hands into it she flopped the nut straight against top set and bottom two pair. Neither of them improved and she took down a $65 pot (remember, we're playing 0.25/0.50)
Gave me my $20 back and we rocked on.
I managed to get paid off on two NUT hands that usually don't generate any action for me... one was the nut full house where the guy just to my right flopped the second nut straight, and I top two. I call his flop raise and get my card on the turn... checkraise him for $10 (the pot was $25 before I put that $10 in) and lose one customer between us. He calls and calls my $5 (trying to act weak) bet on the river. Hoorah! The second nut hand was against a guy who thought he had me figured out... last night was the first night he'd played with us and I'd been playing ABC all night. So I get the nut flush draw on the flop holding KTs and that lovely ace is out there guaranteeing me some action. He checkraises me on the flop with what I assume is a good ace but may be two pair. I call and get the flush on the turn. It scares him and he checks it at me so I CHECKED ALONG (not my style at all) and he bets out $3 into an $18 pot. I think and think and finally say "Ten" and put the chips out. He IMMEDIATELY calls and I show him the nuts. He said nice hand and took it like a man.
I'm too easily read by my home game players now, I don't know exactly what it is that I'm doing but I think I have some "held breath" tells and a little telegraphing with my hands when I'm protecting my hole cards. To comat this I've started experimenting with reverse tells. Last night I raise it in the CO with something like 53s, inhaled deeply and held my breath. I stole the blinds and three limps only to turn over my "bluff of the century". Heh. Later, I re-raise on the button after the CO (a different guy from earlier, much better player) raised 3x and everyone else looked like they were going to fold. I was holding 55 (again, not my style, I'm apt to fold 55 with this particular player raising). The flop comes out AKx two diamond (Kx) and I immediately lean back in my chair and study the ceiling. He's looking at me out of the side of his eye and checks to me. I put out a 2/3 pot bet and lean back again. He looks at his cards, looks at me, looks back at his cards and mucks KQo face up. I show him my 55 and he grins at me.
Speaking of reads, I hold KK in LP and raise preflop. The BB (a loose, poor player) calls my raise and it's headsup to the flop. Flop is monotone hearts, 7 high. He checks it to me and I bet out 2/3 again, he calls. I'm dealing right now so I burn and turn one off without even looking at it, he's looking at the board. As soon as I turned the card over he immediately looks at his chips, touches his cards and starts to play with the top chip of a stack. I look at the board and see that it's an A... he bets out some wimpy thing like $2 into a $13 pot and I muck them face up onto his cards for his benefit. He looks at me, blinks twice and says "nice read" showing me the Ah4x for a crappy pair of aces... he rabbit hunted and sure enough, another heart came on the river.
Strangest hand of the night occured late (1:30AM) when I was dealing and had folded preflop. I made some joke about not seeing any pocket aces this evening and bring a flop of xAA... everyone laughs nervously, checked around three players. The turn is another A and the three players are playing "moneymaker stare" for a couple seconds. Small bet, call, raise, call call. The river is a blank, check, check, small bet, call, call. Bettor turns over JJ, first caller turns over 66, second caller turns over 33. WOW. I'm a good dealer!
Good luck all, another game Thursday here.
