There, And Back Again

That was the title of the book that the hobbit wrote I think, but anyway...

I finally made it out to Garden city again for the first time this year. Same dreadful place. Dimly lit, looks very green, dealers were decently pleasent, I didn't get carded as usual, and the place was empty. Empty, on a Saturday night?! So they only spread one 20/40 game that I had called in for about an hour ago and was told I was 4th on the list. I was still 4th on the list. I expected to meet my friend Elliot there, but somehow through our AIM conversation he ended up at Bay101, realized it was jam packed there and the list is like 30 people long for 3/6-8/16, and was on his way to Garden City.

So I played in the open seating 8/16 game, and recognizable really bad middle-aged Asian man was there to much my delight and proceeded to stack many of his chips. I called him down light (means I call his bets with less of a hand than I would others) because he bluffs a lot.

A hand...
I raise ATo MP, he calls on button, okay player (his friend) calls in sb, bb calls.
Flop T63 2 spades
check, I bet, button raises, sb 3-bets, bb folds, I call, button caps, sb calls, I call
Turn 3 non spade,
check, check, button bets, villain calls, I think about how crazy these two must be and maybe they're colluding (trying to raise me out because they will chop the money in the parking lot), but they're regulars so that drops out of picture,
So my decision leads me to keep them honest, Buttons crazy, and sb looks like flush draw, and I call
River 5 non spade
check check, he bets, sb calls, and I have a funny feeling sb called because he didn't want me to call, but I still call.

Button has JT, and my AT is good, I should've asked to see sb's hand because of the possible collusion. The whole time I'm talking to them about how they're trying to screw with me, and I hear crazy guy mention to his friend about how cocky I am. I ran out of witty things to say at this point.

I eventually pick off like 11747357 bluffs from the button with one pair, oftentimes being not top pair to beat his whatever bluff, and he is determined to get me.

And then this miracle
some calls or what not, I raise QQ, he cold calls 2(calls 2-bets without putting any money to begin with) on the button, and some other people call

Flop 997
checks to me i bet, he calls, some other people call
Turn 2
I bet, he calls, smoe folds, maybe or not 1 caller
River 3
I bet, he raises, and its on me and I call

He shows 97o, and I proceed to tell his friend that he missed out on getting more of his chips back because he failed to raise flop.

Eventually I got seated at the 20/40 game winning about 200-300 from the 8/16 game, and ran hot at the start getting up like 300, and then I break even for the rest of the night for a win of 525 for the night. I half staked Elliot for his 6/12 game as well, and he earned me 53$. Go Elliot!
For the not so math inclined thats a 578 night for me hurray! FWIW I made a vareity of mistakes at the 20/40 that I should not have made, and need to work on my game when the table turns to a tougher game to win in.

Dan Low