I met a second blogger in person!

I want to give a quick shout out to Brian, over at Birdies & Bad Beats.  I linked up with him last night while playing at Ctown.  He's a BAMF playing 5/5 PLO...  Don't know how he plays that game with the variance he must experience - I couldn't handle the swings!  I'm scared about 2/5 and here he is at the 5/5 $1500 Omaha tables!

Brian - I hope you cleaned up last night, because if you have the cojones for it, I'd imagine you can really kill the game.

As to the 2/5 comment above, I think 2/5 needs to make it into my regular rotation.  I need to get past the feeling of safety that 1/2 gives me and also stop being so complacent.  I am going to make a concerted effort to play the "bigger" game.  If Brian has the cajones, I'm gonna grow a pair myself.

One quick poker hand which I feel I played well, because last night really lacked any true need for decision making:

I raise to $17(!!!!!) with from the BTN with AdQx and get 2 callers, a wonky, loose, though passive 50+ gentleman, and a 40+ gentleman who is an engineer in business for himself in a similar line of work to myself.  Also loose, the 40+ has a habit of overcalling when he limps most of his hands (and he raises his premiums without a doubt).  Otherwise, I thin out the field of around 5 limpers.

FWIW, the 50+ has $95 remaining and the 40+ has a stack of around $400 (I have him easily covered - booyah!).

The flop comes Kd Tx 3d.

Checks to me and I weak lead for $30 into the $60 pot.  I figure this will not be a clear stab because both players have a tendency to check / fold most missed flops and I don't want a diamond or random QJ J9 to "get there" on me, even though my hand isn't great at this point.  Two calls and I'm pretty much done with the hand.

The turn is the Kx.
Checks again to me and I check through.  Either the river misses and I take down the pot with a sizable bet, or I fold out of the hand.  I'm reasonably certain that no one holds a K though.

The river is an offsuit J and here's where the action becomes interesting.
The 50+ tries to ship his remaining $65, but can only manage $60 because he string bets his remaining $5 in white $1 chips.  The 40+ hesitates for around 10 seconds and calls.  Action to me.

Here's the difference between me a year or two ago and me now:  The old me would consider this a call / fold situation.  The current me says I'm never folding here; the only decision is whether to raise.  If I'm beat from the 50+, whatever...  He probably has KJ, end of story.  However, if I am indeed beat, I want to get value out of the 40+ guy who has a larger stack.  I want him committing more than $100 to this hand.  I ponder the decision for awhile and figure that he had to think about his decision for a $60 call, so therefore likely does not hold a K - and neither does he put me on a K or a rivered broadway.  I decide to put in a raise for $75.  50+ guy snaps the $5 effective, but I can't get 40+ guy to make the call.  He hesitates for a long while, realizes he'll see a showdown regardless of his action, and convinces himself of the fold.

FWIW, 50+ guy held Jd6d for the rivered JJ KK two pair - WTF?  What is he ever beating when getting called / raised?  In a comical moment afterwards, I hear him talking about how I sucked out on the river!  LULZ!

GG sirs...