broken back mountain

Here's a recap of the weekend:
Saturday

Well, my rule of losing 2 in a row never got broken. I think I played about 6 or 7 sng tourneys that day and did pretty well. Then I played in a 1000 FPP tournament for a seat to the WSOP main event. Got shit for cards the entire time. I won a couple hands here and there but just hanging around. The field was 500+ and I got knocked out at around 120th place. Not bad for playing about 5-6 hands the entire time. When you're not getting cards, you're not getting 'em.

Sunday
It was a bad day for pocket Kings. Between watching my friend play and myself having the hand at least five times, they never won vs a hand with one Ace. Of course when I was facing KK with an Ace, the kings held....go figure.

Initially, I was planning on going to AC but my friend threw out his back and I didn't feel like going alone so I decided to go to a $0.50/$1 cash game in Odenton. I did pretty well. I bought in for $135 and left with $300.

I collected a modest pot (~$50) with JcTc. I called a raise of $5 in early position and flopped a rainbow straight and slow played it until the river. The King came on the river and I bet out and got called.

My other pot I took down was with KK. The girl to my right raised it to $6. I re-raised to $20 and she re-raised me back to $40. I called. I recalled at that moment what Phil Gordon said - a 4th re-raise always means Aces. He recommended to avoid raising a 4th time. So I just called. I played a hand with her in the past months ago and she doesn't really mess around with Aces. I figured after my re-raise, she would have put all her chips in with Aces. But there's always a chance she could change her play.

Flop comes, 3 rags. She comes out betting $40. I insta-call.

Turn: another rag. She goes all in. I hesitate briefly and call.

I show my Kings and she shows me Queens. A King comes on the river - salt in the wound.

I felt her and almost double up. I went to about $330.

The rest of the night, I was getting shit for cards but that's okay. I played a few hands in position with some suited connectors and never made anything.

I took in another modest pot with K-2 in the SB. It was almost a family pot.
I flopped top and bottom pair and checked it. I was hoping someone would bet and get a bunch of callers. Sure enough someone did. I was watching all that dead money go in - $6 - $12 - $18 - $24 - $30. Then the button try to buy the pot with a raise to $15. However, I killed off the action when it got to me with a raise to $35.

Had I gone out and bet my two-pair from the get go, I would have missed out on the extra $45 that went into the pot. Plus, if I got called I'm out of position and my two pair may get counterfeited with someone playing a hand like KJ. By checking and letting someone else bet, I gain relative position on everyone else for that betting round. So that was a nice little play I made.

Well, that was about it. Pretty successful poker weekend for me.

I really need to qualify for the WSOP soon!