Poker was fun last night. I had bout 30 minutes to blow before going to play basketball so I fired up Party Poker and sat down at a $2/4 bad beat jackpot table. I wasn’t getting any playable cards, but I sure was getting good at clicking the FOLD button. For the second time this week I was noticed at the table. This time is was by someone who reads and comments once in awhile. The guy lost 25 BB in about 20 minutes! Just the mere mention of me having a web site seemed to give me a table image.

It was getting close to time for me to leave, so I decided to play out my orbit. I unchecked the auto-post option and folded my last few hands. When the blinds came around though, I just couldn’t help myself. I was down 4 BB in about 30 minutes. I figured I could squeeze in one more orbit, so I posted the big blind. I was dealt the Ts9s. There were a few limpers, someone raised and I called. The flop brought me an open ended straight draw, but there was also a possible flush draw. The pre-flop raiser bet and I called. The turn brought the Qd and I had the nut straight. Check. Sure enough, he bets, I raise, and we end up capping it. The river brought the third club and I went weak. If I had taken a moment to think about it I would have realized he most likely was not capping the turn betting with a flush draw. I could have taken him for a few more BB, but instead I checked and called his bet. He had flopped a set of jacks, but I took down the 20 BB pot. Two hands later I got pocket jacks and won a 8 BB pot. Three hands later my Hilton sisters took down the pot on a King high rainbow flop. Then tree hands after that on my last hand I took down the pot with my KcQs on a board of AsJhKh. Instead of leaving the table a loser to the tune of 4 BB, I left 17 BB to the black. Winning 4 of the last 9 hands had a little to do with that.

After basketball, I sat down to two more of the $2/4 BBJ tables. I was up on one, down a little on the other. Back and forth. I stuck to my game, made a few suckouts myself after a horrible read, and ended up winning 25 BB on one table and even on the other. For the day I had won back everything (and more) that I had lost the night before. I also cleared my $200 deposit bonus and actually clawed myself back to just above even for the time it took me to play 1400 raked hands. It’s always nice to make money while also making the bonus. After the bad beat horrors of the night before I was almost down the $200, which was not making me happy. Winning is good!

My game is starting to evolve. I’m noticing spots where I can buy a pot here and there. It feels good to know that I’m improving for the most part. I’ve taught myself a few expensive lessons, but that’s why we play the game right? Speaking of the winds of change, Mother Nature decided to dump a few inches of snow on Saginaw over night, with more coming throughout the day. I have to pack up all of my stuff, wrap Christmas presents, do laundry, and eventually drive two and a half hours up to my parents. I’ll be there until the 1st or 2nd of January for the holidays. I’ve really been looking forward to the time off from work. There should be plenty of time for poker.