Day 1: Up $570

I got off to a really solid start on my summer poker challenge. I jumped in head-first to the $200 No Limit table at HP instead of grinding it out at the $40 table with multiple buy-in's. I was planning to play tight and double with a monster. I know the poker nerds out there on the net will tell me this is horrible bankroll management if I'm starting with a $200 bankroll. If you are telling yourself that, you're a loser. Grow some nuts.

7:00 P.M.: Here's the $200 that started my quest tonight:



Here are some of my hands:

• So I sit down and my very first hand I I look down at 99 in the cutoff. One guy raises to $35, I call. Flop comes K34 rainbow, we both check. Turn is an 8, check-check. River another king, check-check, he shows Jack-Ten and I win first hand. The reason I checked this hand all the way down was because it was my first hand at the table and I had no idea how the action or the player was. Once he checked the turn, I was pretty sure that I was good unless he held Kings but I didn't want to risk getting checked raise for my stack on the river, which is why I checked the river as well. It turns out this guy was the worst player at the table (hence the huge raise with J-10) and went busto a few hands later with another Jack-10.
• Ace-7 off-suit on the button, four limpers. I limp. Flop comes 237 with two diamonds. Middle position player (looks tight...30-year-0ld Asian guy that has really only been watching the action and making frowns when he sees winning hands) bets $20. I raise to $40 and he calls. Turn is the king of diamonds, I have the ace of diamonds. We both check. I could have made another bet here but again if he was on the flush draw, I'd rather see the free river card to make the nuts then get check-raised on the turn. River is the 3 of hearts, we both check and I win when he shows J-7. At this point I'm up somewhere in the $65-$80 range.
  
• I get Queens in the blind. Two limpers, I raise to $30, they fold.
• Ad4d call a $15 raise in middle position, fold on the flop.
  
• Ace-3 off-suit in small blind, call $15, fold on flop.
  
• Now it gets good: two black aces in the small blind. Five limpers. I raise to $40, one caller from an old guy who has been playing average. I've seen him bluff once in the hour or so I've been there. Flop comes K-6-7 rainbow and I'm hoping that he has a king, I want to bet and have him come over the top as he has position. I bet $30. His first reaction is to fold until he starts thinking about the weak bet that I made. He raises to $60, I call. Turn is the Queen of spades, which is a little worrisome to me in case he has KQ. We check-check and I know I have him. River is another King and I check to him trying to induce a bet. He bets $75, I call (possibly should have raised) and he shows 55. So this hand I won roughly $190.
  
• Very next hand on button I have 4c6c. Loose player (Loosey) raises to $20 from under-the-gun. Three callers, I call. Flop is the nuts 235 with two hearts. Everyone calls and I bet $80, hoping to get a call from Loosey only. About two hands earlier, Loosey called a $75 bet on the flop with only two over cards and hit his over to win. Loosey does indeed call my bet and the money ace of diamonds hits the turn. I know sorry ass Loosey is holding either an ace or a king so I'm just praying it's the ace. Loosey checks to me in an obvious check-raise so I think for a while and bet $160, trying to look like I'm scared of the ace. Loosey immediately shoves for about $300 and I call and win a huge pot.
  
  9:25 P.M.: I got to about $900+ (yellows are $5, blues are $1)
  
  
• I went up to my peak of $1000+ when I had JJ in the big blind. Loosey raised to $20 and got one caller so I raised to $120 to isolate Loosey. He called and the flop came A-J-3 with two spades. I bet $40 to look weak and Loosey starts asking me "Do you have the ace?" "No." "Do you have a jack?" "Yes." Loosey shoves all-in, I call and win another $200 off Loosey.
  
• After that I lost a $300 pot with 6-9 in the big blind when two nines were on board and another player had King-9. I saved money when the straight and flush hit the river and we both checked.
  
• Loosey also bluffed me once when he raised to $40 pre-flop and I called (with one other caller) with 8s9s. Flop comes 559, Loosey bets $75, I call (should have raised). Turn is a queen, he fires $100 and I think a while before folding. He shows 3-4 offsuit. I actually had a read on him that he had nothing when he was telling me how he "can't afford to bluff because he doesn't have enought money" but I didn't want to risk calling his all-in on the river.
  
• Loosey again (semi) bluffed me when I flopped middle pair and he re-re-raised with a flush draw. Took about $80 off me on that hand.
  

I ended up staying longer than I wanted since I planned to go out last night. Before I left, around 10:30 P.M., Loosey was just on a tear. He ran his final $200 (went to the ATM) up to about $900 winning some huge pots and bluffed me for about $3-400 as well. I wanted to stick around since I was pretty sure he'd lose all his money but I was supposed to go out with my boys.

11:00 P.M.: My stack before I cashed out ($770)


So what happened? I didn't leave until 11:00 P.M., we went to Garden of Eden in Hollywood and it was ridiculous. There was so many people it was like a club outside the club and we obviously didn't get in. We couldn't even get to the door to tell them who invited us, etc. The worst part about it was there was so much eye candy outside that it hurt my soul to leave that place. So I ended up leaving a juicy poker game and a juicy club. Damn it.

However, the good news is:

Day one: +$570 (BR: $770)