An update?!?!?

I haven't updated in a while simply because I haven't been playing much poker.

I have taken a hiatus in large part due to my work and school schedule, saving little "me" time or time for my family. Plus my little brother Kevin has started his little league football season, so there go my Saturday mornings.

I feel like when I'm stressed or pressed for time, I rush my play, get a little spewy, and generally play too lose. Therefore, after dropping a few buy-ins, I just stopped playing.

Yesterday I did play an hour .10/.25 NLHE session on FullTilt. It was up and down, and I ran pretty shitty but still doubled my buy-in. That might be the first online win for me in two weeks or more.

My live play has been good, Hold'em wise anyway. I think my PLO game has regressed a bit. I won one tournament Monday night, and mounted a comeback in the second, only to finish 2nd when I got it all in with 66 v. Roy's A4 (He rivered an ace).

I'll keep you posted if anything crazy happens and I get to play this weekend, but it looks doubtful. I've got a pick-up football game at noon tomorrow, then the Homecoming parade and game from 4:30-9:30. Saturday Kevin has his game at noon, then I work 4:00PM-1:00AM (TV News sucks).

Good luck at the tables!

-The Gerk-

A Full Tilt Tournament

I played in a 90 person Sit-and-Go today on Full Tilt. I started by doubling up with 99 in the third level. Then I lost a huge pot when I got it all-in with 7h9h on a board of Th-Jh-Ts-6h. He had Ace-Ten and checked the flop. Of course he rivered an ace.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1491653
I moved to a new table, this was the second hand. The first hand I jammed the 7-J-7 flop with 44 and took it down.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1491662
Three hands after the KKKK hand, this happens. I was ready to give it up on the turn, which I was surprised he checked. I guess I can fold the river to a minraise, but it is possible he would be betting that flop with the lower straight draw. Idk, I'm not folding here.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1491694
I was sure I had the MP caller, but I was just praying the blind didn't have it.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1491724
Eeeeewwwwwww... I feel bad for him, but I'm not folding Blind v. Blind for 2BBs. Sorry.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1491759
The good ol' limp-re-raise. One of the best moves in my poker game. My style makes this look like a steal... but in reality, I'm stealing your chips.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1491778
He's not supposed to be button limping with JJ on such a short stack lol. But either way, better to be lucky than good.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1491802
Haha luck's way of letting me know I can't always win. Ride that 5% baby! I guess I was lucky it was a short stack.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1491921
This was the hand that burst the bubble. He ridiculed me for calling his tiny stack in my BB with A8. Moron.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1491948
My last hand. I should've raised preflop, but seeing how he played the hand postflop, he would've just called me and I would've busted anyway. At such high blinds, it's almost impossible to know that he's getting sneaky with AQ.

15th place is okay, but I wanted to win it. Damn.

-The Gerk-

Sigh...

I took a huge hit on UB yesterday.

And when I say "huge hit," I mean there isn't much left. I had been losing recently, since Sunday, sporting a nasty combination of bad play and a bad run of cards. I played two satellites to Sunday's 200+20 5pm tournament, and got close but never really did much in either. The first one I busted when I pushed in MP with A8 on a short stack. The guy to my left found AK, poof, end of story. The second one I pushed with a moderate stack in LP with JT, and got called in the SB with 77. I flopped an open-ender, but I some how dodged all 14 of my outs twice.

I lost 5 buy-ins playing a really lucrative full table .10/.25 PLO game. The table was soooo soft and soooo bad, but the problem was I couldn't win a pot, whether I was ahead or behind. At one point, I had made two buy-ins back, but then I bluff-potted the river in an already $10 pot after my two opponents checked to me. I had missed my wrap draw, and I thought I could push my opposition off two pair. The first one folded and the second thought forever and then cold called... with 64, the dead nuts on a K-5-8-3-2 board. WTF. I seriously think he didn't notice he had a straight. Then later, a hand summed up my night. I had J-J-x-x and saw a SEVEN way flop of J-4-4. We checked around. Then when a 6 fell on the turn, the SB bet, the BB called, and I doubled the bet. SB called, and BB pushed. I insta-called and so did the SB. SB had 66, and BB flopped quads with 44. Fucking sick. Absolute stone cold cooler.

I lost a full buy-in playing .25/.50 NLHE too. I found a good full table game, played for about an hour, but couldn't get shit going. I missed tons of flops, and every time I hit I had to fold as everyone around me went crazy.

I busted out of two 5.50 tournaments too, once when I got all my money in with AdKd on a 6-3-K rainbow board against 88. Turn fell 8 of spades. The other one I got it in with top two and was counterfeited.

It goes to show how a relatively small roll can't survive a run of bad luck or bad play. I had both the last two days, and as a result, you won't be seeing me on UB much anytime soon. I'll update again when things turn around (they always do).

-The Gerk-

PLO Hands... WWJD?

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1462200

Am I a donk, or a genius for re-potting the flop? I won a coinflip, and that's all that matters to me! (btw, the answer is "a donk")

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1462216

Ummm... did I flop it? I had to look at my cards for like 30 seconds to determine whether or not I had the best hand.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1462235

Good fold, or bad one? If the river comes a spade, does my hand have any showdown value? Do I check? Do I bet?

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1462271

How the hell did I miss?!?!? I can't even count all the outs I have.

After a while, I kind of hit a wall and started missing flops. I stole a couple small pots and walked away with a +20.00 session.

-The Gerk-

Monster Hand

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1462176


If I want you to look at one hand that I ever post in this blog, this one might be it. Please diagnose the hand in the comments, I'm interested to see how you would play it. Include how many outs you would think I had, how many outs I ACTUALLY had, and what you could put my opponent on.

-The Gerk-

PLO Is Sick

I like going from site to site and game to game. It is soooooo much better than just playing NLHE on Pokerstars. I can pick a game that suits my mood, and changing where you play is just as refreshing.

After my limit session yesterday, I scurried over to FullTilt for some PLO, a game a hadn't played in a few days. Oh boy, did I have a sick session. I more than doubled my stack, then lost a couple huge pots, one with J-8-A-A. The flop was J-8-5 with two spades, and I potted. He called, and the turn was a non-spade 7. He checked, I bet 4.00, and he called. The river was the 6h, and he checked. I just checked behind with four connecting cards on the board, and he showed a busted Q-high flush draw with 3-4. Sick way to lose a pot, I'll tell ya.

Anyway, I busted, rebought, and then our table completely lost it. We had one guy that had already gone through 75.00 at .10/.25 in like 20 minutes, and he was potting EVERY hand preflop, or re-potting if it was raised to him. It was insane. I limped with Tc-6c-Qh-Qs, and he potted (of course) on the button. I was the only caller, and we took a flop of T-6-K. I checked, he potted for 4.00. Now, I don't think I'm beat here, he isn't going to pot with three Kings. I put him on a hand like JJ or maybe even AA, but I think the biggest part of his range consists of K-x (AK, AQ etc.). I call his bet. The turn is an under-blank, a very safe card for my hand. I decide to put the screws to him and bet the pot of over 12.00. He calls INSTANTLY. Not raises, CALLS. That tells me something about his hand- he is fairly sure it isn't good, but he might have outs to beat me, maybe holding a hand similar to Q-J-K-x. The turn is like a 5, another under non-scare card. I only have like 6 bucks back, so it's getting in the pot. He calls right away, and I hold my breath as he mucks and I rake an enormous pot. It had to be AA or Q-J-K-x. Either way, after a couple more maniacs at our table busted, we got to heads-up and then a few short stacks joined the table. I left up 24.00.

I'm playing another session as we speak; I'll let you know how it goes.

-The Gerk-

Limit Hold'em, Other Stuff

Busted out a 150-hand session this morning. Yesterday I only won 1.10, essentially two big bets lol. But I was just scoping out the tables, and I knew today would be different. I scooped 7.90, or 16 big bets in a session just short of an hour and a half. That win-rate equals something around 10 big bets an hour. That is about the standard for a good session, but I would like it to be closer to the 15-20 range. I'll work on it.

Some things I've noticed about LHE, including weaknesses in my own game:

-The games are just as soft as I expected. My table last night was very loose-aggressive, but this morning they were passive and tight. I can easily adapt my game to beat both ends of this spectrum.

-Many players continuation bet with ATC (any two cards) on the flop, whether they connected or not. I'm calling with any gut shot or backdoor draw, and probably raising if I flopped a pair. I may also raise with nothing. This poor donk at my table this morning went through 25 big ones at .25/.50, and most of it came from him raising or even 3-betting preflop, leading out for .25, and then folding when I made it .50 to go with nothing.

-It is almost always correct to defend your blind in LHE. However, there were a few times I laid down a hand, simply because I knew how tight some of the players at my table were playing. Whenever you see a guy go through two rotations of .25/.50 Limit without playing a hand, you can tell he is not going to profit from this game.

-I played 54% of my hands today. Against tight opponents that was a winning strategy, but against a looser table that number should be closer to 30-35% (It's only that high because we were 5 or 6 handed most of the time).

-Most players that raise preflop, continuation bet, then 3-bet when raised, ALMOST ALWAYS have the goods.

-It is profitable to play most hands straight forward out of position, betting when you've got it, checking when you whiff. However, in position you can call with odd draws and overs, as well as raise with nothing, simply because there is so much money in the pot in relation to the size of your bet. Even if you don't have the best hand, getting the second best (or sometimes first best) hand to fold is optimal.

-Slowplaying is hardly right, except when flopping sets. Most players don't mind calling 3 bets with middle pair, ignoring the fact you could have flopped a set. Ex: 4 players to a flop, I have 4-6 in the SB. Flop is 4-4-T. I am going to CHECK-CALL, not raise. It gives away the strength of my hand WAY too soon, and only to earn .25. Why wouldn't I check raise the turn, and get an extra big bet or two out of it, as opposed to only the small flop bet?

-I'm going to have to two, three, or four table LHE to make any serious money. But, I KNOW WITHOUT A DOUBT that I can grind this game to a profit at least 75% of the time. That is a huge win rate. The problem lies in the fact that I don't four table very well. I don't focus and I don't read my opponents enough, I spend too much time focusing on my own cards. I think I'm going to solo table another session or two, then work my way up to two tables. And if I still think I can do it, add another table. I'd like to have the capability to four table by the end of the year.

I dropped 5.50 this morning trying to go back-to-back in tournament play on UB. I limped with KJ in the second level in MP (first mistake). 4 players saw a flop of K-9-4. The blinds checked, I bet the pot (120) and a guy behind me called. The turn was a Q, I bet 260 and he minraised. This should be an instant fold for me, seeing as his range of hands includes K9, KQ, 99, 44, JT, and all sorts of problematic draw hands. I called anyway, hoping to check-check the river. It was a harmless card, and he bet 600 behind me. Easy fold? I didn't think he could see the turn this early in the tourney with JT. I think he would've bumped it preflop with KQ in LP, but I really didn't know, I had no real reads yet. I called and he tabled 99, good enough. I had 600 chips left, waited a few rotations, and pushed with A7 against only the blinds on a flop of 3-T-A. That's usually an insta-win, but the BB hadn't raised with AdJd and I was about out. I spiked a seven on the turn, putting me way ahead, but I was counterfeited and eliminated when another ten hit the river. Oh well.

-The Gerk-

A Third Game

I'm going to try to learn Limit Hold'em next. That is to say, re-learn it properly. Of course I already know how to play the game, and I've done it several times in the casino. What's funny is that my biggest singular win in one session ($450) and my biggest one-session loss ($250) both have come in some variation of limit hold'em.

I scouted out some of the lower stakes games on UltimateBet this evening, namely at .25/.50 with .10/.25 blinds. I won just over a dollar. I was donking around quite a bit, and I think limit could be a great steam game at those stakes. The players seemed very soft and content with betting down every street with nothing. I think with some playing time and practice I could destroy that game. I absolutely love how math oriented limit hold'em is. J5 in your BB? DEFEND! A-high on the turn? Re-raise! Missed your K-high flush draw? Welp, too bad, you've gotta call the bet on the end because you're getting 12:1, so fuck you.

-The Gerk-

The Gerk Wins UB Friday 7AM NL Hold'em $5.00+.50

Congratulations! You finished in 1st place. You won $78. You received 3 Ultimate Points for buying into this tournament. You also converted .10 Bonus $ into cash. Thank you for playing.


Damn that feels good.

I woke up with Carrie this morning around 6:00AM and got on UltimateBet, looking to recoup yesterday's losses in PLO. I haven't updated in a while, so here's what you've missed. Like I mentioned previously, I have more than doubled my deposit on FullTilt, playing .10/.25PLO and .10/.25 NL Hold'em. I like the site and I think the games are softer than probably both Pokerstars and UltimateBet. But since my $70 win a couple days ago, I haven't logged on to the site. I've been playing PLO on UltimateBet. I dropped two buy-ins yesterday in like 10 minutes, and then quit because I was totally steaming. This morning it was much of the same, not winning 60/40s and the like. But I was still up for the day, then in a course of 4 hands lost it all to the same guy. I admit I was on absolute tilt, but he was hitting everything and I couldn't muscle him out of a pot to save my life. It started when I potted preflop with KsJhQsQh, and he called on the button. The flop was Kh-8d-Ts, and I potted. He repotted, and I called it all off knowing I wasn't trailing even top set by very much. The turn was the 7h and the river the 6d. He showed T-6-9-5, for middle pair and the donk gut-shot that he hit on the turn. Yikes. Then it was all down hill- I potted with naked Queens and he called, flop came T-T-x. I checked, he checked. Turn was an under, I potted, he called. I pot the river, he calls with a ten. Whatever. Then the very next hand he got it in with the nut flush draw to my top two and third-nut flush draw, BAM Th on the turn and I'm fucked. The very last hand I had like 3.50 and potted with Aces, he called and flopped top pair of queens and a gut shot, then two-paired on the turn once all the money was in. I was pretty pissed. I bought into the 6:30AM tournament with a 1.00 bounty on every player's head, and I don't think I even lasted through the first level lol.

It looked like my day was done on UB, but I got some coffee and checked to see if there was one more tourney I could play. It was 7:05 and they were accepting alternates for the 7:00 NL Hold'em tournament, so I said "fuck it." I didn't even get in until like the third level, but when I did I decided I wasn't going to donk around AT ALL. I muted Sportscenter, loaded a playlist of soothing music on Ares p2p, and zoned in. Before long, I lost a big pot that I three barreled and was down to 600. I pushed the very next hand when I picked up QQ, making it look like a steam raise. I got two callers, with AJ and like 77 and I held to triple up. There was no looking back. I caught QQ once more, KK twice, and AA once on my way to the final table, playing poker like I was going to be executed if I didn't FT. It helped that the cards were running with me, I flopped three sets in an hour and a half, pretty fucking stellar. When we reached the final table, I felt like I had just played the best hour and a half of my life. I showed down like 3 hands, two of which I was all-in with KK and QQ. I was button raising, continuation betting, bluff re-raising, calling flops bets with rags and raising a bet on the turn... everything that makes me a good player. And all the pieces fell into place, and I was on a murderous tear. No one was going to stop me. I had over 13k when we made it to the final table, and I relinquished that lead only once, after doubling through a medium stack with K7 on a K-2-3 flop where he woke up with K9. I bulldozed the final table. I was aggressive. I was tight. I was loose. I was smart, I was crazy. I did it all and manipulated everyone at that table. When we got it three handed I had only 25k, versus two opponents with dangerous 15k stacks. I ran my stack up to 30, then 35, then fourty thousand. I busted the second biggest stack in a mammoth pot where I WON A RACE!!! I was a 53% favorite and held, and now had 53k against 7k of my opponent, GhostsofWar. I knew he was pushing the first hand, and I got it in with K3. He woke up with an Ace, and flopped top pair to double up. The every next hand he button raised to 2600 and I pushed with 88. Now, if I lose this pot, he is suddenly the chipleader. He thinks for a split second and calls with AdJd. I dodged the flop and the turn, but the river... was also a blank. I win!

I survived 38 other players (not a huge field) to take my first major tourney on UltimateBet. Back in my freeroll days, I had final tabled in three 1500+ player tournaments (one was as high as 2400 I think) on my way to finishing in 7th, 4th, and 3rd.

I think UB owed me this one. It is so refreshing and wonderful to see that when I don't take many crushing beats, my playing style is good enough to win a tournament. Not since I won that 4.40 180 person S&G on Pokerstars in the spring have I felt this confident. It's not to say that I didn't take any bad beats, because I took several. I got a shortstack all-in with 77 against my 99, and he flopped a set in a 3.5k pot. When we were down to three players at the final table, I had both of them one card from elimination before they sucked out to stay alive. I turned the nut straight against mvourin's top pair and gut shot, and he rivered a Q (one of my hole cards of KQ) to split it with me. Then very soon after, GhostsofWar buttoned raised like he did a million times, and I looked him up in my BB with K9. The flop was 6-3-3 and we both checked it. The turn came a nine, I bet the 3k pot, and he moved in. After some thought I called, and he showed J9, dead to 3 outs for a win and 4 for a split. The river was the Ace of diamonds and we chopped. Those hands tilted me a bit, but I kept my head on straight and took it down.

Sidenote: I called Ian at like 8:45 when we were 5 handed and I had over half the chips in play. Usually Ian is a loyal railbird for me every time I go deep, but it was definitely a little too early for him. I told him to look me up and watch me, or go back to bed. And after a pause, he said... "I think I'm going back to bed dude." HAHAHAHA From now on maybe I won't tell you to come rail me, now that I've finally won a fucking tournament, ironically the only one you weren't watching.

Good luck at the tables!

-The Gerk-

The Mastery of Two Games

Many poker players who are successful can play more than one game variation very proficiently. Until I began reading CTS's blog (from Card Runners) a month or two ago, I could only consider myself a one-trick pony. At this point, however, I can say that I can play two games profitably. I have been a quick learner in PL Omaha, and my recent success shows that.

Yesterday I banked like 30.00 playing PLO on UltimateBet. Today I switched over to FullTilt, and played a quick 6-handed NL Hold'em session before class. I bought in for 13.75, and ballooned it up to 26.00. I was down to around 20.00 when this hand came up. I raised UTG+1 to 1.00 with TT. The cutoff called, the button called, and the SB re-popped to 3.50. I called- this is a pretty loose aggressive game, he may very well have 99 or AK here, and I know the other two callers are just as loose, so I'm getting like 5:1. The other two donks called too, and there was over 17.00, or over 75BBs in the pot preflop. The flop was a wet dream. T-J-T. I flop quads. I want to string my opponents along, but I lose that option when the SB pushes. I call, and the other two fold. He had KK. I left the table up 35.00.

Later I got back on FullTilt to play PLO. I got coolered once and dropped 10.00, but the came back and ran my stack up to 45.00 before I got one-outered again. I got it all-in against two players with A-A-6-5 on a T-6-3-6 board. One of my opponents held K-K-Q-5, and the other 7-7-K-2. Therefore, I was sweating exactly one out on the river, the case King. BINGO, there it is. I was left with like 28.00, losing a monster pot that would've looked very nice in my bankroll. Just sick. I ran it back up to like 35.00, then coasted back and forth around 30.00. Then I got revenge on the one-outing culprit. I potted preflop with Qd-Qs-7c-5c, and got two callers. The flop came T-8-2, EP checked, I potted, One-outer guy calls, and so does EP. When the turn fell a 7, I was pretty much done with the hand, but it went check-check-check. WTF? The river was a Q giving me top set, but not the nut hand. One of my opponents could very easily have J9 or 69. EP checked, and so did I. Then the one-out guy in LP pushed for 20.00! EP folded, and I was left with a sick decision. I ruled out 69 fairly easily, but wouldn't he bet that turn with J9? I made the call for almost my entire stack, and he showed something like A-4-4-2. A pair of fucking fours. I was very happy with my call. Then I donked off 6.00 the next hand, missing one pull at a 15 outer on the flop and a second 18 out pull on the turn. Whatever. I left the table up 32.00. Had I not been skull-fucked by the one outer, you could add another 25.00ish to that.

I am very happy with a 67.00 profit, or 6.7 of my usual buy-ins. All I'm saying is that you'd better watch out for me at those PLO tables. :)

-The Gerk-

Send It

I played in a couple 5.50 NL Hold'em tournaments on UB this morning- nothing to report, besides that fact that I'm still running bad in Hold'em. In the first tourney ( a six handed beauty) I worked my stack to over 2100, then called 140 in the 20/40 level with 55 on the button. The flop came ten high, the UTG+1 raiser bet the pot, and I re-raised it all in. He thought for a moment and called off his last 300 with 44. The turn came a 4, and gave him his two outer. Now, with my remaining 1k, I got it all in with 7d5d on a 7s-2d-3d flop. He has 2h3h, and I have a million outs. The turn is a 6, and the river a non-diamond queen, and so his bottom two fade 19 outs to bust me. In the second tourney I got it all-in with K7 on a K-7-T flop... he of course had 77. I had about 350 left, got it in with A6, and ran into AQ. It looked like the poker gods were going to send me some reprieve when the board ran out A-2-7-6, but the river came another 7 and counterfeited me out of another tournament. Oh well, things will turn around eventually.

I hit Warren .10/.25PLO to make back my tournament buy-ins, and soon found myself stuck 4 buy-ins, or 40.00. I didn't feel like quitting though, and I was running really bad. I seriously ran the second nuts into the case cooler like three times, and I couldn't win a damn coinflip to save my life. With 10.00 at the table, I mounted a comeback and assaulted all the assholes who had just sucked out and stacked me. I rallied like crazy and doubled up time and time again. I think my stack was at like 78.00 at some point. Then the beats started up again, when I caught my open-ender to the nuts and ran into a twice-checked Q's full. Oh, and lest not forget my flopped flush on a As-7s-5s board. I had an open-ended straight flush redraw too. I potted the flop, villian called, and the turn came another A. Doh. We go check-check and he pots the river. It's a really bad call, one I usually don't make, but since the river was another 5 I figured maybe he thought his set of Aces or 5s were good. Of course, he had 77 (WTF 7's have it out for me today.) I left the table with 70 gold dubloons. I'm pleased.

The sick thing is I played almost two hours, and played over 79% of my hands. I saw 99 out of 124 flops lol. But the even sicker thing is that I won 28% of those pots. That's a damn good winning percentage for playing that many hands. I think that LAG play in PLO is the right way to go. I keep it fairly simple- taking lots of flops, betting only my monster hands, and taking as many free cards as my opponents will give me otherwise. When you play 80% of your hands, you have to make sick laydowns a lot though, and I think I do that fairly well. Remember, when in doubt, ask yourself this simple question "If I were him, what could I POSSIBLY have that I can beat right now?" If you can't come up with a believable holding or two, muck your middle set. Throw away your low ended straight. Toss that mediocre flush. Sometimes you'll be wrong, but most of the time you will dodge an enormous train wreck.

Here are two fun hands from my PLO session:

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1440138

Like I said, I was playing a lot of modest hands lol. I'm a favorite preflop though, and I'm 47% to win against two opponents after the flop. That is really unbelievable, especially because one of my opponents has the nut straight. The turn is a killer though, and suddenly the nut straight guy surges to a 50% favorite, while I drop to 25%... and the guy with the set falls to 19%? Omaha is crazy man. Then of course my gin card comes on the river, and I bust both of them. Send it bitch.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1440141

In this one I'm a 55%/45% dog preflop, but I've got position and a loose image. The flop is good for me, but I have to worry about KK here. Hence, I just call. The turn makes me worry about a possible over-fullhouse too, but now I'm almost certain he has AA. Potting that flop and again on the turn doesn't make sense with KK, or JJ, or another 4... so it's either QQ or AA. I call it, and sure enough, he's got AA.


-The Gerk-

Can You Ever KNOW Someone Has Aces?

I'm going back to my grassroots, playing NL Hold'em on UltimateBet and FullTilt. I dropped 25.00 on Fulltilt two days ago, in a frustrating session where I ran my QsQd into 8s9s on an all spade flop. Sometimes, a raise preflop doesn't matter, and a LAG player is always going to call with that hand in LP. And it's the kind of flop you've got to be aggressive with, as to not give a free card to As-rag. I didn't suck out. Then later on I finished 12th in a NL Hold'em tourney where top five paid. I got it all in with Q9 when I pushed on the button. 33 called in the BB, and I was racing with a chance at an average stack. The board ran out 7-Q-K-Q...3. Brutal.

Yesterday I put in a good session where I doubled my stack, many of the chips coming from a hand where I raised in MP to 1.25 with KK, and the guy immediately to my left pushed. I called and his AJ's 3 outs didn't come.

Today I hit up Fulltilt, and played a solid two hour session. I felt just dead on today, most of my reads were stone cold correct. As far as results go, I more than quintupled my buy-in, and I'm damn happy about that. However, half of that came from a hand where I got it all-in with KK v. AA and sucked out. I think God owed me that one.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1434584

It's a small pot, but I made a sick call.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1434588

Best call I've made in quite some time- I thought FOREVER before making this one. It's one thing to donk call the LP's bet with 99 here, but it's a different monster entirely to do it after EP flat calls.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1434591

This may be the first time in my life where I came across a situation where I perhaps could have KNOWN that my opponent had aces. I couldn't fold preflop despite reading strength at every possible opportunity. I played KK very weird- I limped, and then made a smallish raise after the SB made it 1.50 to play (which is a raise not only out of position, but also of very suspiciously small size). I showed immense strength by limp-re-raising, and he showed even more strength by pushing to that re-raise. I maybe could've folded... I was pretty sure he had AA. But, alas, I called and rivered a K. I'm not too unhappy about it. What would you have done here? Respond in the comments.

-The Gerk-