Day 1: +$35.30 (+35 BB at $.50/1)

I put in just over 2 table hours (just over one hour of real time) and came out way ahead. Part of me feels like I've forgotten how to play against very loose opposition. I backed down my raising standards (I had been getting pretty LAGgy at the full ring $2/4 games because players were underdefending), and I like how it feels. I also need to remember how to take notes and learn how to do this with two tables going at the same time. At these stakes, I can play pretty mindlessly, but I know that as I move up I need to be more disciplined about paying attention.

Interesting hands to note:

Hand 1: I picked up KQo in the big blind and raised the two limpers and the small blind. The flop is KQ9 all hearts. I bet, the first limper called, and the second limper raised, which folded out the small blind. The second limper is a LAG. I think his stats at the time were something like 60/40 and I seem to recall having him pegged as one who could easily overplay a hand or draw. So I 3-bet him, figuring him for a flush draw or worse made hand than top two and hoping the limper in the middle would call with a one card flush draw as well. Unfortunately, the limper folded and the LAG capped. The turn was a beautiful Q to give me a boat and a licence to go nuts. We capped the turn and river, and it turned out he limped in with A8 hearts and flopped the nut flush. Lucky me. I'm a little surprised that he limped in with that hand instead of raising it.

Hand 2: I raise UTG limper from MP with AKo. The action is folded to SB who 3-bet me. This knocks out BB and UTG (!) and I choose to just call. I didn't know much about SB. He had pretty loose-passive stats, and I wasn't able to think of anything that he had done to give me a sense of his play. I'm in a little debate with myself over that call. I expect him to have a reasonably strong hand, either AK/AQ or a large pocket pair. A preflop cap will do little to slow down AA/KK, though it might slow down QQ/JJ/TT (if he would raise TT). So instead of throwing an extra bet in the pot with usually the worst of it, I just called to see what the flop would bring and let him have the lead. The flop is K84 with two hearts (I hold the K of hearts) and he bet into me. Here's where things got played a little funny (as if preflop wasn't already funny). I just call. I'm not sure what I was thinking. The turn came Q heart, he bet, and now I raise with the king flush draw. If I get 3-bet here, I know I can call and fold the river UI, but I rarely expect to see him 3-bet. And he didn't. The river is an offsuit 9 and he checks to me. Of course, I bet my hand, he calls, and he wins with pocket aces, with the ace of hearts.

Hand 3: I did something really stupid with 72o. I checked in the BB after one limper. The flop is 992. Of course, I bet my hand, but he called. The turn is an 8 and I bet again. He calls again. At this point, I suspect my 2 is no good against either a better 2 (say Q2) or a small/medium pocket pair. The river is a king and I check. The limper now bets. I think this should be an easy fold. It would be hard for him to call both bets unless he had QJ/JT or maybe T7. But after thinking for a moment, I convinced myself that there's enough of a chance of a bluff for me to call (5:1). Villain wasn't particularly aggressive, so I had no reason to actually believe it. But I went with that feeling and called. I lost to JJ. He played it bad, but so did I. I should either bet the river or check-fold. Check-calling gives him too much money when he value bets.

Edit: Lots of typos. Apparently, I'm not so good at error-free blogging. I just can't keep in the same tense as I type! Oh well... maybe the next one will be better.