Sick Laydowns

Despite every bone in my body itching to go the poker room today I’m taking a well needed day off. Maybe even more than 1 day. I just really need to re-energize myself right now. I’ve been having a ton of mental fatigue the last few days and the run of cards I’ve been getting hasn’t done much to help.

After last weeks huge memorial day loss of almost $600 I was down over $900 8 days into my 2 week pay period span. After 2 weeks I take all my profits and divide them into bills…pocket money…and 30% goes back into my bankroll. More often than not Im up after 2 weeks so im comfortable doing this. Well, after being down $900+ last Monday I was able to grind my way back even by Saturday which was pretty remarkable. 5 winning sessions in a row to cap off the period. But since I had no profit I’ve been picking at my bankroll little by little this week. Which is OK but I need to get something going on the felt so I can get moving on up to 2/5. And so I can live comfortably between now and then.

This week has been a nightmare. Losing less than 2 buy ins in 2 days shouldn’t be considered a total travesty but the way its been happening is just wrong. I’ve been positioning myself on tables with truly incompetent players and I’ve been playing my A Game and I’m still not coming out ahead. Monday I squandered a session in which I was up over $200 to being stuck over $100 at a table with 2 complete fish. I raised in position every time with superior hands to these guys and got out flopped over and over and over and over again. Wednesday was more of the same. Key hands included me raising preflop with AQ and getting called by a donkey with a deuce in his hand and the flop was Q22. And also Aces all in on the flop getting cracked by a flush draw. 2wice that day I either turned or rivered a 1 outer that completed my gutshot straight and gave another guy a flush. It just hurts when you work on your game as much as I do and these totally novice recreational players end up winning your money. I understand who wins in the long run but it definitely weighs on you when your trying to make a living off of this game.

Yesterday I found myself at what I call a low variance table which I was happy to be at due to mental reasons. In other words I really couldn't afford a big losing day so I played it safe. The table was a mix of nitty regs and a couple unknowns that were all pretty shortstacked. The deck of cards tried its hardest to set me up for defeat but I would not let it happen. These are the folds I made:

Fold 1

Older reg who never raises pre pops it to $10 utg. Im in UTG+2 with QQ. He only has $150 behind so if I 3 bet hes gonna shove Aces or kings and fold everything worse except maybe jacks. But that’s a maybe. I have a solid image remember. So I just call. I put him on a rang of big PP’s and AK maybe AQ. Flop is J66 he bets about ½ pot and I min raise figuring he’ll fold or flat with hands that I beat or re-pop with all hands that beat me. Hes a guy that just plays the strength of his hand, nothing tricky. Well, without hesitation he raises me about half his stack just begging for a call so I fold my QQ. I guess its plausible that he has AJ there and just puts me on a worse jack but I feel its more likely im beat…especially when I didn’t really have AJ in his range initially. He doesn’t show.

　

Fold 2

After 2 limpers I pop it to $12 with AT in the cutoff. Ive got a tight image I’d be fine taking down the blinds and dead money here with this hand but I actually end up with 3 callers. Flop comes AJT with 2 diamonds and the sb who is a well known reg I always play with donks an overbet into the pot. The other 2 fold. I play with this guy enough to know hes protecting his BIG made hand against the draws. He has anything from 2 pair to a straight which leaves one hand I beat. So after grinding for the last 3 hrs without a hand I have to fold two pair on a flop. The reg shows me pocket tens for a nice laydown by me.

　

Fold 3

I finally get my best starting hand since QQ when Im dealt TT UTG. I raise $12 and get insta called by tight old lady to my left which already has me thinking I might be behind. Then a SUPER tight old man reg 3 bets to about $50. I fold and the old lady actually folds KK face up…hilarious as the 3 bettor shows QQ.

Fold 4

I 3 bet a loose utg raiser who opened $7 to $25 with QQ in mid pos and get 4 bet by the reg from before who had the set of tens. He would NEVER 4 bet without the goods. Especially against me. I fold and he shows KK.

Fold 5

I raise UTG with AK to $13. My buddy from last hand 3 bets. This is clearly QQ+. Then a newbie in the blinds 4 bets. I fold and the two players get it all in with AA and KK. How am I dealt AK here? How is this happening?

So see what I mean when I say the deck was stacked against me. Would you believe after all of that I ended up $74? I actually made a lot of money folding. Yesterday could and should have been a big loss for me. I would’ve never folded those big hands to a wreckless Friday night crowd but when you play with the same opponents a lot and know their tendencies those folds aren’t really as hard as they seem. With that being said I think at least 1 day off to relax and take my mind off things might be in order.