Well now, another Wednesday is here.  And that means I've played poker twice this week.  I have a normal game on Monday and Tuesday night.  Both are normally around 20-22 people, with Monday's buy in $40 and Tuesday's $30.  So lets look at the results. 

Monday:  Biggest blunder of my poker playing career.  How bad, you ask?  I was eliminated from this tournament BEFORE IT OFFICIALLY BEGAN!  Reread that for clarity if you'd like.  Everyone was in place, and the clock was counting down to start time, and we decided to roll a few minutes early.  And here's how the hand progressed.  (Not HANDS, hand....singular)

I was the big blind on the first hand.  Folds all around to position 8, who flat calls.  Position 9 raises to 2.5 times the big blind.  Small blind folds, I look down to 10-10, and I flat call.  Then....position 8 reraises another 500, position 9 calls, so I call again.  Why not? 

MISTAKE #1:  I called a check raiser and another raiser with pocket 10's.  But here's what I was thinking.  If position 8 had a real hand, I figured he would have raised originally.  His reraise is suspicious, but I'll just tell you he is one of the worst poker players IN THE WORLD.  And position 9 will call just about anything with any Ace, so I wasn't really that concerned.  He'll also chase anything later on, and I like that.

So, the flop comes:  A-10-7.  I'm going to tell you this, and hope you understand.  The ONLY REASON to call two raisers with pocket 10's is to hit the trips.  There is no other reason to play this hand.  So if you hit your trips, be prepared to play them.  Otherwise, WHY PLAY THEM???  So I bet out $1000.  Positions 8 and 9 flat call. 

So where are we in the hand?  I have no idea, but I am concerned.  I figure one for A-K, but it appears with the two calls I have two A-K's or possibly one with A-Q. 

OK, turn comes JACK.  There is now a straight on the board, and I'm holding trips.  But I figured neither of the other two are playing K-Q, since they were both raising preflop.  But I CALLED preflop....which means I MIGHT have it.  So what do I do?  Well two people called $1000, so I do the only thing I know to do right now, to stop the chasing.  I shove $10000 chips all in, opening hand.

Position 8 tanks FOREVER!  He doesn't know what to do.  I've played the hand exactly like I had K-Q, and I bet the straight when it hits.  I even indicate that I know he has trips, and joke about chasing the full house.  And then, the worst possible thing that can happen, happens.  Another player, not in the hand (and he'll read this) calls CLOCK.  You call clock when you think the other player is taking too long and eating up the time clock. 

PROBLEM:  We haven't even started the tournament yet.  The clock hasn't started!  And, to be perfectly honest to the guy that called clock:  He wasn't in the hand.  He truly should not have done it.  It was not his place.  It was either my place (primary) or position 9's. 

And, predictably, position 8 says "what the heck" and calls.  I do not believe he would have done that if he had been given more time to think about it.  Why risk your entire tournament with a straight on the board when you only have......TRIP ACES.  Knew it.   Thought I could get him to fold.  Didn't work out.

And this is even funnier.  Position 9 still thinks about calling himself.  He finally folds, but he had A-Q.  One pair, gutshot straight draw, and he actually considered calling all his chips, opening hand, against two all ins.  Remember, I said I like the way this guy plays?  Very profitable for the other people.

And that is how I got booted from a tournament before it even began.  If you read this Gerry, I'm not mad.  I'm just detailing the events.

And that brings us to last night.  $30 buy in, 22 people in the game, including Gerry, but he wasn't at my table, so I couldn't call clock on him!!!  :-)

Anyway, I decided to not do stupid things, and told my wife before I left the house that I was going to win this one, and would accept nothing less.  I had to make up for the mistakes of Monday night. 

So I played what I considered solid poker, all night long.  I made great reads, and pushed in the right places, bluffed a few times, and came out with a victory and $300. 

One bluff tale, just to go back to something I said a few days ago.  I was on the button with 2-7 in my hand.  So I take a stab with a raise.  Small blind folds, big blind calls.  Flop comes A-K-8.  She checks, I bet $1800.  Call.  Turn comes a 3.  I bet $2500.  Call.  Now remember, I talked before about being willing and brave enough to fire that last bullet?  Here is my chance to practice what I preach. 

River card is a 4.  She checks again.  If I check here, I guarantee you that I'm either beat by a pair in her hand, or Q-10 and she was chasing a straight.  Either way, I'm toast.  So I fire $5000.  And she immediately folds.  It takes guts to fire 4 bullets with nothing.  But you will not be a profitable poker player if you are unwilling to do it on occasion.

So where does that leave me after two games this week?  $70 in, $300 out, already $230 up for the week.  Add that to last week's profit, and I'm on my way to another $1000 month.