Sometimes I just can't play properly. Not that I don't try to but just that the other players don't allow me to. I usually hate these sessions - when the table is full of loose passive players it’s effectively not worth bluffing a lot if the entire table will limp then call a decent sized bet with any 2 cards. This was one of those sessions. With the exception of a very rare 3 bet preflop it was usually at least 6 to the flop which means I really had to wait for a decent hand then hope that someone else had hit the flop and was going to call a bet. But the table was very friendly and I was having an enjoyable evening making small talk with my table mates whilst attempting to drink my own body weight in beer.
But there was something missing - action. This game was effectively being played like a friendly home game and we really needed someone with more money than sense to join the table. I tried to be that action player for the first couple of orbits but when the entire table limps then calls preflop it's really not worth continuing unless you've hit the flop as someone with 8-2 off will have hit 2 pair to crack my aces then check called all the way to the river - it happened and I'm down $100 or so straight off the bat.
Only a handful of hands to report from the rest of the session:
I 3 bet out of the big blind holding A-Q to the small blind's min raise after the whole table had limped - there's already $18 on the table so does he really think raising to $5 is getting anyone to fold? I raised to $35 and he just calls, leaving himself only $50 or so behind. Q-x-x board and he now bets $10 into $85ish. WTF? I raise enough to put him all in and he thinks about it for a minute or so before calling and flipping over A-K which goes unimproved. I know I get lucky here but his preflop and flop action is appallingly bad so it's a shame he leaves the game after this hand.
I 3 bet holding K-K and only get called by the original raiser. Of course there's an ace on the flop but given she's only got $75 behind I've really only got one move here - she calls my bet and flips over pocket 6s and I scoop.
I limp from the button with Ad-4d and the flop is 2d-3d-x. I raise when it's checked to me and get called by 2 players. Turn is the fantastic 5d. Again it's checked to me and I bet $15 into $100. 2 callers before the river and I only bet $25 which goes uncalled.
But now to the hand of the night. Literally everyone has limped in and I look down at pocket 8s from the BB. In a normal game I want to thin the field but unless I bet pretty big most people are probably calling with any 2 cards, so I decide to check and hope to hit a set. I don't. I flop quads. Fuck. This is ridiculous as there's no way anyone has actually hit anything. So I check and it checks round. I bet a ridiculously small $5 on the turn which is called by 2 players. Again a tiny bet of $15 on the river which isn't called - so I win $15 which barely covers my waitress tips for the night. This is offset by a high hand bonus of $599 - tbh I remember getting a jackpot but don’t recall the amount (it had been a long, beer-filled day) so thanks to https://robvegaspoker.blogspot.com/?m=0 for giving me details of the high hand promotions.
But the table was friendly and the conversation flowed all evening - it was just after the NFC championship game so there was a lot of discussion about that plus the upcoming Superbowl but luckily all the sports rivalries are in good humour. I shake a couple of hands as I say goodbye to the table after about 4 hours up about $100 (plus the high hand jackpot), grab my beer and do the drunken stumble through the casino over to the Signature. It's on my walk back that the Elvis (Junkie XL's 2002 remix to be precise) song is playing https://youtu.be/Zx1_6F-nCaw and the words are a brilliant analogy of my evening session - a little less conversation, a little more action please.
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