Pokerstars has a rare deposit bonus, 20% up to $120. I cashed out $600 from Party, and deposited it into Stars. I have to play 600 raked hands to get the bonus. I was going to play 1/2, but the wait was long for a 9 person table, so I sat down at a 2/4 (two, actually). I played for a little over an hour, and finished +23BB. There were no terribly interesting hands, and I was just getting lucky with the cards.

I then took a break from poker to go to Staples to get something with my $75 gift certificates from American Express Blue rewards, and that expired yesterday. I ended up not buying anything at the store, and ordering a big 4’x8′ dry erase board for $75 off from staples.com. I’ve wanted a whiteboard for awhile, and now might actually have somewhere I could put it (I’ll have to rearrange a little bit, I think, but it should work well.)

Afterwards, I sat back down at the Stars tables, playing 1/2 this time. And I lost. A lot. I knew I was due for a session or two like this, and I didn’t lose as much as I made at the 2/4 tables, but it hurts to lose 36BB in two hours of 1/2. Still a net positive for the day. I lost with a combination of bad play and bad cards (or good cards that get beat, actually). It was mostly bad play. I needed food, but didn’t want to leave until I got my money back, so I was playing hands I shouldn’t have to try to do it. That never works. At least, it never works in the long run, and I knew as I was playing I shouldn’t do it. One nice gem from this session:

PokerStars 1/2 Hold’em (8 handed) converter

Preflop: penner42 is MP2 with Q♥, Q♦.

UTG folds, UTG+1 folds, MP1 calls, penner42 raises, CO folds, Button folds, SB calls, BB calls, MP1 calls.

Flop: (8 SB) 4♣, Q♣, T♠ (4 players)
SB checks, BB checks, MP1 checks, penner42 bets, SB calls, BB folds, MP1 calls.

Turn: (5.50 BB) 9♠ (3 players)

SB checks, MP1 checks, penner42 bets, SB calls, MP1 raises, penner42 calls, SB calls.

River: (11.50 BB) 4♥ (3 players)
SB checks, MP1 bets, penner42 raises, SB folds, MP1 3-bets, penner42 caps, MP1 calls.

Final Pot: 19.50 BB

Main Pot: 19.50 BB, between MP1 and penner42. > Pot won by MP1 (19.50 BB).

Results below:
MP1 shows 4♠ 4♦ (four of a kind, fours).
penner42 shows Q♥ Q♦ (full house, queens full of fours).
Outcome: MP1 wins 19.50 BB.

My pocket queens full house gets cracked by quads again, this time on the river. And to think I was happy when that 4 showed up, because I thought I was checkraised when he made his straight. That’s poker for you.

Share