reviewing... level 1/2 at table 197

ok, so I get to my table, 197. Of course, one guy at the table is from Reston, and another is from Falls Church - gee, three Northern Virginians, what a surprise......

The table is very tight except one kid from North Dakota who is very aggressive. I have position on him, though, and everyone else at the table is pretty quiet and straightforward. I feel very relaxed after the first couple of hands and just play my game.

I do get hit with the deck, though. KK twice, AK and AQ a couple of times. - but it's hard to get any action. Both times with KK, I reraise a raise in front of me to isolate and get a fold I don't really want. I reraise AK out of the small blind (a recurring theme this trip) to 500 against an original raise of 150. He calls, and we check down a Q5659 board - I let him win with TT by never betting out, but I thought he had a middle pair that would look up a bet.

Later, I cold call a raise to 200 from the CO with TT - the small blind calls, three to a flop of 956. Checked to me, I bet 400, SB raises to 1000, I think and call. Turn pairs the 9 and the small blind leads for 700. I think and call what seems to be a smallish, defensive bet. We check the river Q and I suck out on his flopped two pair with 56 when the board paired on the turn.

Later, I check raise a Q high board with 88 and get a laydown, so I end Level 1 with T13625. I've played strongly to pick up small pots a bit at a time and slowly accumulate chips without having to show down anything but AK, TT, and one of my KK reraises, so my table image is good too.

I spend level 2 spewing chips, though. Drop 2K with ATs when I think I'm open raising in LP - but miss the UTG limp that is now calling me. I bet a K-high flop and get called, decided to call a small bet when the Kh gives me a nut flush draw, despite the paired board, and fold to a river bet when I miss everything. I also get check raised on the turn and donk bet intoon the river again later in another hand and have to fold....

Finally, with about 40 minutes left in Level 2, I'm back down to 10K and I openraise with Ah8x in LP and get called by North Dakota in the SB. I've purposefully avoided pots with him, as I think he's the only really crafty player at the table. We check a flop with two hearts. A third heart comes on the turn and he leads for 700. I say "oh really?" and reraise to 2100. He reluctantly folds, I run my stack back up to 13K, and just then the table breaks.  BOOOOO. I really liked the table, I was comfortable, and had good reads on the players. Oh well, I move to table 84, seat 3. As I walk up, I see Gavin Smith in the 1 seat and think, oh, this could be fun.....

More later - Heff