First off, I just want to say "Thank you!" To my friends and family that are now logging in to my brand new blog, "Thanks for the support!"

The 2010 PCA is in full swing at the Atlantis, and all the big pros are here. Kid Poker, Fossilman, Moneymaker, Gavin Smith, Hevad Khan, and many more. The event is small, so there's excellent opportunities to talk with the pros during breaks.

I sat down at a $2-$5 table today and really felt like maybe I was way out of my league, since I normally like to play $1-$2. Anyway, I bought in for $375 at 7pm and by 3am, I was walking away with just under 6x's what I bought in for. There wasn't much to it! A little patience, discipline, well timed aggression, and I made a two weeks paycheck in about 8hrs. Below are the 4 most significant hands of my night, and I hope you enjoy reading about them. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to hit me up.

Big hand #1.
The action at the table is pretty steady. Everyone seems to be raising the standard 3 to 4x's the big blind with hands like AKs, AK, AQs, etc..etc.. There's one guy at the table to my right who's pretty creative, and definately plays the players and not the cards. On this particular hand, I get dealt AA's in second position to act. The guy to my right, who we'll call "Mr. Creative", leads out with a bet of $20 under the gun. Looking at my AA's, I'm loving this. I re-raise to $40. Players 3, 4, and 5 all fold, and player 6 calls me. Player 7 folds, 8 folds, and the small and big blinds fold. "Mr. Creative" calls. We've got $127 in the pot pre-flop, and I'm sitting on AA's. The flop comes 6-9-9, and the suits don't matter. "Mr. Creative" checks to me, and I lead out with $40. Player 6 calls me, and "Mr. Creative" folds. At this point, I'm putting player 6 on a big pair, anywhere from JJ's through KK's. Why else would he call $40 pre-flop? The turn brings an amazing Ace, giving me a Full House. Now! I don't want player 6 going anywhere at this point, so I check it. I want to give him the false impression that the Ace has me beat now. Little does he know that I'm in the driver's seat, because the only hand that can possibly be beating me at this point would be pocket 99's, and I really don't think he would've called $40 pre-flop with 99's. Player 6 bets $100. I'm doing everything I possibly can to not burst with emotion at this point, so I do what I know best! I play weak! I take off my ear buds, slouch down in my seat, fold my arms, blow out a big sigh, and go into acting mode. I give it a few seconds to marinate, and I give player 6 the up and down a few times. After a few minutes, I toss my $100 chip into the pot, like it's some big chore or something. The river brings another meaningless card, and I can't even remember what it was. I sit there and look at player 6, and I noticed that he aaaaaaalmost acted out of turn. He grabbed a stack of about $300 and motioned forward, but the dealer reminded him that the action was on me. Seeing this tell, let me know that he had a big hand, and he couldn't wait to get those chips in the pot. So I sat for a few seconds longer and let his anxiousness overcome him. He looks at me and says "Do you check?" I say back to him, "No, no, not yet." I can tell he wants to bet it so bad, that he's about to come out of his seat. So finally, I say, "Yeah, I check!" Player 6 takes that stack of about $300 and pushes it into the pot. I come over the top of him or all I have left, which at this point is about $475, and he calls. He turns over, get this..... K-9 off-suit!!! K-9 off-suit, for $40 pre-flop? WTF? I turn over my AA's showing my Full House, and he's crushed! Like I said, there's plenty of money to be made at the Atlantis this week!

Big hand #2.
This time I'm first to act, and I get dealt JJ's. I raise to $20, and everyone folds aroudn to the button. The button re-raises me to $40, and the small and big blinds fold. I just call. This guy could have anything from QQ's through AA's, or something like AKs, AK, and maybe he thinks he can bully me. The flop comes 4-6-2, and the suits don't matter. I check it to the button, and he bets $75. I really don't like it, because now I'm starting to feel as thought I'm up against QQ's or KK's, but for some reason, I'm just not buying it from this guy. I actually think he might have AK, and he's making a continuation bet. I call. The turn is another low card. I check, and he bets $200 now. Now I'm really feeling gross! I mean, really? Am I gonna go broke on pocket JJ's? I give him the up and down for a minute, but something tells me that he's just trying way too hard to convince me that he has it, so I call. The river brings another low card, and I check it. He finally concedes, and checks as well. He turns over a pocket pair of 10's, and I rake in the pot. It wasn't an easy one, but I was glad that I had the stones to hang in there and make the calls.

Big hand #3.
Again, for some reason tonight I'm getting dealt big hands in early position. I'm first to act again, and I look down at AKs of spades. A very beautiful hand, but there's no money in the pot. So I just call the $5, hoping someone gets frisky and raises. Players 2, 3, and 4 all fold. Player 5 raises to $20. Yes! Just what I was waiting for. Player 6 folds, but player 7 re-raises to $60. &#@$*! I wasn't looking for that! Player 8 folds and the small and big blind fold. I'm sitting on freaking AKs in spades, one of the most beautiful hands to look at pre-flop, but after seeing a raise, and then a re-raise, I HAVE to muck it. Player 5 calls the reraise to $60 and know we're head's up. To make a long story short, player 5 had pocket rockets, and player 7 had pocket kings. Unfortunately for player 7, he lost the majority of his money on that hand. Fortunately for me, I only lost $5! It could've been much, much, worse as I would've been drawing dead only to spades!

Big hand #4.
By now, the action has slowed, and any raise of 3-4x's the big blind is going to win the pot, pre-flop. Again, I'm second to act, and I look down at J-10s of clubs. The player to my right, (not "Mr. Creative" anymore) raises to $20. I hadn't played a hand in what seemed like an eternity, so I decided to call the $20. Player 3 folds, player 4 calls. Players 5, 6, 7, and 8 fold. The small blind calls, and the big blind folds. The flop comes 3 of spades, and 7-8 of clubs. I'm on a flush draw now, but even bigger, is that I'm on a Straight Flush draw. I haven't hit a Straight Flush in about 2 years, but I figure I have outs. The player to my right makes it $20 to go, and I call. Player 4 calls, and so does the small blind. I'm realy not liking my chances, because with this many people calling, it's obvious that even if I make my Flush, it's not going to be good enough at J-high. The turn brings the miracle 9 of clubs, and I almost bust a nut in my pants! Why you ask? Because this is the best card for me. This gives everyone who was calling on their Flush draws, exactly what they wanted. They've hit their Flush, but I've got the Straight Flush. Almost certainly, someone has hit the Nut-Flush, and I know I'm gonna get paid on this hand. The player to my right checks it, so maybe HE has the Nut-Flush! I lead out with a bet of $75. Just a little something to tantilize my prey. Player 4 looks like he's about to move All-In, and I can't wait for him to do it. Instead he just calls. The small blind exits now, and the player to my right calls my $75 bet. I LOVE IT! The river brings a blank. The player to my right checks to me. What do I do? Hollywood time! I take off the ear buds, and I say, "Man! Who's got the bigger Flush here?" I sit for a minute, and then I bet $300. I was trying to make it look like a bluff. Something to the effect that I had a Q-high Flush, but that I was trying to bet everyone out of the pot. I probably should've kept my damn mouth shut, because player 4 folded, after looking like he was going to go all in on the turn. I probably cost myself some money there! It gets folded to the player to my right, and I just sit there looking away from him. I'm hoping that he'll come back over the top of me, as I was sitting on about $1600. I'm looking out of the corner of my right eye at him. He looks like he's gonna fold, but then he picks up a stack, and then he checks his hole cards again, and he's doing all this heming and hawing. I want him to come over the top of me SOOOOO BAD! Anyway, he finally calls my $300, and he reads em' and wheeps!

Needless to say, it was a good night! I've never sat at a table and played so well. Nor have I ever made that much money in one sitting at a cash game. I'm still an amateur with big dreams, and a lot to learn. Stay tooned for my next blog. Hopefully it'll have some good stuff in it again! Thanks for taking the time to read about my hands, and pass the word on to anyone that you know, who might like to read up on me. Peace!