Starting off in a hole

I have a leak in my game where I like to start off well into the negative so I can spend the rest of my session trying to get back to even.

Sometimes these starts are because I have poor luck and some of these are because I play too loose and don't have the skills to cover my ideal play style (I'm not oblivious, good thing I play for fun).


The last time I went out to play I ended up at the Mirage.  Lately I've just kind of been driving around and when a casino happens to strike my fancy that is where I end up playing.  I almost parked at Treasure Island because I noticed a sign at the entrance to their parking garage making a dig towards MGM Properties and advertising FREE PARKING.
On this occasion, less than an hour into my session I was wishing that I would have ended up somewhere else.

I started my session at 7:50 pm and I had the dealer deal me in right away because people who wait for the blinds to pass are fish and practically draw attention to themselves "Hey look at me, I probably read this in a book somewhere that it's negative variance to play right away."  Screw those guys.

My first hand, as a reward, is Ace Queen.  I raise and make cautious bets to the river and win a pot when my pair of queens with top kicker was good.

When the second dealer sits (about 15 minutes after I did) I was up $47 and it was all thanks to the AQ hand.  This is when things go south for me.

Dealer number two must have been contacted by the Poker Godz upon seeing me play before waiting for the blinds as he immediately deals me AA which I raise and win about $7 with and then he deals me aces again (back to back hands).

The 2nd pair of Aces, by the time the action got to me there was already a raise to $11 and I made it $31.  The only person to call is the original guy who raised and we see a flop Queen high.  By the time the hand is over I have put about $150 into the pot and I watch all my chips slide over to him because he flopped a set of 8's against me.

Somewhere around 6 hands later I give him, that same bastard, the last hundred or so that I had let in my sack as we turn a Flush over Flush situation where his cards hold substantially more value than mine do.

I always love re-buying before I even play 30 minutes.

By the time the 3rd dealer sits I am down $272 and it hasn't even been 45 minutes.  I'm pretty pissed at my plan to go to the Mirage and wish I would have done my original intentions which was to park at Bally's and walk over to Planet Hollywood.

Over the course of this Dealers down I slowly gain about 120 of my money back and on his last hand I piss $40 of it away as I turn 2 pair against a guy who flopped top two.  It wasn't a substantial loss because the board was pretty creepy and nobody wanted to invest a lot.

From 9 until about 10:30 I hovered at about negative $200 until I started to hit a few hands.
At this time I am sitting in the 1 seat and there is a guy in the 6 or 7 seat who has been playing fairly aggressively.  If he is in a pot he raises it up, usually a small raise to 7 or 8 and if his hand has more power a larger raise (I didn't discover this until later, but I had a hunch).

I had watched him play post flop and his betting patterns were very consistent.   One hand that I played was a limped pot (rare).  I bet the flop and he called.  On the turn I checked because neither of my draws got stronger and I was still pairless.  He bet $15 and I called.   On the river I checked and he bet $30 - and he did it using a Green chip and a Red chip.   I went away not willing to commit more money to a hand where I wasn't even playing high card.

A few hands later I am in a blind and he raises to $7 and gets two callers back to me so I come along with 63s.   I flop a pair of 6s on a Jack high board and I have back door flush and straight draws.  He bets $10 and I come along.
The turn gives me a chance at a flush to go with my pair, I check and he bets $15 which I call without thinking.
The River doesn't do anything.  I check and he bets $30.   This is the 3rd time I have seen him do $15/30 on the Turn/River and I think about it for a few and mostly am just curious what range of hands he is raising with and then making these bets so I end up calling.
He flips over something like 57 diamonds and I can't see where he connected with the board at all so I flip my hand over calling a pair of 6s and the pot is pushed to me.
Guy gets pissed that I just callecd him down that light and the guy to my left comments that "I guess sometimes you just feel it and go for it huh?"

Two hands later the guy who I just pissed off gets stacked and rebuys for $300.

The next hand I play against him I have 24s and call another $7 pre-flop and hit a pair of 4s.  I bet the flop and he calls.  I turn a 2nd pair and check to him, he bets $15 and I call.  On the River he best $30 and I raise, he calls.   His irritation with me grows.

The next hand I play against him I flop a pair but no one bets the flop.  I turn 2 pair and lead out $15 into him, he calls.  A blank river and I throw out $30 just imitating his bets and he calls.  I can tell he is really getting tired of me.

A few hands later He and I are heads up and I lead out $15 and he just auto mucks his cards sending them across the table.

Slowly but surely climbing my way out of the hole and mostly thanks to one guy who probably thinks I have a horseshoe up my ass.

At 11:30 I've been here longer than I had wanted to but I'm still down $76 at this point and really wanting to get even so that I can book my 3rd winning session in a row.

Half way through the down I look down and see Pocket Kings.  The table has been pretty tight at his point and the guy before me raises to $10.  We are early/mid position and I know if I re-raise it will probably just fold around so I decide to just call.  One other guy in late position comes long.

The flop is Jack high and he leads out $25 into me, I raise it to $70 or so.   Late position folds and the other guy auto calls.
Turn is a blank and he checks it to me so I just slide the rest of my chips out (I have him covered).   He thinks about it a big and calls.
The river is a Queen, I flip my Kings and I never get to see what he had because it was a quick muck after looking at my cards.   My guess is AJ.

At this point I look at my chips and I am up $33 on the evening.  I fold 2 more hands and leave when the blinds hit.

My new Bankroll after this marvelous session is $435.