Luck Starting to Turn (Flop or River)?

I really shouldn't jinx myself, especially when technically I'm still playing. Hold up, let me leave the table so that this becomes official.

Wow, I just got felted...




Just kidding, but honestly with the kind of year I'm having, would you have questioned it?

Weird session tonight. I thought I played real solid, probably one of my better overall showings of the year in terms of how I played. And yet, I should have been felted. Twice.

PokerStars Game #14195964704: Hold'em No Limit ($0.25/$0.50) - 2007/12/30 - 04:30:42 (ET)Table 'Ilioneus III' 9-max Seat #8 is the buttonSeat 1: viva el rio ($8.50 in chips) Seat 3: n2itiv4real ($19.15 in chips) Seat 4: Claedeus ($11 in chips) Seat 5: rain6804 ($52.50 in chips) Seat 6: HelenofPoker ($56 in chips) Seat 7: Tripset30 ($56.50 in chips) Seat 8: mayhem29 ($90.45 in chips) Seat 9: lordvolk ($50.25 in chips) lordvolk: posts small blind $0.25viva el rio: posts big blind $0.50rieke07: sits out
*** HOLE CARDS ***Dealt to Tripset30 [Kh Kc]n2itiv4real: folds Claedeus: folds rain6804: folds HelenofPoker: raises $1.50 to $2Tripset30: raises $4 to $6mayhem29: folds lordvolk: folds viva el rio: folds HelenofPoker: raises $14.50 to $20.50Tripset30: raises $36 to $56.50 and is all-inHelenofPoker: calls $35.50 and is all-in
*** FLOP *** [8s Ks 6s]
*** TURN *** [8s Ks 6s] [4h]
*** RIVER *** [8s Ks 6s 4h] [7h]
*** SHOW DOWN ***HelenofPoker: shows [Ad As] (a pair of Aces)Tripset30: shows [Kh Kc] (three of a kind, Kings)Tripset30 collected $109.75 from pot*** SUMMARY ***Total pot $112.75 Rake $3 Board [8s Ks 6s 4h 7h]Seat 1: viva el rio (big blind) folded before FlopSeat 3: n2itiv4real folded before Flop (didn't bet)Seat 4: Claedeus folded before Flop (didn't bet)Seat 5: rain6804 folded before Flop (didn't bet)Seat 6: HelenofPoker showed [Ad As] and lost with a pair of AcesSeat 7: Tripset30 showed [Kh Kc] and won ($109.75) with three of a kind, KingsSeat 8: mayhem29 (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)Seat 9: lordvolk (small blind) folded before Flop

Pretty lucky. HelenofPoker criticized me for re-raising all-in pre-flop, but honestly I put him/her on queens through tens not because I'm an optimist, but because he/she had been playing erratically and I had re-popped him/her pre-flop before and I thought he/she was trying to send a message. Of course, the whole third raise thing should have let me know what was up, but whatever... won't be the last time I suck out, I thought.

Then...

PokerStars Game #14196140302: Hold'em No Limit ($0.25/$0.50) - 2007/12/30 - 04:50:23 (ET)Table 'Ilioneus III' 9-max Seat #1 is the buttonSeat 1: KMERCURIO ($46.45 in chips) Seat 2: rieke07 ($10.95 in chips) Seat 3: n2itiv4real ($46.35 in chips) Seat 4: Claedeus ($12.55 in chips) Seat 5: rain6804 ($59.95 in chips) Seat 6: HelenofPoker ($20.85 in chips) Seat 7: Tripset30 ($105.40 in chips) Seat 8: neveragain18 ($49.25 in chips) Seat 9: lordvolk ($39.25 in chips) rieke07: posts small blind $0.25n2itiv4real: posts big blind $0.50*** HOLE CARDS ***Dealt to Tripset30 [Kh Kd]
Claedeus: folds rain6804: folds HelenofPoker: folds Tripset30: raises $1 to $1.50neveragain18: folds lordvolk: folds KMERCURIO: raises $3.50 to $5rieke07: folds n2itiv4real: folds Tripset30: calls $3.50
*** FLOP *** [9s Th 8d]Tripset30: checks KMERCURIO: bets $2.50Tripset30: raises $4.50 to $7KMERCURIO: raises $34.45 to $41.45 and is all-inTripset30: calls $34.45
*** TURN *** [9s Th 8d] [7c]
*** RIVER *** [9s Th 8d 7c] [Kc]
*** SHOW DOWN ***Tripset30: shows [Kh Kd] (three of a kind, Kings)KMERCURIO: mucks hand Tripset30 collected $90.65 from pot*** SUMMARY ***Total pot $93.65 Rake $3 Board [9s Th 8d 7c Kc]Seat 1: KMERCURIO (button) mucked [Ac As]Seat 2: rieke07 (small blind) folded before FlopSeat 3: n2itiv4real (big blind) folded before FlopSeat 4: Claedeus folded before Flop (didn't bet)Seat 5: rain6804 folded before Flop (didn't bet)Seat 6: HelenofPoker folded before Flop (didn't bet)Seat 7: Tripset30 showed [Kh Kd] and won ($90.65) with three of a kind, KingsSeat 8: neveragain18 folded before Flop (didn't bet)Seat 9: lordvolk folded before Flop (didn't bet)

This time I'm a little more careful with my kings pre-flop, only calling the re-pop, not wanting to balloon the pot too much before the flop. I check the 8-9-10 flop seeing if he showed any weakness, and in my opinion a bet of $2.50 after a re-pop to $3.50 was weak, totally post-oakish and that he had A-K. Of course, when he came back over top of me I saw that he read Super/System II, too. Why I called, I have no idea. I forget completely what I was thinking at the time, if anything. Actually my "guess" at the time was that he had either jacks or a set from the board, and I went with jacks, praying that a 7 or Q didn't fall. I didn't think I'd need the king on the river to win.

Goddamn, I got so lucky. Twice.

But, the way this year has been, maybe I was due for a miracle suck-out. Maybe this is the kind of thing that can jumpstart my 2008, for it has been a porous 2007 poker-wise and legally.

Anywho, some poker resolutions for the year 2008.

• Limit my play of marginal hands: I'm trying more or less to get back to a tight-aggressive style in an effort to limit the constant teeter-totter nature of my results. I know every now and then I need to mix it up, but playing 8-5 suited everytime? Nopes.
• Shore up my play on the turn and river: I can really change that to all facets of hold 'em, but I need the most work on the turn and river, because that's where I'm losing most of my money. I get way too involved with just medium strong holdings at those points.
• Pay more attention: A big reason for my poor 2007 was my inability to read opponents or capitalize on tendencies, which used to be a pretty decent facet of my game. For one reason or another I've had trouble focusing at the poker table. I've become too tunnel-visioned in my own holdings.
• Stay positive: I mean both in net and in attitude. I've been so down on my play that I'm almost shell-shocked every time I sit down. I need to start trusting my instincts and just make the right play for the given situation.

Yeah, team Tripset had a down year, but then again so did 50 Cent. While I don't have near his bankroll, I can take a lesson from him in maintaining swagger.

2008: Get Rich or Stop Playing