Well, tonight was our next (live) home game and this time, I hosted it. The only downside of this were the missing poker tables (which are at my mate’s place who normally hosts our home games) and copaq cards (which are also at my mate’s place). Apart from that, it was the usual card flinging group of friends and we had a good old time.

In contrast to the last few home games, I decided to go with my “feel” this time and push hands more than I normally would. Why should I let the other guys put the decision on me all the time? Let’s turn the tables and let them make their decisions for all the marbles.

This “strategy” worked out nicely. We started of 10 handed and I look down at AJ early on. I raise preflop in LP and get one caller. Flop is A9x. I lead out again and he calls. Turn pairs nines. I’m pretty sure I’m good here, although he could have me outkicked – then again, why wouldn’t he reraise preflop or on the flop with AK/AQ?! So I put him all in and he calls…showing A7…my AJ stands up and I eliminate the first player. A few hands later I hit the jackpot. I got A5o in the BB and I call a small raise from one of our loose cannons. Flop comes down 234…yatzee! I bet small…he calls…turn 6…yatzee^2…I check, trying to induce a “bluff” here…he complies and fires a nice sized bet at it…now I’m pretty sure he started off with a big pair here…and I push…he calls pretty quickly with pocket kings, dead to three fives for a chop. The five doesn’t come and I take out the second player and a nice sized pot. I’m sitting pretty with 1/3 of the chips in play, nice. From there on, I’m chasing a few pots to many and bluff into the nuts once.

But with the monster stack, that’s no big deal. Until I go on a complete card dead bender for three to four orbits. I can’t catch anything and my stack is dwindeling. Once we’re down to four handed (three ITM) I catch a small good run and eliminate the bubble boy. Nice. Three handed I take down another nice pot to knock out the third guy…but I’m trailing roughly 1:3 in chips. I decided to not bother “playing tricky” here and I push two of the next three hands.

The second time I push with J10o I get called with an Ace high…the flop gives me a four-flush…turn…flush…yatzee! Boom we’re even in chips. After that hand I forgot to switch back to normal mode though and I make a bad call all-in with TP+flush draw, he slowplayed and overpair and got the flush draw as well, but higher…I don’t improve and I’m out in second. No W, but at least I got down to headsup again and made some money.

After that we played a SH sidegame…busted out in 4th when someone caught a boat on the turn to eliminate both me and a shortstack…so no money there (top two ITM), but hey…I had fun..made some money…what more can I ask for?