Loose and Fast

In the tri-cities for a few days and last night went to the Lucky Bridge Casino for the first time in over a year.  Very slow and quiet with no cash game going.  Signed up for the 6:00 deepstack $25 turbo tournament.  Despite the 10K starting chips, and 25/50 blinds, the ten minute blinds assure that the tournament will be over in a couple of hours.  I got wounded early when I raised in middle position with A/A.  Both blinds and the limper called.  The flop was K/Q/9, two hearts.  I did not have a heart.  One of the blinds led out for 1300 (pot size was 1600).  I re-raised to 3000 to isolate and test his strength.  The other players folded and he re-raised all-in.  I folded the aces face up, and said, "Nice Hand, I am trying not to stay married to my aces but divorce them when necessary".  The player later said that he had flopped a set of queens.  In any case, there was just too much possible to beat me either on the flop or later.  I thought it was good advertising value for me to show my big laydown as it could get respect later.  Boy, was I wrong on that one.  This table was way too loose and stupid to appreciate it.

A couple of hands I would like to describe, one I was not part of, the other my last one.  The first, a fairly tight player who had chipped up nicely and was table leader raised UTG about 4 big blinds (300/600) to 2400.  The next player flat called.  Everyone else folded to the big blind who shoved with about 12,000.  The initial raiser tanked for a moment, then folded.  The caller then called the shove for all but about 2,000 chips.  The all in turned over K/9 offsuit (really? Kevin?) while the caller showed A/J offsuit.  The ace paired and player down.  The original raiser made some comment about folding the winning hand, said he had A/Q, while the winner said, "you should have played it, then".  Uncomfortable moment.  We had a break shortly afterward and I was discussing the play with the winner.  I asked him if he played with the guy a lot and had a good read on him.  He basically said no.  I said it was a perfectly executed squeeze play, and I was surprised that he had called with AJ.  He said he would have folded if the guy had more chips.  Since he would have been totally crippled if he lost, with only a couple of blinds, I was confused at his thinking.  Such is the nature of a $25 game.

That brings me to my final hand.  With blinds at 500/1000, and only 6500 remaining, I am in the big blind with K/9.  There is one limper and everyone else folds.  The flop is 10/J/2 with 2 spades.  I have the king of spades.  I check, and the other player checks behind.  The turn is another 2, I check again and he bets 2,000.  I think for a moment and decide that there is no way he caught any of the flop, so it is a positional bet.  I have a draw for the straight and a king over card.  Plus, on a no pair showdown, the king has a lot of value.  So, I call.  The river bring another 2.  With trips on the board and my decision that he has none of it, I shove for 3500.  He calls with 6/6 and wins, eliminating me.  I was surprised by his holding (I would think he might shove/raise preflop) as he can only beat a bluff, and my call of his turn bet should have put his spidey senses on alert that I had caught part of that.  Oh well.  Like I said, a loose and stupid table.