Proud of myself!

Ok, so this isn't a major post but... recently, I've started playing a lot more long ball poker... I don't know why. Maybe it's just the mood I'm in or maybe because I'm catching cards but I just know that before, I focused on trying to keep the pots small... now, it's like I tend to swing for the fences. Alas, there are more times that I strike out but also more times that I make a lot more than I used to. Tonight is another one of those nights... sort of. It started off bad. I was doing ok until this hand came along...

At a 1-2 NL table, I was dealt AdQc so I raised to $7. I get two callers and the flop comes 9d 6h Jd. So I check, villain bets $16, 3rd guy folds and it comes back to me. I figured he had the J but with two cards to come and also two diamonds on the board (and I have the A of diamonds), I thought this was a pot I could make a play at if the cards fell right. So, I called to see what the turn would bring. Well, the turn comes 3d, completing my fake flush draw. I check again, hoping he would slow down with the possible flush. Well, he bets out $35. Well, I guess I was feeling kinda frisky so I thought this is the right moment for the play. So I checkraised him. Except I checkraised the minimum, indicating that I wanted him to call (I was thinking this would add deception... like he would think I want the call so he would be more apt to fold). Villain calls and the river comes... a blank. 10h. I was really hoping for a Q or a diamond, obviously. Well, I can't let this pot go because it's too big so I bet $75. I still wanted to make the bet seem more callable. He thought about it, goes into the tank, types in stuff like "must be an overpair... maybe trips." I'm thinking to myself, what about flush? Didn't I sell you the flush? Well, he proceeded to call. Bam. Lost $148 (pot was like $300+).

Couple of donk plays later, I was down the whole buy-in ($200). Well, I bought in again and I had another table going where I was doing ok. Long story short, at the end of the night, I ended up being down only $35. Not a bad way to climb back out of a hole!

On a side note, a friend of mine signed up on Full Tilt as well and he seems to be playing a fair amount in the evenings. That's been kinda fun to have occasional chat at the same table. No, there's no cooperation or anything going on. Friends away from the table, enemy at the table. That's my motto, as should be every poker players'. I have no intention of cheating the game so hopefully, nobody would even question it. Doubt it but you never know with these conspiracy theorists. :)