Why you shouldn't call raises with KQ

Eddie's Wednesday night game, and I'm feeling confident with how I've been playing there the past few weeks. Lots of final tables, and I feel like I know everyones tendencies there, well, almost everyone. More on that later. *side note-I had a weird feeling going into the game that I didn't want to make an embarrassing play and lose on the first hand or something. I want to get into that freeroll at the end and ranked 7th out of 65 or so, I wanted to advance my spot*

We started with a whopping 33 players on 4 tables. I feel comfortable with the large fields at the game because I've won the previous biggest turnout, 32 players. One table that we usually use downstairs is having the floor redone, so that left with us 3 indoor tables, and yup, one table of people who played outside in the cold. There was only one person at my (inside) table who I had never met or played with before, and boy did we tangle from the get-go.

I'm high-carded the button, and find 9-9. At 25-50 UTG (new guy)limps, middle player limps, I raise to 200. Both blinds and UTG call. I verbally declare to the guy to the right of me that "I hope I hit my set." Wish granted! with a flop of K 9 2, but the thought of my "embarassing finish" loomed in my head. The action is checked to the UTG and he bets out 300. I know now he has top pair, but how much more will he call? Action folds to me, and I raise to 700. He just calls and now as long as a K doesn't come he's drawing dead. Turn comes a 4 with no draws. He checks and I go all in for my last 1400. Looking back, this was a huge bet, but the pot was huge too, around 2000. He asked me how much more it was, and I reminded him that this was the first hand, so our chips were equal. I was hoping he would think I was bluffing and would call. He did, and turned over AK. A J completed the board, and I doubled up and elimnated a player. Play is fairly loose in this game, as we regularly clear half the field out within the first hour. As long as you can survive that hump with some chips, I've found you can have great success.

A player was eliminated in the 2nd hand as well, and the chips went to a player who is looooose aggressive and will play any 2 cards if he has chips, and somehow hit 2 pair all the time. He was directly to my left, so I didn't like this too much. I was able to move my stack up to 6K without showing down a hand for the first 30 min or so. Blinds 50-100 I'm dealt 88 in the SB. Action goes around with 3 limpers and the button calls. I raise to 375 and just the button calls. I know he only called because of the position, I don't know, something about his reluctance and frustation to just see a flop. Flop came Q 9 6 with 2 clubs. I made about a half pot size bet and he calls. Turn comes another 9, and I check, and he fingers his chips, thinks about betting and checks. Now I'm feel like he has trip 9's, but wants to trap me. Thank god he checked, because the river came with the 8 of clubs. Ta DA! I think about it for a second then push all in, which is more than him. He calls with K 9 and no clubs! Mind boggling...but now I have a huge advantage on the table with about 9K.

A few hands later, I'm dealt 26H in the small blind. Action comes around and a fairly straightfoward player who likes to bluff in the button calls, blinds check and we see a cheap flop. Flop comes A 3 4 with 1heart. Checks around and the turn comes a 9 of hearts. I bet out 200 and the button calls, with what I feel is Ace rag. River is a 5, and I check it to him, and he bets out 600. I feel that maybe he'll call the rest of his chips, so I push it in with the 2nd nuts. He calls with what I think was A 4 for 2 pair. Another trap attempt gone wrong at my benefit.

I run well till we make a final table. I try to look at the other table next to us and see who's sitting well and who I'll need to look out for. When we get to the final table, I have about 20K for 1/3 of the chips in play. I start off in the cutoff, don't play the first 4 hands, and a player is eliminated in EVERY hand. First hand Anthony, who came to the final table with 2200 or so triples up when his KK meets AK and A9. I tell him that I folded 99 which is true, and now small stack is right in the middle of it. He then elimnated another player and get more chips. Pretty soon, without even playing a hand, we're 6 handed and I have lost the chip lead.

Blinds 300-600 with a 50 ante. Middle position I get KQ (see the title!!) of clubs and there is a raise from a tight normal player to my right. He only ever raises the minimum, one time he raised more, and had AA. So I hope I have 2 live cards, and call the 1200. Sof, who I've played with once, but didn't know his tendencies, bumps it to 2400, adn the action folds around to the raiser. We both call, even though I HATE my hand right now, but I figure, if I miss, I can get out, and if I hit, I'll have a monster. To tell you the truth, the flop of Q high with no clubs was not my first choice, but I'll take it. Raiser bets out 1K, I call, and Sof pushes all in for another 1700 more. Raiser quickly calls, and now I hate my hand even more. STUPIDLY, someone talk some sense into me, I call. Turn comes a blank and he bets again which I call. On the river the raiser goes all, so now I think he might have a worse Q to shut me off the hand. It races through my head also that we're tied and he wants the side pot. I decide that I'll call, and yup, we were tied. Then Sof flips over AQ and I know I made a 5000 chip mistake. Oh well, last time I'll make that mistake against Sof.

Few hands later I call Danny's all in with QQ from the BB. He says "you got me, I wanted the blinds" and flips over J7 of hearts. But the board read K 8 6....turn 9....river 10...Lost another 5K right there. I was able to get Randy out when I called his all in steal of K 3 with A Q. Flop came 6 3 9. And I asked him how much he had left, and the turn came an A to take the pot! My JJ got busted at the end by K rag and I ended up finishing in 4th place for $75. Just as important, everyone else left in the game was lower than me on the stat sheet.

The 2nd game I went card dead forever and I made it somehow to the final table with 775 and the blinds at 100-200. I ended up doubling through a few times and finished 4th again, but with a field of 19, only top 3 paid out.

Ditty's game last night was Pot Limit Omaha, admittedly NOT my best game. I was 2nd out of the tournament in an 11 person game, very disappointing, but I came in 2nd in a NL hold'em game to Ditty at the end of the night when my 44, got CRUSHED by Ditty's AQ when 4 clubs hit the board and his Q gave him the flush. I broke even last night, buy my spirit was broken. (Like that one?)

Wed-Thurs Poker Time 10 hours. +$35 Sleep: not enough