Turned Out Nice Again

Well my new attitude to 'Live games' seemed to work Ok at my first visit to the Ace of Clubs for around 5 weeks, when I played an almost faultless game and finished in first place from (an albeit smaller than normal) field of 14 runners - for a £64 return.

Two hands that I was really pleased with where picking of a Pot Sized river bluff whilst holding 2 4 and just having a paired 4 from the initial flop. I was in the BB and we had checked all the way. There were all mediocre cards on the flop, turn and the river brought a possible flush. I checked first in the BB, and I just knew my opponent was going to bet into the river, and I also knew (felt) he had absolutely nothing - which turned out to be the case.

The next hand that really pleased was 4 handed just into the first money position and the hand that eventually turned the game in my favour.
I was slight Chip Leader in the SB, and the second highest stack was in the BB. The shortstack was on the Button and pushed his stack in, of around double the size of the Blinds. I looked down at QQ, and decided to flat call, the BB also flat called and the flop came a raggedy Jack High, I resist the bet with the overpair and check as does the BB. The turn is another Q (Gin !!) giving me the set - I again check, as does the BB. The river brings another rag and I have the nuts with Set of Queens, but I can't just let it go without getting something more out of it, so even though its a dry pot I put in a 1/3 pot bet - saying Ok I've hit a little bit of this, and I think I'm ahead of the Shortstack, basically representing a pair of Queens/Jacks.

At which point the Big Blind instantly declares 'I'm all in' ..... !!

These kind of situations never happen to me normally - so I obviously insta-call, and he turns a flopped 2 pair that he'd attempted to slow play ..... So after a year under a cloud my live game has "Turned out Nice Again !!!"