every game is a new challenge

The table configuration can change your strategy so much. Tonight, I had a 66/17 and a 45/12 to my right. Yup, one player was in 2/3 of the played hands, and the other just under half.

This meant very little blind stealing. I almost always had one limper in front of me, and many times I had two. Also, both players were aggressive postflop. On their action, they would bet the pot nearly every time. This kept them afloat for the most part - winning lots of little pots, until they would make a mistake.

Like this one - limpy limps to my pocket kings. I raise to 4x, he calls, out of position. The board comes 256 rainbow, and he shoves into me (for the 30 BB cap). Uh, ok, I call.

He has 67o. "Top pair", as it were.

A bit later, one of the limpys minraises, and the other calls. I have QQ in the big blind, and shove my 30 BB in. They both call. The initial raiser has Ad6d, the cold caller has Kc5c. Ooof. I am basically racing as if someone had AK. I beat the ace but a king comes and he takes down the main pot.

I play for 200 hands or so, but it's tough sledding this night. My cards aren't good enough to get ahead of these limpers' ranges and have them pay me off. (and they will pay me off). I do win some late pots to go up $15 and get ready to call it a night.

Then I watch one of the limpers (there's only one left by this time) take the worst of it by getting 99 in against QQ. He's got only $1.80 left, and I'm pretty sure he's steaming and will dump it all in on the next hand.

Nice time for me to wake up with the bullets. I finally knock him and his JT off the rail.

Programming note: no posts for a few days - we're going on a road trip to play poker in Wheeling, WV. Will post Saturday night, hopefully part 1 of a successful trip report.