Murderous thoughts

I've been pondering an angle for a recap of my 7 hour Cleveland Horseshoe session last night, but I couldn't come up with much new.

Another frustrating night of no cards! I must have seen nine-four offsuit 10 times. I did get queens once - the hand was a misdeal and I had to give them back. And my selective aggression blew up in my face over and over.

I cbet a board when I flopped a gutshot straight and was raised by a 65 year old nit. Auto-fold. Soon after I took a shot when the table was briefly 5-handed by raising a little seven-four suited and was immediately 3bet. He showed Kings.

The last one really got my blood boiling. I raised up a limper with an actual ace-queen, and a new player to my left 3bet immediately. I mean, I sit here and fold for hours at a time, more than anyone at the table, and then when I come out with a decent hand, someone has something better. I felt my brain go from 0-60 and the urge to shove all in started tempting me, but I took the safe route and folded yet again. My lovely villain then proudly exclaimed. "I haven't even looked at my cards yet", and revealed ace-nine once the chips were pushed his way. Greeeeeat.

This guy went on for the next two hours giving me all his lessons and theories on the game. He would rather play 8-5 offsuit, for example because ace-king ain't gonna win in a place like this. I had no idea of what this meant, but I smiled and nodded and pretended like I was taking it in.

He did have a reasonably effective LAG style, but he was also hopeless postflop - he would just barrel and barrel without much regard to number of players or board texture. I was forced to loosen up my game. I called a raise of his with ace-six suited after yet another one of his raises from the blind after some limpers. We were three handed. I flopped my ace and also two hearts for the nut flush draw. My check brought the $20 bet I knew was coming, and the third player called this bet as well. I blasted them all out of the pot with a committing check-raise. He moaned and flipped over pocket jacks - a real hand this time, but I had outflopped him.

This hand and one other (another checkraise with a flopped set of twos from the blinds) were the only decent pots I won - and were just enough to cover the blinds being eaten away as I server as a spectator only. I walked out of the Horseshoe with a 15 big blind profit. 7 hours of agony and headache, tilt-inducing folding.