003- poker notes: don't bluff too much!

So tonight, I left with a $300 dollar profit for about 6 hours of playing.

My first buy-in of $100, I had already bluff away in two hands about $70 dollars. I was so disappointed in myself at how I was playing, which was too crazy. (I only play stupid and crazy in home games. haha!). I didn't know why I was bluffing so much, but after re-buying I started to tighten up and relied on my reading ability of other players and waiting for them to make big mistakes that I could cash in on. Well, it worked! I kept my idea of playing small ball and not trying to get committed to a hand and waiting for the perfect time to trap opponents or out play them on the flop. I love it when I set them up to say "all-in" when I have the nuts. Its so beautiful.

There was one hand that really ticked me off, was when I had QJ on a board of K Q 5 8 6 and bet the whole way, trying to get weak hands out and knock out a King with a weak kicker. Instead, I was called by a K 4 from some guy across the table who reluctantly called the whole way and then said to me "what's your kicker" and well, he won. Inside, I was so mad, then I suddenly reliazed that I can trap him later on and get all of his money, because I forgot for a second that I was playing against gamblers, instead of skilled players.

Well, eventually I did get all of his money, when he went all in on the river. That was the hand I had to think over in my head for a minute and I put him on two pair, but that he likely had a flush. I just wasn't sure how high his flush was. Since the whole board had pretty low cards as I was trying to chase a straight and only assume he was chasing a straight too. I soon put him on a 2 3 heart flush and called him with my 5 9 heart flush. He showed me a 3 7 heart flush and I won. How sweet it is to bust a player who put me on tilt earlier. Haha!

I finally almost finished reading Doyle Brunson's Super Systems about concepts. Along with Dan Harrington's book on how to win in small stakes games. The have really improved my reads on people because most people try to play like the concepts in Super systems. It all makes sense now. :-p