Epic Fail With Pocket Kings

These days I play at Graton casino. I play the 1-3 game. It actually plays a lot bigger. People buy in for $300-$500. I bring about $200 or more depending on how I did in blackjack. Anyways, sometimes there are players who are pretty good. They will raise to isolate, they will c-bet 100% of the time, fire multiple barells and make good lay downs. They should play in the 3-5 game, but instead take advantage of the poor players in the smaller game.

I'll try to recall a session I played a couple weeks ago. In the future I'll take some notes. Overall the session wasn't good. I feel all right, if I made the right play but the other player just got lucky, but in this case, I feel I played one hand poorly and another terrible.

A few hands into the session I get AhKc in the button. I raise the standard (which is $15 or 5BB). I get called by 2 players. Both of them have me covered. One has a huge stack...probably about 3k and the other about $500. Flop comes Kd5s4s. Pretty good flop for me, but I always worry someone called with a low pair or maybe a straight draw and in this case a possible flush draw too. I know the player with the 3k stack called a previous raise with 36s a few hands ago, so I know he can have anything. The other player seems straightforward. Its checked to me and I bet $30. They both call. Turn comes a 7d. I don't think it makes anyone hand any better. Its checked to me. I got about $125 at this point. I check. I should have jammed. The pot is $135. River is a 9d. The first player bets about $100, the 2nd player (big stack) cold calls. I feel I'm beat. Against one player I'll call. I think checking the turn against one player would have been a good move so it could induce a bluff or a value bet with someone who had like JJ or TT on the river. First player turns over KQo and big stack hits a set on the river.

Later on I pick up KK in the button. Usually I like to see this hand anywhere in a cash game. UTG+1 raises to 15 (this was the same player in the hand before with KQ) and UTG+2 calls. At this point, I should put these players on some ranges. I don't think I did. Folded to me. I don't want to too much. I want at least one customer. I raise to $40. I'm in position. Both players call. I really should put these players on some ranges, but I still don't. I was hoping one caller. Hard to continue to KK if a A flops against 2 players. The flop doesn't look too good. Qd9hJd. Its kind of wet, but I have an over pair and a gutter. Its checked to me, but I really don't notice. People are looking at me, so I ask the dealer "Check?", but the dealer thinks I say "check" so he put out the turn. I should have paharsed the question better. Anyways, I protest ever so slightly, but the turn card is seen and I know I should have been a bit more assertive, because I wanted to put the rest of stack in...I have about $100 or so and the pot is bigger then that. Anyways, the turn card is 2h, so its pretty good. First player checks and second player bets $80. They both know I wanted to go all in on the flop and the turn card didn't help anyone and this guy still bets into me. I was planning on going all in with that turn card. I should have f***ing realized his donk bet meant he had it...at least 2 pair or better. Maybe even KTs would have called my raise. Or QQ or JJ or 99 or TT. Anyways, I stupidly put the rest of chips in. First player folds and 2nd players calls. The river is a diamond. He has JJ for a flopped set. I walk away. I sometimes rebuy, but my mind wasn't correct after that. I should slowed it down and realized what he was holding. Should have folded. I think I make too many hero calls. I did have 6 outs, but not enough to make that call profitable.

So I left. I had won $122 playing blackjack before poker, so I eventually head back to blackjack and lose $100 pretty good. I don't head back to the poker room.