Got the Itch

It's been a long time since I've really had the itch, but for some reason I really wanted to play some cards this weekend. I flirted with driving to Foxwoods, but laziness prevailed and I decided to just deposit some money on Full Tilt instead. So far so good as I'm up about 5 buy-ins since I got going yesterday afternoon. I've been playing mostly 10/20 NL in the full ring and heads up games (it's been tough to get action at the 6-handed tables). I am loving heads up. I've heard many people argue that heads up is the purest form of poker, but I've never really bought in. Still not there yet, but I at least understand the argument. There is just so much more subtlety to the game. You literally have to be able to play any two cards in any situation, and pot control and contingency planning are critical on every street. I don't have a ton of experience, but I feel positive EV at 10/20 (tough to tell since volatility is so high - hopefully not just deluding myself).

My discipline regarding game selection has been fair at best. I've already jumped into juicy 25/50 NL games twice even though I told myself I wouldn't play higher than 10/20. I also put in a long session when I was losing and a short session to protect a win (the opposite of what I should be doing). Going to start playing 500-hand sessions, regardless of how I'm doing. This way I can just focus on playing every hand well, and not worry about playing long enough to get back to even.

A couple of hands from the session:

The Nuts: 3-bullet Value

Against good players, who are capable of snapping off big bluffs, playing big hands fast is the best way to go. Flopping the nuts obviously helps, but pot betting the turn and river makes it look like I'm on a move here as two overcards hit and I'm not value betting the turn and river if I back into top pair. Still, pretty aggressive call here on the river.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?4751745

POSITION!:

I think this hand is a great illustration of the power of position. I call a pf reraise light here with K10s, because my opponent was repopping a lot and we were both fairly deep (and I'm in position). With 4 diamonds on board, my opponent's $300 bet on the turn looks a lot like a defensive bet/bluff, but it could also be a value bet if he does have the diamond. The beauty of position is that I can smooth call the turn and my opponent will reveal his hand on the river. He can't lead out on the river without a big diamond, because he could be betting into the nuts. Thus, if he bets I know to fold, but if he checks, I know I can take the pot away from him.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?4751793

Should Have Folded:

These high stakes heads up matches are hyper aggressive, so my call here is not ridiculous. Still, with no flush draw on board, his all-in check raise is pretty strong - he could have had A8, 89, 910, or a big bluff with AK/AQ, but a big overpair is certainly more likely. It's painful, but sometimes you just gotta fold. Definitely still my biggest weakness.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?4751803