We just finished level 4 after the dinner break. I started the level with 16,000, and then ran Tens into Aces on an 8-high flop. Lost the very minimum because he bet into me 2,000, a pot-sized bet on the flop. I min-raised to 4,000, knowing I was going to check behind if he called. I had a bad feeling that he had a big hand. A Queen came on the turn putting three diamonds on the board (I held the Ten of diamonds). He checked and I checked behind, to see if I could hit a diamond or a Ten. I missed the river, he checked, I checked, he showed Aces.

I was down to 10,000 after that hand, but waited patiently until I picked up two Kings on the button. There was a middle position raise to 800 (blinds were 100/200 with 25 ante) and one caller. I raised to 2,000. The original raiser called and the other guy folded. The flop came A A 4. Not my dream flop with two Kings! He actually led into me, which was very strange. I think he bet 2,600. I found it hard to believe that he would lead into me with trip Aces. I decided at this point that I was committing myself to the hand and called. The turn brought another 4, so if he had an Ace, he now had Aces-full. I felt strongly that he didn’t have an Ace and my read on the flop was that he just wouldn’t lead into me with trip Aces. He bet into me, 3,600 this time, and I call. I’ve got about 6,000 left behind. River was a 3. He bet another 3,600 and a call would leave me with only about 2,200 if I called and I was wrong. I think about it and it was a painful call, but I went with my read and I called. He had two eights and was bluffing. I sort of got lucky there but my read was right. Now I’m up to 26,000 after that hand and finally over the starting stack of 20,000!

More on the next break,

Vanessa