Running for the red line

Just  a quick note as I haven't posted much lately.
I slotted an hour in on Saturday morning and quit the session down 250bb.
It wasn't due to tilt or particularly a case of bad play, just the dynamics of the game. I had a loose aggressive player to my right who was 4 betting my 3 bets, and barrelling  post flop, so I moved tables to get away from him. Then I got a calling station on my left which isn't ideal.

The run of the game just didn't go my way. I picked up AA 3 times and only got the blinds, KK in the small blind went 3 way and an Ace flopped.


The only hand I really feel unhappy about was QJs in the big blind. I turned a flush and called a bet with a fishy player still to act. The other player called behind and the 4 flush comes on the river. I check called and he showed me the A for the nuts. I saved myself about 25bb but I should have raised the turn.

Another interesting hand was when I opened UTG with QQ and got a caller on the button. Flop came Txx two tone. I c-bet my standard amount for value and get re-raised from the 18/14 on the button. 
I think this is one of those situations where it's  important to recognise your relative hand strength against villains range. 
It's also important to not pay off - garner the full satisfaction of recognising that your opponent has outdrawn you, that he has telegraphed his hand to you and allowed you to make the correct decision. Also resolve not to make the same mistake yourself (In the first instance - by identifying players like me who are capable of folding over pairs)
 
Sunday night was a different game altogether. I was picking up some good hands and playing them fast, 
My image  must have looked a bit spewy when I flopped bottom set out of position 150bb deep. I c-bet a two tone and connected flop a bit larger than my standard cbet for value. I got raised by villain on the button, and decided that with deep stacks, and out of position I should 3 bet and try and take it now. 
I was a little wary of a shove, but villain tanked and hit the time bank. I assumed that this wasn't some sort of reverse timing tell and that he had top pair or maybe two pair plus draw, and resolved to get it in if he shoved. 
He did shove but I was rather surprised to see him show 66! So surprised in fact that I forgot to take a note - must do that later.

So I finished up the weekend pretty much break even. But I'm really pleased with the way I played it. 
Poker's an odd game in that we "keep score" primarily by how much money we win. But it strikes me as a developing player at the micro stakes, that using cash results as a measure is not very helpful. It's much more rewarding to gauge results based on how many hands you played better than the competition would have played it.

• Every time you correctly fold a hand where a fish would have called
  
• Every time you correctly bet a hand were a fish would have checked
  
• Every time you check a showdown hand where you would not get called, and then extract value on a later street
  
• Every time you stab at a pot a bad passive would have given up on
  
• Every time you make the correct read and pick off a river stab when a bad passive would have given up
  

There is no variance disguising whether a decision on each street is correct. Variance only dictates which way the pot goes. 

But be sure to get your decisions checked regularly by posting hands up on the Forums. But don't sweat marginal decisions, "It's close" is just fine for now, it's the big leaks you need to clear out.