Pete and I go-go bananas

Pete and I have played a lot of fun hands in the last two days. Here is a link to one in which I get a little over zealous and 3-bet him with pocket 2s from the small blind.

In that hand, I kind of thought 22 was good enough to raise, but I've realized that honestly it's not given how well Pete plays post flop.

This hand wasn't against Pete, but I thought it was kind of interesting. I used to just call down the turn bet, I think, and realize now that if I can't raise the river, that's exactly what I should be doing anyway.

Pete and I played two fun ones today that don't warrant posting on 2p2 :)

We sit down at a fresh 20/40 table and within the first 2 orbits I open raise Ace-Queen of clubs in early position. Pete 3-bets me next in and everyone else folds. I call.

Side note....Pete and I have been in email contact about him opening up his raising range a little. He knows I open raise lighter than he does in this spot. He also knows that I no longer cap (4-bet) out of position heads up with any hand (including pocket aces). So...he knows I'm raising light, and knows I know he knows. I know he should be 3-betting a tad light, and know he knows I know. And we both know I can have Aces. Got it?

The flop is:

Tc 9c 8s

Otherwise known as Gin for me. I check, because he will bet. He bets, because that's what he's supposed to do. I raise, because I suspect my equity against his range to be ginormous. I also plan to triple barrel and get him to fold AK, which is basically a coup equity wise. He calls only, and I start counting his chips. Turn is:

9s

I bet, still very confident. Pete calls. I am un-deterred. The river is:

Qs for a final board of T98-9-Qsss

Remember now I have AQ of clubs. I just made top-top. For a moment I look at the board and almost bet out of pure joy. Then I think for a second, and suddenly realize that I have lost. There is basically nothing I beat. Try to put together a hand that works for his action after the flop and see if I can beat it. Unless he has AK, which I trust he won't bet because he can't suspect I will ever fold, I have lost. I lose to the sets. I lose to KK and AA. I chop with AQ but that hand makes no sense. I lose to any hand that holds a Jack. Basically I lose to everything. So I check. Pete bets. And I fold, face up. Pete is astonished and shows me the KJ of clubs for a king high straight. I feel awesome.

5 hours later.

Pete and I are again at the same table, and I limp after 2 limpers with pocket 2s. Pete calls, and the small blind takes it upon herself to raise. Everyone calls back to Pete, and he 3-bets. This is called back-raising and a recent thread on 2p2 I think inspired Pete here. One of the blinds caps it (it's not clear which one, honestly) and we all call. 6 ways for 4 bets to a flop of:

Ts 6h 2h

Hayaii!!!!! I has set!!!! Somehow the four people in front of me check, and I decide to bet. I've put Pete firmly on some sort of equity hog suited hand (T9, JT, A7, etc, etc) but think he'll check behind a lot. I can't let it check through, so bombs away. Pete raises, and the small blind calls. The big blind 3-bets, the other two players fold, and I cap it right up. Pete calls, as do both blinds.

Tc

Hayaii!!!! I has full house!!!! Both blinds check and I bet. Pete calls, which is amazing, and both blinds call or something. The river is a blank and I bet and only Pete calls. He shows T9 of hearts, for, on the turn, trips with a flush draw. His non-raise is a fantastic piece of hand-reading that earns him mad props from me. I drag the monstrosity of a pot, unstucking myself for the day. Woo hoo.

About today....

I played for 8 hours and had $800 and $1700 downswings. I left the casino in a horrible state, mad at the world and practically ready to fight anyone that spoke to me. I was up around $900 at 5:30pm, but couldn't leave because of traffic and honestly didn't want to. By 7:30 I was stuck $800 and couldn't really believe what had happened. I was on tilt, made 2 bad payoffs, and honestly was in pretty rough shape. I ran bad, but that's not really an excuse. I could have saved 4 or 5 bets had I made good reads (in pure EV, probably only 2 or 3), and that really upset me more than anything else. Just a day after a new found confidence high, I'm again questioning everything.......