Hello 2009

NYE was pretty fun and close to home so no long drive back.  Hope you all enjoyed your celebrations too.  Didn't really think the bowl games I watched were all that good, although to be fair I'm not watching nearly as much sports as I used to, so I didn't know too much about the teams beforehand.  Was glad to see that the Pac 10 kicked butt in their bowls, though :).

I'm poorer at the beginning of 2009 than I was at the beginning of 2008.  Outside of poker as well as in poker.  But this is about poker, and unfortunately, 2008 was a losing year, although in BB/100, it was positive.  In total $$ it was positive, too, thanks to bonii and rakeback. 

But as far as actual play goes, I followed the old do-well-at-lower-stakes-get-beat-at-higher-stakes game plan.  I think I'm a better player by quite a bit, though, and I know that should be more important in the bigger scheme.  I think I'm going to change my BR approach a little bit.  It will still be aggressive for someone playing full time, but since I'm not, I can afford to be a little more aggressive.  I'll wait a bit longer before playing higher, but when I do, it will be with more of a cushion.  My sense from playing is that with table selection, there is not a big difference in the quality of play between .5/1 and 1/2, so I think if I can continue winning decently at .5/1, I should be able to be at least marginal at 1/2.

Here's today's hand.  I think it's pretty basic, actually, but it was the biggest loser from the prior session with most of the money going in postflop, so that's how I'm randomizing my hands.

Over 600 hundred hands, villain 3-bet from the button pretty wide (I know it's a smallish sample, and don't think it matters a ton for the hand anyway).  He was about 30/15 as far as vpip/pfr goes, if that makes any difference.

Full Tilt Poker $0.50/$1 No Limit Hold'em - 6 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

SB: $141.70
BB: $160.45
Hero (UTG): $134.10
MP: $62.55
CO: $92.40
BTN: $105.05

Pre Flop: ($1.50) Hero is UTG with Ad Kd
Hero raises to $4, 2 folds, BTN raises to $14, 2 folds, Hero requests TIME, Hero raises to $31, BTN calls $17

Flop: ($63.50) 9c Jd 3d (2 players)
Hero bets $103.10 all in, BTN requests TIME, BTN calls $74.05 all in

Turn: ($211.60) 7h (2 players - 2 are all in)

River: ($211.60) 2s (2 players - 2 are all in)

Final Pot: $211.60
Hero shows Ad Kd (Ace King high)
BTN shows Qh Qc (a pair of Queens)
BTN wins $208.60
(Rake: $3.00)

Pretty sure this is neutral or a little +EV, given I don't plan to fold.  QQ is what I expect to get shown most often, but do you think that there are a significant number of other hands (compared to the number of QQ hands) he could have preflop?  Like 88-QQ, AQ+?  I thought if he could show up here with more PP's or AK sometimes and I can fold those on this board, it was a good play.  If he can only show up with JJ and QQ and he's going to play straightforward in reraised pot, then I suppose I could check, hope he checks, and see if I can hit on the turn (and fold if I miss).  But that doesn't seem right to me, because it does assume such a tight range for an unknown who has not proven anything, and that he would check behind the flop with that range anyway.