2 HU $2 + .15 End 1st 46 Hands

It was a bit of a struggle but I came out on top in the end. Early on I found out the hard way that when he bet on the River he usually had a winning type hand so I had to be careful how I played at those times if I didn't want all my chips over on his side. Where I did have success was when he and I both hit the flop, turn, or river and I had a better kicker than his. That oddly turned up in the hand where I turn things around and took a big lead on him. I'd thought I was all alone there with the good card. He also managed to fold, rather than open bet, when I had my two best starting hands, pocket A's and pocket Q's.

Hand 20. I'm BB w/As Jc and 905 chips. SB open bets 2 BB (60) which was unusual for him as he would limp in most times. I called. Flop 3h 10c Qc. I have a gutshot straight draw. I check and so does he. Turn 7c. Again I check & he bets 60 into the 120 pot, I call. Two possible flush draws showing out there. River 10h. No real help to me and there could be a heart flush. I check again and SB bets 90 into the 240 pot. Since it's such a small bet, even though it hurts my smaller chip stack if I lose, I decide to check him out and call. He shows Kh Js. I have the better kicker and win. Phew! I have 1145 chips.

Hand 33. I'm BB w/Kc 4d and 1070 chips. SB makes his usual limp in w/30 and I call. Flop Qc 8c 4h. I have bottom pair. I make a min bet of 30 into the 60 pot and SB calls. Turn 9c. I have a 2nd nut high flush draw to go along with my bottom pair. I decide to check this time and SB min bets 30 into the 120 pot, and with that small of a bet I call. River Ks. I have top two pair, but I do have to worry about SB having a club flush, though the way he bet the turn I feel that's unlikely. I bet 90 into the 180 pot and SB raises me to 180. Again it's a small enough raise, and I do have two pair, I call to check him out. He shows As 8s, black but wrong suit for a flush. He did pair his 8 on the flop but that is it and I win. I have 1370 chips.

Hand 42. The hand I mentioned at the start of this post. I have 1180 chips to his 1820. I'm SB w/Qd Jc. I limp in w/40 & BB calls. Flop Jd Jh 3h. Interesting. I have trip J's and a decent kicker! BB checks and I bet 40 into the 80 pot and BB calls. Turn 8s. Nothing changes. BB checks and I make a min bet of 40 into the 160 pot. BB calls. River 9c. That card I don't like as well, as he may have made a straight with it.  BB checks and I decide to bet 1/2 the pot of 240 and BB raises me to 240. I think about it and decide if he has the winner he'll have to put most of his chips in and I re-raise all-in with my last 940 chips. I like my trip J's but they can be beat. BB calls and shows Js 5d. He had trip J's too, but a weak kicker and I win!!! I now have a nice chip lead of 2360 to 640. I want to play carefully and make no mistakes now.

Hand 43. I liked this hand but wasn't able to get any traction with it. I'm BB w/5h 2c. SB limps in w/40 and I call. Flop 5d 2h 2s. Very nice flop for me and likely a scary one for SB, so I decide to check and maybe he'll take a stab at it with a min bet. He doesn't and just checks. Turn Qs. Darn, I did not want to see a big card here. I make a min bet of 40 into the 80 pot praying the SB will call, but they just fold. I probably should have min bet on the flop. If he had one or two big cards he might have called hoping to hit a better pair on the Turn or River and I might have picked a few chips.

Hand 46 certainly didn't look like one I would win. I'm SB w/2s 6s and open raise 2 BB (80); BB calls. Flop 5c 9s 8s. I have a flush draw, but I have very weak spade cards. BB checks and I bet 80 into the 160 pot and BB calls. Turn 7d. I have a straight!! Not a possibility I'd noticed at the flop. My hand is looking a lot better!! BB bets 40 into the 320 pot and I raise to 140. BB calls. River Js. Although that card gives me the flush it could also give a flush to the BB and likely he'd have a spade bigger than a 6. BB checks. Why? I'm not sure, but it could mean they don't have much. I bet 200 into 600 pot and if they call and lose they'd still have 160 chips left. If they win I'd still have the lead w/1840. As I thought they might do, if they played back, they went all-in and I called. Now comes the moment of truth. They show 6c Qs. With the 7 on the turn we both hit the straight and if I didn't hit the flush on the river we'd have chopped the pot. Instead I win. Game over!