And now here are my two biggest winners from my last session (one was already posted in glory corner).

#1

Prima Poker skin
Limit Holdem Ring game
Limit: $0.50/$1
10 players
Converter

Pre-flop: (10 players) Gir is UTG+2 with
2 folds, Gir calls (1.5:1), MP1 folds, MP2 calls (2.5:1), MP3 (poster) checks, 3 folds, 3 folds, BB raises, Gir calls (4.5:1), MP2 calls (5.5:1), MP3 calls (6.5:2).

Flop: (7.5SB, 4 players)
BB bets, Gir raises, MP2 calls (10.5:2), MP3 folds, BB calls (12.5:1).

Turn: (6.75BB, 3 players)
BB checks, Gir bets, MP2 raises, BB folds, Gir 3-bets, MP2 caps, Gir calls (16.75:1).

River: (14.75BB, 2 players)
Gir bets, MP2 raises, Gir 3-bets, MP2 calls (20.75:1).

Results:
Final pot: 20.75BB
Gir shows 5h 5d


#2

Prima Poker skin
Limit Holdem Ring game
Limit: $0.50/$1
10 players
Converter

Pre-flop: (10 players) Gir is UTG+2 with
2 folds, Gir raises, MP1 folds, MP2 calls (3.5:2), 4 folds, BB calls (5.5:1).

Flop: (6.5SB, 3 players)
BB checks, Gir bets, MP2 calls (7.5:1), BB calls (8.5:1).

Turn: (4.75BB, 3 players)
BB checks, Gir bets, MP2 raises, BB folds, Gir 3-bets, MP2 calls (10.75:1).

River: (10.75BB, 2 players)
Gir bets, MP2 calls (11.75:1).

Results:
Final pot: 12.75BB
Gir shows Kc Ks

Of the two hands you posted .. the second plays itself, what else do you do with AA or KK but hit the pot hard every time. (This could have turned out to be one of your bad beat hands just through bad luck.)

Your first hand you were lucky. Playing 55 early position you are playing for the set but don't want to be calling a raise with it. You hit your 7.5 - 1 chance. Playing 55 early and calling a raise is asking to lose chips unless you hit your set. Again this shouldn't be one of your best hands.

Nope, I like the limp with 55... as long as you are a decent enough table... and you played it fine from there. Implied odds far make up for the lack of implicit odds. You aren't goign to carry small pairs beyond the flop if you miss.

Even if you get bet/call all the way to the river vs 1 player, with 4 people to an unraised flop (you, another limper and the blinds), you get paid 8 Sb's vs the 1 you paid to see the flop. Usually, it goes bet from somebody else, yor raise and a call.... so with averaging 4 to a flop, limping with <77 is fine from EP.

G, we're posting from his most recent session, so when I look at a session to session basis, sometimes my biggest hands are crud like J9o that I somehow saw a flop with and got lucky. This is just due to the small smaple size. Of course, when you look lifetime, if AA and KK are by far not your best hands, there is something wrong.

Sorry Marm gotta disagree with your 55 tactics from early position.

You are putting one bet into the pot but cannot be sure what the other players are going to do from there. From early position it may cost you many bets to see your 55 to the flop.

You have 7.5 - 1 chance on your one bet. If you have to put in 3 bets and you miss then you have to make up those lost bets on your next 7.5 -1 proposition. This means over the term you are increasing your requirement for implied odds to make it a profitable play.

I posted this in my "losing hands" thead since there was some comment on the hand, but I'll do it again here since this is where it probably belongs.

I limped with the 55 becasue I was basically playing for set value and wanted to keep people in rather than chase them out. I had come to the conclusion that by raising with those hands and thinning the field with a hand I'd very likely have to fold after the flop if I didnt hit that I was taking away my own odds for playing the hand.

And just to clarify, I'm not posting what I thought were my best or most poorly played hands. Antneye suggested I post my two biggest profit and two biggest loss hands from each session for a while just to get feedback on. By luck of the draw these were them.

Here's what Ed Miller says about 55 from EP in SSH.

Early Position (first 3 seat left of blinds)

Tight Table (3-5 players)
Play - AA-77 (55 doesn't qualify until MP)
Raise - AA-TT
Against a raise - Play AA-TT; Re-raise AA-TT

Loose Table (6-8 players)
Play - Any pocket pair - 55 qualifies
Raise - AA-99
Against a Raise - Play any pocket pair, Re-raise AA-99

With all due respect to Ed Miller, I play small pocket pairs as if the table is Tight no matter how loose it is!