Session 1 - Diving in

I had been lurking around the tables for a number of days, sitting down then immediately standing up, watching play, checking out notes. I finally decided that not playing is just a bit TOO tight so today I took the plunge.

First hand EVER
I sit down in the empty seat with $2.50 or exactly 5% of my roll and let the blinds pass me. I auto-post and put in my four cents in the cutoff seat and what do I get dealt? The mother of all hands...an awesome Qd5d. I'm ready to take this to the mat but then some idiot pops it to .38 and I feel like I'm behind. As tempting as it was I fold that little gem. Would have rivered a full house but that's being a little ROTty. Actually the guy that raised would have made a better full house with his AA. Good fold.

I remind myself that it is decisions that matter, not results. I had position and I was suited for that elusive extra 3% but every bet that I save counts as much as a bet that I win. I am being very conscious of this while safeguarding my bankroll.

I would say that I'm batting 1.000 on decisions and my Cake career is off to a roaring start.

AQos
My second hand I get 2h5d which I fold (sorry Marsh). Third hand is 4hJc. Fold that one too. I'm getting a little impatient and wonder if I should open up my range of hands that I'll play. Then FINALLY on my fourth hand I get something I can see a flop with. Two limpers ahead of me but I am was so busy grabbing the hand history from my first big hand that I am rushed and confused. All I recall seeing was what seemed like half the table in the hand (actually only four at that point including SB and BB) and without a clear plan of action I decide to just limp. Based on the average pot size and the action I observed while watching the table I feel that it is a "friendly" table and if I hit the flop that I can take it down. Flop comes 6hJc6s and I check/fold. If I had my wits about me I would have raised/check/folded. ROTty to say that I was right to have just limped and saved money. Bad decision but I'll write this one off to the panic of the situation and being in unfamiliar territory.

That hand takes my bankroll down to $49.92 and I am feeling a little uneasy but I'm ready to buckle in for the long haul and the eight cents that I'm down is not going to be significant in the grand scheme of things. Onward!

Card dead
I diligently fold crap hands. Blinds pass me and takes my stack down to $2.36. I feel like I'm going to get blinded into oblivion playing this tight but I know the cards will even out in the end.

Sugar!
Finally, an entire orbit later, I pick up AsKc. From my observations of the table I find that .18 is the going rate for a raise at this table and I open for that amount. Folds around to the BB who calls the extra .14. Flop comes Ah8d4h and it's checked to me. There is .38 in the pot and the BB only has .73 left. If I bet the pot, we are both committed at that point and I'm not going to give a free card so I go ahead and push. He folds and my stack is $2.56 and my overall bankroll is $50.06! That's over 1/10th of a percent increase!

AcJh
Not sure about this one. I'm SB for .02 and there's a min-raise from the button. AJos is a decent hand but I don't want to raise with it in that situation so I flat call and see a flop. Flop comes T high and I check/fold to what turns out to be top set.

The big hand of the session
Very next hand I get dealt two black aces on the button. Does it get much better than that? Two limpers ahead of me so I pop it to .22 this time to try to deny "me too" callers coming in for pot odds. Two callers. Flop is 4d5cTd, the SB bets pot, fold from the third player. I'm hoping the bet is coming from AT or JJ maybe but honestly I have no idea what he has but I know that I'm beating just about all hands so I raise to $2.00. He shoves for .06 more and I'm priced in. He shows AdKd for the nut flush and a whole lot fewer outs than he thought he had I'm sure. Turn pairs the T which gives him one less out but the river is a 6d and my stack is taken down to 16 cents.

I lick my wounds and step away from the table knowing that I was 62% on that flop. I have no temptation to flush away my last pocket change. That's almost three orbits of blinds and is the same as winning a small pot so back into the bankroll that goes.

Final damage: down to $47.66 or off almost 5% of my bankroll. Not the way I wanted the first session to go but I got the money in good. Going to take a break and come back ready for next time.