My First No Limit Ring Game

So, I tried no limit ring games for the first time. My very fist hand, I get dealt pocket kings, and raise the .25 blinds to $1. I get a bunch of callers. Flop is AJT. Bad news for me. I bet a dollar to feel out the rest of the table, and get one caller. Turn is another A. He makes a large bet, and I'm forced to fold. Maybe he was bluffing at the Aces or the straight, but I'm not going to lose my whole stack in the first hand, wired kings or not.

Shortly after that, I get big slick in the BB. There were a bunch of limpers, so I just checked. That's probably a weak move, but I usually prefer to do that because it makes it tough for anyone to guess at my hand. The flop is Kxx, two hearts. I bet a dollar and get two callers. Turn is another heart. I bet another dollar, and get raised to $2. I don't know why but I call. I check on the river, and the guy behind me bets $8. He gets one caller, and I fold. He had a King high flush.

Next time I'm in the big blind, I get pocket 7's and a bunch of limpers. Flop is 345. I now have an overpair, and a gutshot straight draw. Small blind checks and I bet a dollar. Guy behind me raises to two, and small blind calls. Confused, I call. I don't put him on high pair, and I don't think he would have stayed with a 67. Turn card was nothing exciting but I check and the guy behind me goes all in for about $8. Small blind calls, and I get out. Guy behind me had a KQs and was on a complete bluff. Small blind had A2s and flopped a straight. Oh well.

So now I'm down to $10 and worried that the only difference between my no limit games and the limit games is that I lose money faster. But I tighten up and win a few small uneventful hands, and start making my comeback. My big break comes when my pocket 5's turn into a set on a 45A flop. I bet $1 and get a caller. Turn is another A, giving me a full house, but making me fear that someone else has aces full. I bet $2 and get a caller. River is a 3, and I bet $5, and get called. He had made trip Aces on the turn, and lucky for him didn't push too hard.

So, my first NL ring game looks like a success as I finished up for the session. Doing some post-play stat analysis, I only saw 25% of the flops, which is way better than the 35%+ that I had been seeing in the limit games. I also only saw four show downs, but won them all. I probably got bluffed out of some pots that I could have won, but that's ok. I finished up, and didn't make any plays that I really regretted afterwards, so I'll take it.