APT Manila Cash Games Report

Ah well, I guess I am a cash game player after all. I have a love-hate relationship with tournament poker but cash game is like my best friend telling me to break up with tournaments 🤣 get out of an abusive relationship. But when tournaments are good, they are so so so good. But when they hurt, they hurt bad too. 

First session after just landing in hectic Manila I was off to a good start. Won enough to freeroll my first main event bullet. Was pretty happy about it but after firing three bullets in the main I was back in the red. So this time I was looking for bigger pots, bigger payouts. Playing 100/200 mp opens to 700, CO calls, I am on the button with 87hh I call. Local uncle in sb 3b to 2500, bb, mp, co calls so I called as well. Pot is now 12500. Flop comes K62hhx, uncle cbets 5000, mp folds, co calls, I call. Turn 9x. I got my open ended straight and flush draw. Uncle bets 10000 with about 40000 behind, CO now jams for 46000 total. The pot is now 83500 and now me with a decision. I don't think CO has a flush draw cause uncle's range is capped with not much fold equity, what kind of flush draws would CO jam with now? A9hh? 29hh? So my heart and straight outs are live. And I am getting greedy here. If I win this hand I am back in the black for the trip. I call hoping uncle calls behind giving me the best price for my draw, or if he folds, CO will run it twice with me. The latter happens but both rivers bricked out.

My stack before the hand

Couple of days later I visited a private game in town. When I got there the game switched to 100/200/500. I obliged wanting to have a big night if possible. The lineup was decent but the whales were all on my left and the grinders on my right. It didn't matter because I ran quite well. Hand of the night I had 55 and called the aggressor's open. Flop was AA5 I check raised the flop. Villain and the boss called. Turn blank I lead for a much bigger size to play for stacks boss folds villain calls. River another blank I jammed for his last 31k and he calls. Ended the session getting a freeroll for my championships event. 

Starting stack

Ending stack

We all know how that event went from my last post so now I am back to the grind. This time it was the best table I've seen on the casino 100/200 game. There were 4 Chinese guys on the table speaking Chinese but funny thing was they assumed I couldn't understand them! They were making comments about their hands (after the hands of course) but I just soaked in all the info and used it against them to outplay them. One hand I called a river bluff with 3rd pair and it was good. The guy complained to his friend and I tried my best to hold my poker face and not laugh. Lesson to all, never assume the players do not understand your language. I caught some hands pre so I played super aggressively and I guess they assumed I was a maniac fish. Best hand of the game came vs a solid reg though. Preflop utg1 limp HJ opens to 700, I am on the sb with 67o I called, bb and utg1 completes. Flop is 985ddx. HJ cbets 1000, I check raised to 2800, utg1 cold calls, HJ folds. My read on him is he has a good 9. Turn is a blank I bet 4000 he calls. River is another 9 but flush misses. I bet 14000 and he snap calls. My straight was good. 

Overall I won from cash games but not enough to cover my tournament losses. The last game of the trip was the most fun I had this visit. Unfortunately I don't know when my next cash game session will be nor where my next income stream will come from. Hope that you guys will also survive this recession that we are faced with and see you all again next time.