Stepping Up for all the wrong reasons

Aiyaah! After a month of grinding and notching up solid if unspectacular wins I hit a rough spot once again. AA met KK, allin preflop. No big deal. I flop top two with AQ in a reraised pot and lose to a set. Another reraised pot where my flopped trips loses to a set and down goes another buy-in. Another set meets a flopped flush and I fail to improve.

With a downturn like that eroding weeks of solid play it is hard not to tilt. Tilt itself is strange beast and its sometimes pretty hard to recognise. Calling a turn bet with KK on Axx flop. Not that you don't believe they do have an Ace just that you believe they really don't deserve to have outflopped you.

I had should have done is taken a break, even for a couple of days and get back to steady winning. What I shouldn't have done is step up to 50NL. Not so much that I shouldn't play 50NL. I probably should be. But not with the attitude of wanting to win money back. Trying to win money back is a recipe for disaster. Play is more aggressive and I stumbled into some pretty aggro tables. Clearly moves were being made often. I called an 8.50 pot sized bet with one opponent with AQ and caught him on a bluff but also got allin preflop with TT against AA. I was bleeding money. A mixture of good play and awful play but my bad play seemed to be more expensive.

My losses were starting to mount and I was just on my last orbit when up popped my biggest online hand to date..and who should happen to be at the table but Lamma's very own Moocher.

Fresh from a tournament with Joe Hachem. He had position on Joe and had him outchipped. Down to the last 6 with prize money for 5th $200 and increasing thereafter. Top pair weak kicker lost to a straight and bubble boy decided to join me at the 50NL cash games.

Seat 1: Phillberto01 ($63.65 in chips)
Seat 2: LorenFGV ($121.65 in chips)
Seat 3: Ks4ndr ($52.30 in chips)
Seat 4: Moocher666 ($62.70 in chips)
Seat 5: Ensyfer ($75.25 in chips)
Seat 6: SwissCantMis ($50 in chips)
Ensyfer: posts small blind $0.25
SwissCantMis: posts big blind $0.50
*** HOLE CARDS ***Dealt to Phillberto01 [Ks Kh]
Phillberto01: raises $1 to $1.50
LorenFGV: calls $1.50
Ks4ndr: folds
Moocher666: calls $1.50
Ensyfer: folds
SwissCantMis: folds
*** FLOP *** [Kd 3c Ah]
Phillberto01: bets $3.50
LorenFGV: calls $3.50
Moocher666: calls $3.50
*** TURN *** [Kd 3c Ah] [2c]
Phillberto01: bets $11.50
LorenFGV: calls $11.50
Moocher666: calls $11.50
*** RIVER *** [Kd 3c Ah 2c] [Th]
Phillberto01: bets $47.15 and is all-in
LorenFGV: calls $47.15
Moocher666: calls $46.20 and is all-in
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Phillberto01: shows [Ks Kh] (three of a kind, Kings)
LorenFGV: mucks hand
Phillberto01 collected $1.90 from side pot
Moocher666: shows [Ad Td] (two pair, Aces and Tens)
Phillberto01 collected $185.85 from main pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $190.75 Main pot $185.85. Side pot $1.90. Rake $3 Board [Kd 3c Ah 2c Th]Seat 1: Phillberto01 showed [Ks Kh] and won ($187.75) with three of a kind,
KingsSeat 2: LorenFGV mucked [3s Ac]
Seat 4: Moocher666 (button) showed [Ad Td] and lost with two pair, Aces and Tens

I suspect my previous loose/bad play was a factor in getting paid off but this pot was enough to make up for my 50NL losses and draw a line under a bad weekend. Still $200 to recover to reach the high water mark but I plan to do that at 25NL for the time being.

I'll move back to 50NL soon I think though.