I finally made my statement on Thursday, as I went from $1.40 to $6.86.

I got lucky a few times, but I also extracted good values when I had the best hand, whether thru a suckout or throughout the entire hand.

I'm starting to acquire reads. Chris overbets when he has something marginal (e.g. flop middle pair). Simon is more focused in mind games and still poses problems for me -- I traded a big pot with him, and I had a small edge on him on this day.

A few big hands:
1) 3-handed, Simon limped, I checked in BB with 84 clubs and bet 5c into the 3-way 224 rainbow flop. Simon min-raised, I called. Turn As, He bet 10. I didn't know what he's up to. I called, planning to c-call river, up to 15 or so. But I river another 4 for the house. I checked, he bet 50!? I check-raised AI for another 8. He called with JJ.

2) I had AA in BB and raised to 12 preflop. Simon called from the button. Flop JT9. Not good, but I'm not folding my AA coz I believe he'll go broke with TP or pair+gutshot. I bet 20, he raised to 40, I raised AI for 135, of course he called with KQ. Why(TF) does this have to happen to me? How else should I have played?

3) I didn't let that hand drag me down. I next flopped TP with red unsuited K2 from BB, board KJ9 2 spades. I c/r Simon 5 to 15, he called. Turn a red 4, I bet 40 he called. River 8 no flush, I check-called 100, Simon had J6. Nice pot, but missed value? He had about 50 behind.

4) We were about to leave, and I limped with T3 spades from the button. Chris bet 20 into a 6c pot on a JT3 rainbow flop!? Great. He doesn't play strong hands this way, so I had to be ahead. I just called, with the plan to shove any non-J turn. Turn was a 9. I didn't like that card that much, but I still believed I was ahead, so I shoved over his 30 bet for ~230 in total. He hesitated, called with QT, and I realized that he had a gazillion outs, but he didn't improve.

5) The last hand saw me raise to 7 preflop with A8 in the BB. Scott called and then shoved the AT2 2-diamond flop for 75. I instant called, he was devastated as he flipped over A7. Turn was a T, and river was a 7 that sent fear down my spine, but I soon realized he 3-paired, and I still had him outkicked.