I have a good memory for hands and these are mostly exact (last night).

First, I have a "rock" image having played here for three nights this last week. Most haven't seen me show many hands down. The only hand I've played hard the last two hours was KK which doubled me up after losing first buy-in blinding away and then missing a draw in a big pot. I've had few hands most of the night and am blinding down a bit again, about $40 down for the 3-hr session so far.

Hand #1:

Limp from CO after 1 caller (UTG, very loose but plays weakly). Both blinds play as does button, making it 5-way.

Flop (~$15) . Check, check, UTG bets $8. Hmmm, this is a weak bet but I see no reason to bluff a raise here with trash. However, I decided to call even though I just have a 3-clean gutshot. I thought if everyone calls (which many have been all night), that's okay as it increases the pot if I do get lucky, but I'd prefer to see it heads up or 3-way so my image will allow me to quite possibly take it on turn if a scare card comes (depending on how the others react to the turn). To my lack of surprise, 3 calls behind me.

Turn (~$55) . What a nice card, giving me a flush draw, too. Obviously I didn't feel there was a big ace out there based on flop action, so at most I was against weak aces or draws or middle pairs people wouldn't part with yet. The action goes check-check-check to me and I make it $40 to go. Only the BB calls, and he just has about $40 more left. (At this point I hear the other end say they thought somebody was sandbagging -- good, my image is working.)

River (~$135) [some non-spade/non-heart/non-pair]. BB checks and I put him all-in for $40. He folds and says "nice hand, just had 8-hi with missed flush" (yeah a bad turn call, but this guy is a chaser).

I showed my hand and said "8-hi was good." Free info isn't always good to give away, and wouldn't have as much value online, but since I'll be playing these same guys a few times every week, I want them to start wondering a little more and calling some of my action.

Hand #2:

I get AQo from MP and open-raise to $18. Two callers behind me and then BB makes it $40 to go. I don't like calling $22 more here but figure if I call, then both callers behind me will play also, so I'm getting a great price to get lucky (22:139 to be exact if they call, not incl. implied odds). I call and they both call, too.

Flop comes 3 rainbow rags. BB checks. What? This is either super-weak or a trap. I have to think trap and was ready to fold to anybody's move here. But it checks around -- wow.

Turn is a Q, putting two hearts out. Can my TPTK really be good here? BB checks again. I really feel he is trapping, can't believe he'd check the flop and then lead check again after checked around with that much money in. I was torn between making a real bet here or a feeler bet (which would allow a cheap flush draw if there was one). Since I was leaving soon, I didn't want to ruin my session by playing this too hard since I really felt like I was being trapped. I bet just $50 to see what happens, deciding that if BB made any raise, I was folding. Calling station to my left calls, one fold, and BB then folds -- wow! I'm not afraid of calling station as I think he either has weaker Q (KQ/QJ) or heart draw or even underpair.

River is the ten of hearts. Yuck. I check and am prepared to fold if he makes a decent bet (with him, a significant bet will not be a bluff, I am pretty sure). He checks. I show AQ and win a really huge pot I should never have been allowed to take. Caller shows a ten -- which means he must have made that turn call with just AT, in which case he was drawing dead.

BB says he had AK and half the table starts blasting him for not betting me off on the flop. I didn't mind and left 3 hands later with $228 up.

These are two pots I'd never win online right now as my focus and reads aren't nearly as sharp as they had to be here. I need to work on this. Anyway, thought they were interesting, if any comments or critiques, fire away.

I agree... I'm not gonna raise AQo in MP, and will fold it to a raise... I've seen too many people lose their stacks w/ AQ to AK when a king flops, which would've happened here...

First hand, that guy was pretty bad, paying $40 to win $95 chasing a low flush???

Not to beat this to death but, fold AQ here and be done with it, there are to many ways for you to be dominated. AA KK AK, and its going to be hard to know which one.

Agree with the rest, I really don't like either of the hands

Well, I think I'd agree with all of you playing online. I guess using my reads on the players live makes a difference to me -- knowing I'm getting 6:1 likely on my call with 1 weak player in the lead and 2 calling stations behind is a huge factor to just ignore because "AQ is likely dominated". I know I'm dominated. But as long as I'm this far, I might as well call and have a chance for a huge pot. I'm not calling down if the flop is just ace high because the weak player won't play strong if he's in trouble on the flop with those calling stations in, too. So if he leads when A flops, then I'm gone. If I hit, I'm not going to get burned too bad as I said in my post, if I feel trapped, I'll see what the weak player does -- and he just check-check-folded, how nice.

Guess I'm in denial, but I think its a great example of using people part of the equation in your decisions rather than just the usual ABC mindset that "AQ is junk, I'll fold".

Kinda disappointed that I'm alone on this.