The personal bests just keep on coming.

Not that I'm complaining. +902. Here’s how it happened:
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9:20 PM I head down to Gardena, hoping to make a hundred or two to pay some bills. Traffic is light, as is typical on the 405 at this hour. Lil Wayne is blasting through the speakers and I’m getting myself psyched up.

9:50 PM Sit down in Seat 7 of a $1/2 no limit game immediately. Buy in for $50. I wake up with A-J off third to act with a live straddle in effect (making it $4 to go). I pop it up to $12 and the big blind and the straddler (Seat 4, call him “Fishmael”) call. The flop comes Queen-rag-rag. The big blind checks, the straddler bets $20. I muck, and so does the big blind. Fishmael grins mischievously and I shake my head. This is why, I remind myself, I don’t get involved in pots until I have a read on the table. Stupid.

10:22 PM I’ve folded almost every hand until now either before the flop or on the flop, because just about every pot since I sat down has been raised. I had seen two low pocket pairs, and had mucked on the flop when I missed sets. So I’m now down to $24 and I get dealt A-7 of spades second to act. I raise the minimum, one guy calls (Seat 9, call him “Harry”), the next guy (Seat 1, “Bernie”) makes it $12 to go, the guy after him calls, and it’s folded back to me. I look at my hand again, and realize that even though I’m probably beat, these are probably the best pot odds I’m going to see to draw to a spade flush (probably the only hand that would win for me … other than trip 7s). I push because I expect everyone to call, meaning a nice return if I hit. Everyone calls. It turns out I was up against Bernie’s pocket Jacks. Harry and the other guy had rags. An Ace would have done it for me, but it didn’t happen. Nor did the spades come. Oh well. Rebuy for another $50 … “Chips!”

10:35 PM I actually didn't play in this hand, but it was pretty sick and has bearing on what happened later on. I don't remember what happened preflop. But on the flop, the chick on my immediate left (Seat 8, let's call her "Alicia") check-raised Fishmael huge. She checked when the flop came Ac-Kc-4h. Fishmael bet $20 into a $10 pot on the flop, there was one caller, and Alicia made it $80. Fishmael called instantly, and the other player got out of the way. The turn was the 2 of clubs. Alicia checked it, staring dead at Fishmael, who put Alicia all in for $180. Alicia thought about it forever. She asked for time ... then later asked the dealer how much time she had left. I knew she had a set. I just knew it. I figured she put him on the flush draw.

Fishmael openly admitted that he was holding two pair. He showed it to several of his neighbors, and their reactions confirmed it for me. But Alicia didn't hear any of this. She was too focused in on her cards and the decision before her to pick up on these clues. She mucked her set, and Harry gasped in disbelief (she had shown him her cards). Fishmael tabled his K-2 offsuit, and said "See? I never lie about what I have!" as he raked in the pot. Apparently Alicia had folded a set of Kings, not realizing how bad of a player Fishmael is. And the sickest thing is, she didn't even put him on the flush! Somehow she got it into her head that he had made a wheel straight, holding the 5-3! I don't know what made her think he was bad enough to call $80 with a gutshot straight draw and two baby cards. But inside I was rejoicing. Hopefully, it would put her on tilt (since I'd imagined her to be a solid player). And I always like to see the better players dumping their chips to the fish. Makes it so much easier for me to collect later on.

11:00 PM Been folding a lot. But I’ve seen a few flops in the past forty minutes, so now I’m down to $36. I’m starting to get a little antsy from playing so tight … it’s just not in my nature. But it’s paid off … made some good laydowns when I was dominated or otherwise behind. Finally I pick up A-J off again. Fishmael straddles again, and the two players between us both fold. I’ve seen Fishmael see flops with all kinds of crap, so I re-raise to $24 to try and isolate him in the pot. Alicia folds, but Harry moves all in for $72. So much for isolation. Everyone folds back to me, including Fishmael which is a surprise. Harry’s played more or less solid so far, so I figure I’m behind. But it’s only $12 more so I’m priced into calling. The flop comes lowball, giving me a wheel draw … the turn and river are misses. Harry tables King high, so I double through with Ace high. Not bad.

11:19 PM I’ve won one other pot since the last, so now I’m up to $92. Almost even. It looks as if I’m going to have to settle for a break-even session, the way this table is. Just too crazy – win some and then lose it the next hand. Here I pick up two red Aces, and I smile inwardly. Feels like forever since I’ve had bullets.

I don’t want to bet too much, because I fear my tight table image will scare everyone off. Still, I can’t let them just limp in. I make a min-raise to $4 just to see what happens.

Alicia gets out of the way. Harry re-raises to $11. Bernie takes a look at myself and Harry, then makes it $31 to go. Fishmael calls (of course). I don’t like the way this is going at all. Too many players involved in this pot … it’s a bad beat in the making. I make it $71. Harry insta-calls. Bernie thinks about it forever, staring me right in the eyes. I feel like I’m practically screaming I have Aces. I really didn’t want him to call, and I think that feeling must have shown up on my face because he calls. Fishmael calls as well.

I push on the flop, out of turn. Fishmael should have been first to act. The table objects, which is odd to me because Fishmael has been playing out of turn the whole night and no one has said anything. On the other hand, when a bad player makes mistakes, you usually aren’t too hard on him for it. Nevertheless, I move in for my last $21, and watch the table call me. Fishmael only has another $3, so he's all in. Harry and Bernie agree to check it down the rest of the way.

The flop contains a King, and two hearts, which slightly concerns me. No, I take that back – it scares the crap out of me. I feel almost certain that Bernie had been holding pocket Kings and has just flopped a set. Especially the way he thought about it for so long and stared me down. But no sigh of relief or Jordan-esque fist pump from him, so I guess my Aces are still good. The turn brings the ten of hearts, giving Fishmael an open-ended straight draw as well as a flush draw (by now he has shown his Q-J offsuit … I feel sick that he called three raises cold with that garbage from the small blind). The river completes both Fishmael’s straight and flush draws, but it also gave me the nut flush and a $345 pot. Harry and Bernie had both held A-Q suited. The Aces hold up, and breaking even seems like yesterday’s bad dream.

11:33 PM I limp in with A-10 offsuit. It’s folded around to Fishmael, who raises to $8 from the small blind. The players between us fold, and I call. Flop is Tc-4c-3h. I bet out $12. Fishmael raises to $24, and I just call. He’s so bad that I can’t give him credit for more than Q-10. The turn is the 3s, and I check. Fishmael bets $20, and I raise to $60. He scratches his head and calls. The turn is the Td. I let out a big sigh, stare glumly at Fishmael and check. He can’t resist betting … $60 … I raise him all in and he mucks. I decide to show my hand and he starts muttering to his buddy about how I sucked out and he how he had a 3 and got bad beat. I can’t believe he is stupid enough to say that I sucked out, so I just laugh at him. This pisses him off even more.

11:36 PM Next hand, I get pocket Jacks under the gun. I raise to $20, Fishmael and the big blind both call (big blind all in). The flop is Qh-7h-2s. Fishmael pushes and I call immediately. No way he has a Queen. No, he has the nut flush draw with the A-2 of hearts. The big blind shows his A-4 offsuit. They hit the Ace on the turn and chop my money. Fishmael starts talking mad trash, and I can’t help but fire back. “Just keep them warm for me,” I taunt him, “they’re all coming back to me soon enough. And don’t lose them to anyone else!” He calls me a name I won’t repeat, then mocks me for winning two hands and then talking trash. I challenge him to a heads up game for $100. He offers to meet him outside to he can smash my face in.

At this point the simple trash talk has gotten out of hand. I call over the floorman and tell him I’ve been threatened and that I want Fishmael kicked out if it continues. Normally I wouldn’t fear a fight with anyone, but this guy has been drinking and dumping a lot of money to the table. And he might have a crew waiting with him outside. Or a gun. I did not have any reinforcements, I was driving a nice car, and was likely going to walk out with a lot of cash – so I was not about to take any chances. The floorman tells us both to just stop talking to one another, so we do. But once the floorman’s out of hearing range, Fishmael fires one more Parthian shot before taking a smoke break: “You can stare at all the chips I just won from you while I’m gone.” I don’t say anything, just smile and point to my own stack (much of which consists of his money). He takes off.

11:43 PM 10-8 of hearts. I limp in, along with most of the table. The flop is Jd-8c-8d, and as he always does Fishmael bets out. Thank God he took such a short break. I raise his $8 bet to $28. Alicia calls, as does Fishmael. I am not afraid of Fishmael (I know he has the flush draw), but I am a little concerned about Alicia. She’s normally pretty solid, and fairly unlikely to chase. She must have at least Ace-Jack, but could possibly have a stronger 8. She’s not really the type to trap with an 8 (more likely to raise here if she thinks she'll get me to call). So I’m probably good. But any time a decent player cold-calls a bet and a raise on a flop like that, you have to wonder.

Anyway, the turn is the 7c, and Fishmael moves all in for $136. I wonder for a moment if he has the 10-9 (straight draw on the flop rather than the flush draw). But the pot is too big for me to fold my trips, especially the way Fishmael has been playing. I decide to move all in on top. My stack is about $380, and Alicia is sitting on about $220. So even if Fishmael did make his straight, I have a draw to tie, and plenty of outs for a boat or quads. Also, I have a feeling I’m good against Alicia so I want her side action.

She thinks about it a long time, and the longer she thinks the more confident I feel that she doesn’t have trip 8s. After folding that set earlier, I don’t think she’s good enough to lay down trips twice, especially with a pot this large -- so with an 8 I think she would have called in a second. She says "Let's gamble," and makes the call with J-10. I can’t believe it, but man am I grateful. Fishmael misses his flush draw, and I take down the monster pot. Stack is now $830; I can barely reach around my eight racks to see what I have on the next hand. That's a problem I like having. But the floorman offers to color out $500 of it, trading five of my racks for five white $100 chips. Those things are so beautiful ... just like a few weeks ago, I kick myself for not having a camera on hand.

11:50 Exactly two hours since I sat down, and I’m eyeing the door. My previous record playing Texas Hold ‘Em was +740, set exactly two weeks ago. I was now +730. This wasn’t the most important thing to me, but it would be nice to one-up myself. See how far I could take it. I decide to play one last round.

I pick up K-10 of hearts on the button. It’s raised to $15 preflop, and three guys (including me see the flop). The flop contains two hearts, and since my two opponents have fairly small stacks, I commit to calling anything. The big blind checks, the preflop raiser moves in for $60 . I call (pot odds don't seem quite as significant when your stack is dominating the table), the big blind pushes for $70 and I call the extra $10. I know the heart is coming, and the Ace of hearts hits on the river. My stack is $1,002, and I decide to call it a night. Maybe I should have stayed as long as the money was flowing. I was definitely in control of the table – and they were figuring me a favorite to win every pot. Bernie was calling me Jamie Gold, the way I was hitting every flop. But Fishmael took off after the last time I stacked him. So it wasn’t guaranteed that I wouldn’t lose say $200 by doubling up the next biggest stack. +$902 is enough for one night.

Besides, I can always come back tomorrow. :-)