First cash game here

I went to Planet Hollywood which was recommended by the woman sitting next to me on the plane. She said her husband didn't do well in the series when he was out here but covered most of his buy-ins at PH. I went with Sean and he got coolered on two hands. I got a lot of playable hands and chopped around in mostly small pots. I doubled up from 200 to 400 - pays for over half of my tourney tomorrow.

My two big hands: a Brit who had played a lot of pots raised from the SB after I raised with jacks. Folded to me I called in position. The flop came 9 high and he bet the pot which was about 65. I pondered it a while. Either I was crushed before the flop and still was, he was crushed and still was, he was racing and now was way behind, or was crushed and had flopped a set. I finally said "yeah let's do it" and moved in. He said "I don't think we should" which was music to my ears. He pushed the rest in which had me a little worried - thought he might have put me on a monster and made a crying call with queens but my jacks were good and he never showed his cards.

Later I raised from the button with AQo first into the pot shortly after being caught making small river bluffs (about 20 total) in two consecutive hands. The BB called and the flop came QQJ with two diamonds. He checked and I bet 20. Turn was a blank. He checked and I bet 30 and he pondered and put his red chips in the middle. As soon as they crossed the line I said "call" and flipped my hand over. It was an 8 dollar mistake - he still had white chips. On the river I said AI but of course he could call and saved himself 8 dollars.

Only bad hand - the Brit, I limped with AJ and he raised and I called. Flop was A84 and I led and he called. Turn a jack I checked and he checked. River was an 8. I didn't like it - I got a good piece of the flop what could he have? A4 which I'm beating on the flop and now, or x8 which I am no longer beating? I checked, he bet 40 and I insta-called. "What, no raise?" He asked. Nope, I say not turning over my cards. He showed the nuts, wired 8s for quads and got a 135 dollar bonus for high hand to boot.

I had one cute bluff. I can't even remember the board but I missed and there was 25 in and the turn had been checked around 3-way. One player checks river and I bet five into 25. They both folded and I showed 67 for a busted straight draw and 7 high. I think a normal sized bet probably gets called there but it smelled so much like a bet looking for a call that they folded. Given how little the Brit folded it was pretty sweet.