Rec player getting back into poker through low stakes home games

First game in the books :

Stakes : $1/$1
Hours : 2
In for 200
Out for 120
Total -80
Nothing really significant happened in 2 hours. I definitely tipped a little too much and lost a little playing pineapple.

Evening started off weird. The first game I texted, the guy replied but deleted his message abruptly. I wasted 20mins sitting around waiting for a reply. I then found another game on my way home. Texted the guy and suddenly he started asking for someone to vouch for me. Obviously I don't have any but thankfully he still let me into the game.

Going into the game i was prepared to play looser, tip a little, give action in side games, be a little social etc as part of home game etiquette. On the other hand I was also on high alert of possible cheating, colluding, looking at the rake etc.

Although the game is 1/1, it doesn't play like one. There is a dealer's option side game every orbit which plays huge. There was also probably a button straddle to 5 maybe one third of the hands. There was a 1k stack, also 3 700+ stacks. I bought in for 200. Something else I noticed was how fast everyone acted, their actions were all done within a split second.

No real tough decisions or big pots in 2 hours.

Hand 1 - Small pot wondering if flop check was ok.
Opened with AsAc utg+1 to 6 (140 stack), utg+2 calls, loose btn calls (both cover). Pot = 20
Flop T 6 3 hhh. I decided to check as my hand does not require protection apart from a heart. I think both opponents would bet Tx or other pairs in this spot, should be an easy c/c for me. Plus I would hate to get raised in this spot vs 2 opponents. Pot = 20
Turn Qc, now I bet 10, utg+1 calls and btn folds. Pot = 40
River Kh. 4 to a flush now and I check, utg+1 checks back with K3cc for 2 pair.

Hand 2 - Biggest pot I won. Luckily V was short this hand
V (60 stack) who just lost a big pot last hand opens 7 utg+1, 2 calls and I (170 stack) call in co with 64dd. Too loose for a call. The other guys cover me though.
Flop 4s 7s 8d. Checks to me i bet 12 into 30. I think the guys in between would stab with a better hand than mine so I was only worried of V. Nevertheless I decided on a small sizing since it was 4 ways. V check jams all in, and I call given just the right odds. He turns over KTo. Hit a 5 ott and win.

I was trying to balance playing looser to give action as part of home game etiquette vs playing TAG ABC poker. Normally would have folded all these hands, and maybe I should in future sessions.
Opened Q6dd in the CO, fold to 3bet
Opened A2cc utg, took down with a cbet vs bb HU
Opened A3o from the CO, HU vs bb board runs out 55354 and I win a small pot
Opened 59hh from the CO HU vs btn, flopped a FD and took it with a delayed cbet
Defended bb with K4cc vs a utg raise and 2 callers

Overall if I think I should play tighter. Maybe I should consider buying in deeper since this game plays like 1/2 or 1/3.

I played another short session recently for 3 hours at a different game.

Stakes : $1/$1, $200 min
Hours : 3
In for 200
Out for 275

Total 2 sessions
Total 5 hours
Total -$5

I was curious about this game as it runs almost everyday. However, I noticed there was rake despite it being advertised as non-rake. Another weird thing that happened was that the game was advertised that it was currently running, but when I arrived, there was no one apart from the host. He told me he texted the other guys and they were on their way. This made me think I was the only non-regular, which obviously means a higher risk of soft playing, collusion etc. Thankfully that was not the case, and some new players joined afterwards.

I adjusted my play this session compared to the previous session by being less spewy pre, and not taking part in random side games. Since there is rake involved then I am not incentivized to give extra action since they prob need players coming back.

Hand 1 - This is 100% standard?
V seems laggish, he gave action in an AIPF pot early on with 88. 200 eff, might have been a straddle.
MP raise 10, 2 callers and I 3 bet JJ to 40 from the sb. Folds back to MP, he jams. It folds to me and I call. Anyway he has QQ, we run it twice and luckily chop. I hated it when he jammed, is this ever a fold? Apparently I am 38% if V has QQ+,AQs+,AKo, which is exactly the same odds I had (calling 160 to win 420).

Hand 2 - Seems like an easy fold
BB seems like a very loose player pre, have not seen him get out of line. Seen him defend junk vs 15 open, which he won a 300bb pot 1 hour into the session, so he might be in lock up mode.
200 eff, I raise AQo UTG to 6, 5 callers. Pot = 30, Flop Q56r, checks to me I bet 15, folds to BTN, BTN calls and BB raise to 90. I fold, BTN folds.

Hand 3 - Did I lose value or did I gain value?
V is a guy who if he likes his hand calls any amount pre.
200 eff, V raises to 10 from UTG+2, I 3 bet to 35 from CO with AQhh. Only he calls. Flop ATTr, check check. Turn A, check check. River x, he bets 25, I click to 50, he calls and MHIG. Pre I could have gone bigger to 40, 45. OTF I think I am either way ahead or way behind. As everyone views me as tight, probably can only get 2 streets of value vs a weaker Ax, hence my plan was bet turn and bet river. Given how wide he defends pre, I thought I could get more value if he catches something. In retrospect there is some value to be extracted from broadways on this flop as compared to a flop like A99r. When turn boats me up and he checks again I was thinking what can he even call me with on a ATTAr board. Therefore instead of my original plan to bet turn and river, I check again hoping he will take a stab otr, or catch a J, Q or K. If turn wasnt an A I would def had bet. River I just min clicked his bet since hes probably folding to a bigger raise? While thinking of the HH, I am unsure what he called river with? Did I just lose out on a bunch of value vs Tx? Or did he bet call otr with K high? No way he has JJ+, and all underpairs are counterfeited. I actually think he might have Tx.

Stakes : $1/$1, no min
Hours : 4.5
In for 200
Out for 650

Total 3 sessions
Total 9.5 hours
Total +$445

Finally got another session in. Due to some life circumstances, I am unable to play as much as I would like. I played a 4.5hr session on 3rd May, at a new 10 handed game, $1/$1 stakes (as usual, it played more like 1/2, with occasion $2 and $5 straddles), winning 450.

Before I get into this game, my non-poker expenses for this game was -120! -20 ish in tips and then 100 in flips. The flips are the dealer choice side games (I picked this game and avoided other games), kinda tilting to lose 4.

Another thing I am reminded of is that table image is important. There was some light needling about how tight I play. I play tight by live poker standards, but my preflop range is the standard online full ring version. Anyway, every hand I open or 3bet, 2 or 3 players would comment on how tight I am and make comments like ‘damn here he comes’ or ‘only defending AA and KK against this guy’. I obviously didn’t let it affect me but I think this affected some of my decisions I made for the hands below. Side note I tried to play looser (opened A6s utg, opened KTo MP, defended A7s MP etc even though I knew they were losing plays, and not surprisingly I lost all those smallish pots).

Hand 1 : Was too afraid to value own myself, ended up costing myself value

I cannot recall preflop action 100%, but I think there was a straddle to 5, and I made it 20 with AQhh with a 500-ish stack, Btn call and straddle calls.
Flop (~60) AQ5ss, check to me I bet 30, both call.
Turn (~150) AQ5ss 6x, check to me I bet 125, btn calls staddle folds.
River (~400) AQ5ss 6x 7x, I check??? Btn bets 105 and I call.
My thoughts in game, both btn and the straddle have been talking about how tight I have been playing. On the river, I think he has more flush draws compared to value hands. When he bet, given history, I honestly think the btn will fold a weaker 2 pair (A5, A6, A7) to a check jam. Hence, the only value hand that he can call a check jam with is 55 or random 98ss. If all my assumptions are right then flat call would be good, but obviously this is live poker and btn definitely calls wider than I assumed. Also when I look back, if he really had 55, he would have raised at some point. He showed A5o, so I think I left over 100 on the table by not jamming or check jamming.

Hand 2 : Weird turn donk in a 3 way pot

Heard in a podcast recently that straddles should be viewed differently eg in 3 blind game vs a game where a straddle occurs occasionally. Obviously, players are going to be tighter in the latter.

Forgot if it was a button or utg straddle to 5, but first to act raised to 25, next to act calls, I am in MP with JJ and a 400ish stack. I think in this game players tighten with the straddle on, and this opener wasn’t a particularly strong player. So facing an early open and a flat, I decide to be cautious and flat with JJ. 2 more players from the blinds and straddle call as well.
Flop (~125) T84sdd checks to me I bet 50, both players from the blinds call.
Turn (~275) T84sdd 5s, first to act checks, the guy in between now leads 150. I find it weird that he donks this turn, and with a guy behind, I am not too sure if my hand is good. I also don’t have enough to call and reevaluate, have to jam or fold. I decided that this is quite a blindy/straddle type of hand (eg 67, 45, 85) and being against 2 players, that it would be an ok fold, especially after I bet into 5 players otf. Preflop though, not sure if it should be a 3bet. I fold and the other guy behind folds as well. I think if this is heads up, given stack sizes and SPR I probably jam.

Hand 3 : Confused preflop

This hand happened early in the session, but at this point the table was already calling me tight. Straddle to 5, EP raises to 15, I have AQo in the sb and I 3bet to 55. Straddle now cold 4bets to 150 and EP folds. I think given how EP and straddle (same 2 players from hand 1) are aware of how tight I am, it should be a fold.

Hand 4 : Not sure if 1 barrel will do, think maybe 0 or 2 barrels are better?

Forgot the raise size, but loose MP raises and weak LJ calls, I 3bet 50 with KTcc otb. Seems like a good spot given my image. Both of them call.
Flop (~150) Q78r with no club. Checks to me and I contemplating betting for a while. I think the MP is too loose pre, but am unsure of LJ’s double flat range. I bet 65, only LJ calls.
Turn (~280) Q78r Ad, LJ checks. I think LJ is very heavily weighted towards a Q, so the A seems to be a good card. Unfortunately, in game I couldn’t find the double barrel. I think he may be slow playing something, and the only Q I can fold out are QK, QJ. I think I should have barrelled again. Instead, I checked to take a free card.
River (~280) Q78r Ad 9x, LJ checks. I think LJ may be sticky or curious with his one pair hands, so I decided to check. He turns over QJdd. I am on the fence about flop cbet, no bdfd but some backdoor straight and overcard. But I think if I were to cbet flop, an A on the turn is a definite bet. In retrospect, being results oriented turn barrel wouldn’t have worked as he picked up a flush draw. But he had one of the hands that may have folded to a river bet.

Overall a lucky session in which I ran hot, I probably should stop playing dealer's choice games.