Bad Beats
one of Those Nights
Had one of Those Nights last night. The games were insanely good on Pokerstars, I had at least one 65/4 superfish on every table and two had guys with VPIP > 90. Obviously I dropped 7 buy-ins with all the usual beats like losing every pre-flop allin, losing a 300BB pot with Q9 on a KJT flop, that sort of thing.
PLO Tourneys
There hasn’t been much written on PLO tournament strategy. Trust me, I’ve looked. So, I’ve been doing some strategizing on my own, which has made me realize how much harder players had it before Super Systems and Card Runners.
This past weekend, I played twelve hours to cash for a whopping $150 profit in the Venetian PLO event, but it was worth it because I managed to figure a few things out.
1. If the tournament is structured like a typical hold’em tourney or stacks aren’t deep enough (you should get substantially more starting chips in a PLO tournament than in a hold’em event) then you pretty much have to win your first pot to have a decent chance at going deep.
Lame (duck) UIGEA
So the UIGEA passed in its final form now (link). I’m sad, really really sad. Why is it that now that I finally am making a money at online poker the US tries to do this in a lame duck session? I don’t even understand how anybody thought prohibition of anything would be a good thing? Please, pretty please, Pokerstars, Full Tilt, Cake, please don’t leave the US. Please don’t make me cash out.
Utter Poker Devastation
Ok so the title may be a little dramatic but what I experienced tonight will haunt me for some time. It has been a long time since I posted. I have had little time for poker due to grad school which started in June. I’ve deposited a few times on Star’s for the sole purpose of trying to get a seat in the LAPT event at Uruguay. This event has been my focus for the past few weeks but with no luck playing in some $8.80 rebuys. This was the only LAPT event I tried for because it fits my school schedule the best. So yesterday, I played a Sunday million $8.80 6 max double shootout with one $215 seat guaranteed. I won that seat, unregistered from the Sunday mill (won a 2nd DS and played in massive Sunday mill tourney but busted in less than an hour when I ran QQ into KK) and registered for the Sunday $215 LAPTLa Punta de Este event. 1 seat guaranteed and for every 5k in the prize pool another seat guaranteed. Well we ended up getting 52 players which was enough for 2 seat plus 3rd and 4th getting some cash.
Thoughts on variance
Before I continue my little WSOP trip report, I’m having a few existentialist thoughts on variance. No, I’m not having a losing streak, but several of my friends are. Yeah, variance can be brutal in this game, when all your opponents’ 2-5 outers seem to come in and you start doubting, whether to raise your AQs in the BB when there’s already 5 limpers in. But at what point is it not variance anymore? At what point it is you who’s playing bad? Maybe you were on a heater before? Maybe you are tilting because of your downswing?
I (almost) hate floppin’ the nuts in Omaha
I got into a huge hand with my old professor, Jim McManus, at our home game a few weeks ago where I should have laid down the nuts on the flop. The notion of laying down the best band sounds crazy to hold’em players, but it’s something that you have to be willing to consider in Omaha.
At our home game, we play alternating rounds of $5/$5 no limit hold ‘em and pot-limit Omaha. In a big family pot that had been raised preflop, the board came down 9h 7s 6s. It had checked around to me on the button, which made me feel pretty safe. I bet the pot with my 8 10 straight, hoping to take it down right there, but then Jim reraised the pot.
3 sets flopped
So I can’t remember ever seeing this before…wonder if you all have. Found this hand on-line
Currently on Tilt: Who plays to get lucky on the river?
The last time I played live I experienced this hand…
1/2 NL HE cash game at the Commerce: I call a raise of $10 from MP with AJ off. There are 2 other players in the pot. The button (original raiser) and the BB. The flop brings Jd-Jc-Qd. The BB checks and I bet $12. Both players call. The turn brings a 3rd low diamond. The BB checks and I bet $20. The Button folds and the BB calls. The river is a 10d. The BB goes all in for $20. I call the $20 into $132 pot feeling like he doesn’t have a diamond… The moron shows pocket 10s. He rivered a full house on me. I asked him how he could call me down to the river knowing he’s beat the whole way.. he said he felt his 10 coming. Ugh!!!
