Posts Tagged ‘PLO’

Tri Nguyen just came out with a new book that has more in common with Barry Greenstein’s Ace on the River than with a strategy manual. Here’s the long and short of what I had to say about it:

How I Made My First Million From Poker is all over the map. It’s a memoir, it’s a strategy book, it’s a poker lifestyle book. This jack of all trades is a master of none, though readers who can get past Tri Nguyen’s off-putting persona are likely to find enough helpful advice to warrant a modest sticker price of $47 for paperback or e-book. All in all it’s a 6/10.

You can read the full review here. If you read the book, please let me know what you think. By the way, using my affiliate link will save you 10%, so be sure to do that if you buy it!

…but this guy managed. He almost got there, too:

PokerStars Pot-Limit Omaha High, $1.00 BB (6 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com

Button ($170.35)
Hero ($250)
BB ($1351.95)
UTG ($258.90)
MP ($456.15)
CO ($96.50)

Preflop: Hero is SB with 7c, As, 5h, Ac.
UTG calls $1, MP raises to $5.7, CO calls $5.70, Button calls $5.70, Hero raises to $31.7, 1 fold, UTG folds, MP calls $26, CO raises to $96.5, Button folds, Hero raises to $249.8, MP folds.

Flop: ($386.10) 7s, Ks, Kh (2 players)

Turn: ($386.10) 4s (2 players)

River: ($386.10) Ad (2 players)

Final Pot: $386.10
Results in white below:
Hero has 7c As 5h Ac (full house, aces full of kings).
CO has Kd Td Tc Ts (three of a kind, kings).
Outcome: Hero wins $386.10.

My latest poker strategy article, Slowplaying, is a meditation on a variety of topics related to slowplaying: what it costs you, when to do it, which types of boards and opponents are best, etc. Here’s an excerpt from the introduction:

“[Y]ou must weigh the advantages of slowplaying against what you would have won from second-best hands that would have paid you off on three streets but end up losing a smaller pot because of your slowplay. In a fixed limit game, this usually costs you just one small bet if you slowplay the flop. In a big bet game, it costs you a lot more, because pot and bet sizes grows geometrically. In other words, a bigger pot on the flop means a bigger pot on the turn means a much bigger pot, and therefore a much bigger bet, on the river. Thus, slowplaying in big bet games carries a much larger cost than it does in fixed limit games.”

As always, I’m eager to hear what you think!

PokerStars Pot-Limit Omaha High, $1.00 BB (6 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com

MP ($263.80)
CO ($250)
Button ($362.30)
SB ($264.20)
Hero ($250)
UTG ($166.90)

Preflop: Hero is BB with Ah, 4c, Ac, Tc.
UTG calls $1, 1 fold, CO raises to $5.2, Button calls $5.20, SB calls $4.70, Hero calls $4.20, UTG calls $4.20.

Flop: ($26.60) 8c, As, Kd (5 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $25.85, UTG folds, CO folds, Button calls $25.85, SB folds.

Turn: ($78.30) 2s (2 players)
Hero bets $75.9, Button calls $75.90.

River: ($230.10) 3d (2 players)
Hero bets $142.85 (All-In), Button folds.

Final Pot: $372.95
Results in white below:
Hero has Ah 4c Ac Tc (three of a kind, aces).
Outcome: Hero wins $372.95.

Flat it pre because I’m OOP deep and my Aces are pretty crappy, really just the club draw to back them up and I’m holding one of my own clubs. If for some crazy reason I flatted pre I’d check this 100% in NLHE just because you have the deck smashed and nobody can have more than 4 outs against you. In PLO a free card is way worse and also people are much more likely to have second-best hands like AK or lower sets. You’re also less likely to induce a bluff by checking the flop since no one is going to bluff into three people in PLO. If any of them are trying to hand-read, they may not expect me to have flatted AA.

BTN and SB both seem fishy, not just because of their stacks but because they are respectively 100/20 and 55/9, albeit over small samples. I felt like they’d both have a lot of random crap and I could drive them out of the pot and get it heads up with the BB and his short stack with a hefty overlay. Turns out they decided to come along with their crappy hands, which is OK, too. The SB called me an idiot after the hand, but I actually 27% equity to his 20% (BTN also had 20%).

PokerStars Pot-Limit Omaha High, $1.00 BB (6 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com

SB ($77.65)
BB ($45)
UTG ($109.10)
MP ($224.35)
Hero ($138.60)
Button ($40.40)

Preflop: Hero is CO with 8d, 6s, 5c, 9s.
1 fold, MP calls $1, Hero raises to $4.5, Button calls $4.50, SB calls $4, BB raises to $23.5, MP folds, Hero raises to $80.5, Button calls $35.90 (All-In), SB calls $73.15 (All-In), BB calls $21.50 (All-In).

Flop: ($244.55) 5s, Ad, 2s (4 players, 3 all-in)

Turn: ($244.55) 4c (4 players, 3 all-in)

River: ($244.55) 7h (4 players, 3 all-in)

Final Pot: $244.55  Read the complete post...

I didn’t realize it at the time or I would have raised the flop, but this is one of those interesting PLO situations where my draw is a pretty solid favorite against the nuts:

PokerStars Pot-Limit Omaha High, $1.00 BB (6 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com

UTG ($339.20)
MP ($254.90)
CO ($497.05)
Hero ($301.60)
SB ($315.35)
BB ($290)

Preflop: Hero is Button with 6c, 9d, 5d, 8s.
3 folds, Hero raises to $4.7, SB calls $4.20, BB calls $3.70.

Flop: ($14.70) 8d, 6d, 4h (3 players)
SB checks, BB bets $14.55, Hero calls $14.55, SB calls $14.55.

Turn: ($58.35) 3c (3 players)
SB checks, BB bets $56.05, Hero calls $56.05, SB raises to $280.25, BB calls $214.50 (All-In), Hero folds.

River: ($665.20) Ts (2 players, 1 all-in)

Final Pot: $665.20

Results in white below:

SB has 5h 2s 7h Qs (straight, eight high).

BB has 2c As 5s 7d (straight, eight high).

Outcome: SB wins $337.45. BB wins $327.75.

In this case I’ve got 62% equity on the flop, but that’s in part because neither Villain has any redraws. Against a range of 75xx, I’ve got 54% equity. Also it looks like folding the turn is a bad idea. I was thinking that half of my 7′s were dead and my flush draw could easily be dominated, but even against the 75xx range I’ve got 33% equity and I need just 25%. Live and learn.

I figured Villain’s river range was nuts/bluffs, and given that this was a backdoor draw and the flop draws missed, there’d be enough bluffs to warrant a call. I hadn’t counted on this:

PokerStars Pot-Limit Omaha High, $1.00 BB (5 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com

Button ($655.40)
SB ($257.95)
Hero ($258.45)
UTG ($318)
MP ($50.75)

Preflop: Hero is BB with 3s, Tc, 5c, Th.
UTG calls $1, 2 folds, SB completes, Hero checks.

Flop: ($3.60) 4c, 9d, 2d (3 players)
SB bets $3, Hero calls $3, UTG calls $3.

Turn: ($12.60) Ts (3 players)
SB bets $12.4, Hero raises to $42.8, UTG folds, SB calls $30.40.

River: ($98.20) Kh (2 players)
SB bets $90.95, Hero calls $90.95.

Final Pot: $280.10

Results in white below:
SB has Ks Kd Jd 7d (three of a kind, kings).
Hero has 3s Tc 5c Th (three of a kind, tens).
Outcome: SB wins $280.10.

My girlfriend was kind enough to let me plan our Valentine’s Day around an interview with Mike and Adam. We spoke for a little over half an hour about all kinds of stuff: blogging, coaching, traveling, and of course strategy.

My only regret is with regard to the last question they asked me, about discussing a current controversy. I paused for a long time trying to choose something good, and then I got self-conscious about how long it was taking and just started talking without really organizing my thoughts. Turns out they edited out the pause anyway, so I wish I’d just taken my time and given a more well thought out response. You can find a more thorough explanation of my take on the ethics of endorsing a certain disreputable site on the premier edition of the Poker Ethicist.

Check me out and please let me know what you think. You should really listen to the whole show, but my interview starts when they return from the break around the 50-minute mark.