Posts Tagged ‘PLO’

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.

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

Hero ($288.45)
BB ($99.70)
UTG ($238.20)
MP ($110.80)
Button ($250)

Preflop: Hero is SB with Qh, Kh, Jc, Ts.
2 folds, Button raises to $2.5, Hero raises to $9.5, 1 fold, Button calls $7.

Flop: ($20.40) Kc, Ah, Jh (2 players)
Hero bets $17, Button raises to $52, Hero raises to $175.95, Button raises to $240.3, Hero calls $64.35.

Turn: ($501) 4d (2 players)

River: ($501) 6d (2 players)

Final Pot: $501

Results below:

Hero has Qh Kh Jc Ts (straight, ace high).
Button has 8d Qc 5h Th (straight, ace high).
Outcome: Hero wins $250.50. Button wins $250.50.

With the nuts + nut flush draw + 2-pair I have 76% equity against Villain’s nuts + lower flush draw. Chopping this 500 BB pot with him was almost more tilting than getting sucked out on, especially when I realized that I actually lost $.20 to rake. I was having trouble finding this hand in my HEM because I was looking under pots that I’d won, and it was actually in the red .

Villain is an excellent NLHE player and surely competent enough to read my hand and play well in this spot. I feel like there are no just good options with my hand on a flop like this because it’s essentially face up.

PokerStars Pot-Limit Omaha High, $2 BB (5 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com

UTG ($970.25)
MP ($192.75)
Button ($419.30)
Hero ($500.10)
BB ($154.15)

Preflop: Hero is SB with Tc, Ah, Jc, As.
UTG raises to $8, MP calls $8, Button raises to $24, Hero raises to $92, 1 fold, UTG folds, MP folds, Button calls $68.

Flop: ($202.40) 8d, 3c, 2h (2 players)

There’s about $320 left in the effective stacks, and I’m really lost about what to do here. My hand looks exactly like what it is, and on a board like this there’s virtually no way for me to have any kind of draw to back up a bare AA.

At the same time, this is a ridiculously tough spot to balance my pre-flop 4-betting range. I guess I could just not 4-bet at all, but I’m getting like 1/4 of the effective stacks in pre-flop and I’ve got good Aces, so I’m giving up a lot of pre-flop value if I go that route.  Read the complete post...

In NLHE, I pretty much always choose to call rather than re-raise-get-it-in when I have position and suspect some sort of coinflip situation (overs vs. pair pre-flop, top pair vs. big draw on the flop, etc.). I figure that between position and superior skill, I ought to be able to do better than the 50-50 or 54-46 or whatever I’d have by getting the money in right away.

I imagine the same principle applies in PLO, but because I don’t have confidence in my hand-reading and other skills, I probably get it in on a flip too often when I ought to be able to take better advantage of my position to play later streets.

PokerStars Pot-Limit Omaha High, $2 BB (6 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com

Button ($208.45)
SB ($215.35)
BB ($236.50)
UTG ($938.95)
Hero ($240.30)
CO ($121.45)

Preflop: Hero is MP with 6d, 8c, 4c, 7s.
1 fold, Hero raises to $7, 2 folds, SB calls $6, 1 fold.

Flop: ($16) Ad, 3c, 5h (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $12, SB raises to $28, Hero raises to $99.2, SB raises to $208.35, Hero calls $109.15.

Turn: ($432.70) Jd (2 players)

River: ($432.70) Th (2 players)

Final Pot: $432.70

Results in white below:  Read the complete post...

This is the fifth and final part of my Setting Effective New Year’s Resolutions for Poker Success series. If you haven’t already, please check out Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4.

Today’s goals are smarter and not particularly similar to each other, but this has gone on for long enough, so I’m posting them both.

Goal 5: Lose Two Pounds Per Month

I’m not fat, but I’m bigger than I should be. I’m just shy of 6′ and weigh in around 200 lbs, probably a little more since Christmas. 180 is about as small as I’ve been in my adult life, and I don’t see any reason why I can’t get back there. I don’t know enough about weight loss to know whether resolving to shed pounds is like resolving to win money, not entirely under my control. So I’m making it a goal and resolving to do a lot of productive things more consistently than I do now. If I do those things, I’ll be happy whether I actually lose the weight or not.

Average 1 Hour of Deliberate Exercise Every Day  Read the complete post...

It’s been a while, but with only one month left in the year, it’s time to assess my progress on my goals for the year and consider how I should allocate my remaining time.

Goal 1: Average 15 Hours/Week Playing My “Regular” Games

Goal 2: Earn $X in NLHE Cash Games

I’m nowhere near my cash games goal, and I’ve given up trying. Basically tournaments were going so well for me that I started putting more time into those and when I did grind cash games it was usually easier stuff that wasn’t quite as lucrative. Thankfully tournaments have gone so well that I don’t really need cash games to contribute to the year’s income.

Goal 3: Earn Supernova status on PokerStars

This is still within my grasp, but I need nearly 9000 points, which is more than I’ve earned in any one month this year. When I do play, it’s going to be with a focus on picking up FPP’s so that I can be sure of making Supernova.  Read the complete post...

PokerStars No-Limit Hold’em, $4.00 BB (5 handed) – Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Hero (BB) ($400)
UTG ($400)
MP ($300)
Button ($414)
SB ($425)

Preflop: Hero is BB with 10, A
2 folds, Button bets $12, 1 fold, Hero calls $8

Flop: ($26) 6, J, 8 (2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets $20, Hero calls $20

Turn: ($66) K (2 players)
Hero checks, Button checks

River: ($66) 9 (2 players)
Hero bets $44, Button raises to $116, Hero raises to $368 (All-In), 1 fold

Total pot: $298 | Rake: $2

Results:
Hero didn’t show 10, A (nothing).
Outcome: Hero won $296

I called the flop thinking A-high would be good often enough, but by the river I felt like there was more value in turning my hand into a bluff by leading out.

I must say, the raise surprised me. I really had no idea what to make of it: could be a thin value raise with J9/89, could be QT, could be turning something into a bluff. I actually thought flushes were less likely since the turn is such a good double barrel spot (unless she has the Jd or 8d, I suppose), and anyways she can’t have the nuts (not that I expect her to fold any flush).  Read the complete post...

Even after days when I’m totally immersed in poker, it’s pretty rare for me to dream about the game (or to remember those dreams, anyway). I’m sure it’s happened before, but I can’t recall any specific instances. I had two such dreams last night, though.

In the first, I raised with ATo and get one caller. The flop came AA9. I bet, he called. Turn was a 7, I checked, he bet, I called. River was an A, and he had about half a pot-sized bet left in his stack, so I shoved. He tanked and called with J9. “I have it,” I told him, and proudly tabled… 97. I stared at my cards in confusion for a moment, then looked at the board and said, “At lease we chop it.” Then the dealer started shuffling the board back into the deck without awarding the pot to us. As he did, I saw the 9 and 7 and, confusing myself, announced that I had two pair and it’s not a chop. The dealer called for the floor, and while we waited, I realized that it actually should be a chop. Only now the dealer has decided to reconstruct the flop and he does it wrong, this time putting up AA975, turning it into a scoop for my opponent.  Read the complete post...