Played in a PLO8 MTT on UB last night. $10+1 with 116 entries. Started at 8:40 and I was playing until 12:40. Finished in 3rd. I could easily have been knocked out earlier or won the thing, so I'm pretty happy with the finish. Won $136.60.
I do regret playing the 2 $55+2.5 HU SNGs on PokerStars at the same time, since I lost both and only have ~$10 profit to show for my 4 hours of playing.
I really wish PokerStars had a few more of these. The only PLO8 MTTs are on the week-end during the day, which is a really bad time for me since I spend it with the family. But there are so many PLO8 players on PS that the payouts would be very sweet.
Oh well, I'll have to suffice with SNGs in the mean time.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
PTO
That is the anagram of Poker Tracker Omaha. When I first got this tool for my cash games, my results changes drastically. My haphazard notes on players got refined and I started to really win big at the low levels (.10/.25, .25/.50). There were players whom I thought were good/profitable, but really were not, and once I know the hands that they were playing, I was able to then take advantage of it.
I mention this now because I hadn't updated my stats since I started this blog. The main reason was that the tool wasn't properly updating from the hand histories for my SNGs. I finally got in gear and went to the forums to pick up an update which fixed the issues and I analyzed the games of the two players whom I believe at the better HU players I've played against: tatta and vendo. It's funny, because originally, I thought vendo was a mark, but it was that my style of play was effective against his general style. I've moved him into the "good player" category because he's made the appropriate adjustments against me and had taken several games in a row.
The interesting thing that I found was that they were more selective from the SB, and that they both really opened up their check-raising range against me. Makes sense, since I raise PF 50% of the time, and cbet a good number of flops, seems like the right thing to do. So today, I found vendo at the $55+2.5 and I played against him with my new knowledge. My goal was to be less aggro PF, and fold the worst ~15% of hands from the SB (1 out of 6ish). Then try to limit my aggression post-flop in the early betting rounds.
Worked pretty well. We stayed pretty close to the starting stacks through the first few rounds. I was fortunate that I was able to show him a slow play of the nut flush across flop and turn, and only value bet the river in position. He called down with 2 pair. I don't think he's ever seen me do that.
In the end, I found that he didn't check-raise me as much as he normally did, and I was able to make many value bets on the river, which were called. In the later blind rounds, I was able to then bluff a few turns, because I had shown so little aggression up to that point that he respected my bets again.
I eventually won the match, but I was more happy that I was able to implement a strategy, and see my opponent begin to behave in a way that help me make decisions. I would like to have a few more matches against him to see if I can continue to adjust appropriately. I'd also like to try tatta again and see if I can figure out a successful strategy against him.
I mention this now because I hadn't updated my stats since I started this blog. The main reason was that the tool wasn't properly updating from the hand histories for my SNGs. I finally got in gear and went to the forums to pick up an update which fixed the issues and I analyzed the games of the two players whom I believe at the better HU players I've played against: tatta and vendo. It's funny, because originally, I thought vendo was a mark, but it was that my style of play was effective against his general style. I've moved him into the "good player" category because he's made the appropriate adjustments against me and had taken several games in a row.
The interesting thing that I found was that they were more selective from the SB, and that they both really opened up their check-raising range against me. Makes sense, since I raise PF 50% of the time, and cbet a good number of flops, seems like the right thing to do. So today, I found vendo at the $55+2.5 and I played against him with my new knowledge. My goal was to be less aggro PF, and fold the worst ~15% of hands from the SB (1 out of 6ish). Then try to limit my aggression post-flop in the early betting rounds.
Worked pretty well. We stayed pretty close to the starting stacks through the first few rounds. I was fortunate that I was able to show him a slow play of the nut flush across flop and turn, and only value bet the river in position. He called down with 2 pair. I don't think he's ever seen me do that.
In the end, I found that he didn't check-raise me as much as he normally did, and I was able to make many value bets on the river, which were called. In the later blind rounds, I was able to then bluff a few turns, because I had shown so little aggression up to that point that he respected my bets again.
I eventually won the match, but I was more happy that I was able to implement a strategy, and see my opponent begin to behave in a way that help me make decisions. I would like to have a few more matches against him to see if I can continue to adjust appropriately. I'd also like to try tatta again and see if I can figure out a successful strategy against him.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Spinning my wheels
Win one, lose one, win one, lose one. So goes my UB $20+1 HU matches. Of course, I shouldn't have been playing while on the work conference call, but I'm needed for like 5 minutes in a 2 hour call, so I might as well entertain myself.
I was trying to get to $100 overall on UB before moving back to PS, but it just isn't working. I'm 5/4 in the $20+1 HU thus far for a grand profit of $7. Take away the entry fee for the $20+2 FT, and I'm ($15). So, for my last game of the night, I found a player I used to play a lot against, XUE????2002, sitting at the $50+2.5. Took a while, mostly because I was making donkey calls of re-raises despite my note saying "all re-raises mean the nuts". Eventually, I caught him calling down with enough weak hands to get back my chips and win the match. That gave me a net profit of $47.50, and I'm +$32.50 for my UB experience over the past 3 days. Not exactly tearing it up. I'll extend the experiment for a bit, but it I keep spinning my wheels like this, I'll be leaving soon.
I was trying to get to $100 overall on UB before moving back to PS, but it just isn't working. I'm 5/4 in the $20+1 HU thus far for a grand profit of $7. Take away the entry fee for the $20+2 FT, and I'm ($15). So, for my last game of the night, I found a player I used to play a lot against, XUE????2002, sitting at the $50+2.5. Took a while, mostly because I was making donkey calls of re-raises despite my note saying "all re-raises mean the nuts". Eventually, I caught him calling down with enough weak hands to get back my chips and win the match. That gave me a net profit of $47.50, and I'm +$32.50 for my UB experience over the past 3 days. Not exactly tearing it up. I'll extend the experiment for a bit, but it I keep spinning my wheels like this, I'll be leaving soon.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Crappy UI
In my overjoyed state of winning $35 last night on UltimateBet, I forgot to mention how crappy the user interface (UI) is. UltimateBet was the first site I played, and the interface from 5 years ago was much better than it is now.
First of all, the "mini table" was AWESOME. I don't care for avatars and animation when I play. Cards+chips=perfect. The mini table was a small horizontal strip which showed your 9 opponents, your hole cards (mini table not available for stud games). and everyone's chip count. I could fit a dozen of those tables on the screen. Now, to do so, would require magnifying glasses to see my cards.
Secondly, the hand history interface just totally blows. It used to be a simple text box, with everything nice and spaced out. Very readable. Now, it's garbage. I try and review my opponents hands after they have past, and it's so not very easy to do.
Ever since they merged with Absolute Poker, it sucks. I think that's one of the reasons I decided to play other sites (lack of good bonuses pushed me away too). I'm playing there again tonight to see how much I can make just playing HU matches. However, I see my little UB jaunt coming to an end soon. Too few players, just not worth the hassle.
First of all, the "mini table" was AWESOME. I don't care for avatars and animation when I play. Cards+chips=perfect. The mini table was a small horizontal strip which showed your 9 opponents, your hole cards (mini table not available for stud games). and everyone's chip count. I could fit a dozen of those tables on the screen. Now, to do so, would require magnifying glasses to see my cards.
Secondly, the hand history interface just totally blows. It used to be a simple text box, with everything nice and spaced out. Very readable. Now, it's garbage. I try and review my opponents hands after they have past, and it's so not very easy to do.
Ever since they merged with Absolute Poker, it sucks. I think that's one of the reasons I decided to play other sites (lack of good bonuses pushed me away too). I'm playing there again tonight to see how much I can make just playing HU matches. However, I see my little UB jaunt coming to an end soon. Too few players, just not worth the hassle.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
New/old site
I haven't played UltimateBet in 7 months, but given the fact that PokerStars has turned the doom switch to the ON position, I figured it was time for a change.
I played in a PLO8 $20+2 FT and 3x PLO8 $20+1 HU SNGs. I finished 5th in the FT, but won all 3 HU games for a profit of $35. Not bad for an hour+ of my time. The FT game was slow. The blinds didn't rise as fast as at PS, and I ended up pushing too hard too soon, though A357 in the SB running into AA4K in the BB 5 handed is a little bit of a cooler.
The HU games were jokes. I almost won the first game on the 1st hand. I flopped a set of 2s with a flush draw, with the board showing 2cTdJd (I had 2d6d2?5?). The betting, with me leading, was b(pot)/r(pot)/rr(pot)/c. Turn was a 7 I believe, I bet pot, he called. Kd on the river and I bet all-in, and he mucked after a long pause. I totally expected him to call with nut flush. He could have had a higher set, but I doubt it since he didn't move all-in on the turn. My guess was two pair after he mucked.
I find it interesting that I play PLO8 with no fear of my opponents hitting the nuts on various streets. It's interesting because with the extra 2 hole cards compared to hold'em, you've think your opponent would get there more often. I'm sure they do, but I'm getting to the point where I know when they do. Almost all flop calls mean something in PLO8, and all turn calls practically define my opponents hands, at least in tournament settings.
When I play hold'em with my friends, we still have players who will call down with any over cards, and a variety of shitty draws (like chasing runner-runner flushes on purpose), which makes it very difficult to know where you're at. Extracting value from top-pair weak kicker, or middle pair is almost impossible. You either get a fold or a massive re-raise. I guess I'm just bitter that I haven't been placing in our mini tourneys and looking for an excuse... I do wonder though if I played enough NLHE tourneys, if I'd ever get to the same point of confidence I have in PLO8.
I played in a PLO8 $20+2 FT and 3x PLO8 $20+1 HU SNGs. I finished 5th in the FT, but won all 3 HU games for a profit of $35. Not bad for an hour+ of my time. The FT game was slow. The blinds didn't rise as fast as at PS, and I ended up pushing too hard too soon, though A357 in the SB running into AA4K in the BB 5 handed is a little bit of a cooler.
The HU games were jokes. I almost won the first game on the 1st hand. I flopped a set of 2s with a flush draw, with the board showing 2cTdJd (I had 2d6d2?5?). The betting, with me leading, was b(pot)/r(pot)/rr(pot)/c. Turn was a 7 I believe, I bet pot, he called. Kd on the river and I bet all-in, and he mucked after a long pause. I totally expected him to call with nut flush. He could have had a higher set, but I doubt it since he didn't move all-in on the turn. My guess was two pair after he mucked.
I find it interesting that I play PLO8 with no fear of my opponents hitting the nuts on various streets. It's interesting because with the extra 2 hole cards compared to hold'em, you've think your opponent would get there more often. I'm sure they do, but I'm getting to the point where I know when they do. Almost all flop calls mean something in PLO8, and all turn calls practically define my opponents hands, at least in tournament settings.
When I play hold'em with my friends, we still have players who will call down with any over cards, and a variety of shitty draws (like chasing runner-runner flushes on purpose), which makes it very difficult to know where you're at. Extracting value from top-pair weak kicker, or middle pair is almost impossible. You either get a fold or a massive re-raise. I guess I'm just bitter that I haven't been placing in our mini tourneys and looking for an excuse... I do wonder though if I played enough NLHE tourneys, if I'd ever get to the same point of confidence I have in PLO8.
Monday, October 12, 2009
The curse of the withdrawal
I promised myself that, after I pass the $2500 mark on PokerStars, I'd withdraw some of my cash to my e-wallet account. I had deposited $1400 at various times to take advantage of bonuses, but I wanted to reclaim some of my deposit money ($800) for future deposit bonuses.
It never fails: As soon as I withdraw money from a site, all shit breaks loose and I go on a crazy losing streak. I've lost my last 5 HU SNGs (3x$33+1.5, 2x$55+2.5), and each time I've had my opponent up against the ropes, and 2 savior (for him anyway) rivers later I'm eliminated. Thankfully I'm not playing cash games. When I used to play cash, I'd lose close to the amount I had withdrawn, if not more. For now, it's only been ($223.65), so I've got time to stop the bleeding and get back on track.
I'm still positive for the month +$117.35, thanks to my free play day:
$22+1 HU: 0/1 ($23.00)
$30+1.5 HU: 1/0 $28.50
$33+1.5 HU: 2/6 ($144)
$50+2.5 HU: 3/0 $142.50
$55+2.5 HU: 5/6 ($82.50)
$35+3 FT: 1/0/0/0 $119.50
$55+5 FT: 1/0/1/2 $106.50
25PLO8: 2 ($30.15)
It never fails: As soon as I withdraw money from a site, all shit breaks loose and I go on a crazy losing streak. I've lost my last 5 HU SNGs (3x$33+1.5, 2x$55+2.5), and each time I've had my opponent up against the ropes, and 2 savior (for him anyway) rivers later I'm eliminated. Thankfully I'm not playing cash games. When I used to play cash, I'd lose close to the amount I had withdrawn, if not more. For now, it's only been ($223.65), so I've got time to stop the bleeding and get back on track.
I'm still positive for the month +$117.35, thanks to my free play day:
$22+1 HU: 0/1 ($23.00)
$30+1.5 HU: 1/0 $28.50
$33+1.5 HU: 2/6 ($144)
$50+2.5 HU: 3/0 $142.50
$55+2.5 HU: 5/6 ($82.50)
$35+3 FT: 1/0/0/0 $119.50
$55+5 FT: 1/0/1/2 $106.50
25PLO8: 2 ($30.15)
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Free play
I was home on Friday due to a doctor visit. I was able to spend the day playing poker and give myself an idea of what I could do if given 8 hours of time to play as if it were a job. The results were mixed.
On the day, I won $322.50. However, I only won $135 in about 6 hours of playing time during the day. Then I played a single $55+5 FT at night, and finished 1st for $187.50 in .75hours of play. If taken on the whole, $322.50 over 6.75 hours is excellent($47/hr), but I think the $135/6 ($22/hr) is more representative of an achievable hourly rate if I try to play a sustained amount.
The breakdown for the whole day is:
$22+1 HU: 0/1 ($23.00)
$30+1.5 HU: 1/0 $28.50
$33+1.5 HU: 1/2 ($37.50)
$50+2.5 HU: 3/0 $142.50
$55+2.5 HU: 2/2 ($10.00)
$35+3 FT: 1/0/0/0 $119.50
$55+5 FT: 1/0/0/1 $127.50
25PLO8: 1 ($25.00)
The PLO8 cash game was a double or nothing attempt. Start at a low amount, play aggressive and try to double up. If successful, take profits and move to the next level up. Attempt to go from 25 PLO8 to 200 PLO8. I had AA67 run into a K with a KK9 flop, and wasn't able to recover. Such is expected when you are playing fast.
Suffice it to say, I'm gonna keep my day job, and keep playing as a hobby. I love the challenge, and I couldn't quite imaging playing with money which I knew I would need to support my family.
On the day, I won $322.50. However, I only won $135 in about 6 hours of playing time during the day. Then I played a single $55+5 FT at night, and finished 1st for $187.50 in .75hours of play. If taken on the whole, $322.50 over 6.75 hours is excellent($47/hr), but I think the $135/6 ($22/hr) is more representative of an achievable hourly rate if I try to play a sustained amount.
The breakdown for the whole day is:
$22+1 HU: 0/1 ($23.00)
$30+1.5 HU: 1/0 $28.50
$33+1.5 HU: 1/2 ($37.50)
$50+2.5 HU: 3/0 $142.50
$55+2.5 HU: 2/2 ($10.00)
$35+3 FT: 1/0/0/0 $119.50
$55+5 FT: 1/0/0/1 $127.50
25PLO8: 1 ($25.00)
The PLO8 cash game was a double or nothing attempt. Start at a low amount, play aggressive and try to double up. If successful, take profits and move to the next level up. Attempt to go from 25 PLO8 to 200 PLO8. I had AA67 run into a K with a KK9 flop, and wasn't able to recover. Such is expected when you are playing fast.
Suffice it to say, I'm gonna keep my day job, and keep playing as a hobby. I love the challenge, and I couldn't quite imaging playing with money which I knew I would need to support my family.
Friday, October 2, 2009
NLHE tournies
I'm considering adding a NLHE tourney to my set of games. PS has 2 that run nightly which offer the potential of a big score: The 70k nightly ($50+5) and the 100k nightly ($150+12). I'm trying to figure out a strategy of entering them. For example, if I made >$200 on the night before, play the 100k, >$60, play the 70k or something like that. The 70k rarely breaks the 70k mark, but I've seen the 100k have prize pools around 150k.
I've had big chunks of my poker winnings come from a couple NLHE trnys, so maybe it is worth it. If you look at Wacky's comment to my "September Roundup" post, you can see that if I really still want to reach 10k in 12 months, I've got a big uphill climb to get there. Actually, I have admitted to myself that I don't think I can reach my 10k goal, but by changing my focus from 10k to strong play every night, I have seen my results improve. I want to build on that, and if I get to 10k with that approach, that would be cool, but I'm realistic. 5k seems like the most likely end result, and I'm ok with that, since it would be the best 12 month stretch ever anyway.
I've had big chunks of my poker winnings come from a couple NLHE trnys, so maybe it is worth it. If you look at Wacky's comment to my "September Roundup" post, you can see that if I really still want to reach 10k in 12 months, I've got a big uphill climb to get there. Actually, I have admitted to myself that I don't think I can reach my 10k goal, but by changing my focus from 10k to strong play every night, I have seen my results improve. I want to build on that, and if I get to 10k with that approach, that would be cool, but I'm realistic. 5k seems like the most likely end result, and I'm ok with that, since it would be the best 12 month stretch ever anyway.
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