Running well

So I've been playing alot at $50PLO8 and really starting to get comfortable there. I've been running pretty well over all, but I think I've been playing pretty well in between to maximize profits and minimize losses. I'm up about 15 buyins over the last 3 weeks or so, with limited time played.

Had my biggest one table win the other day since moving up, a total of 3 1/2buyins. Combined with another 1/2 buyin, it was a good night.

I've picked up the aggression recently, especially in the right spots I believe. I'm really putting alot more thought into ranges, outs within those ranges, fold equity within such ranges and fear equity. Fear equity is a great thing. In many, many cases, something which is very unique to PLO8, you can pick up a pretty big pot with virtually nothing. Winning high hands and low hands will often fold to river strength. Make them fear river bets.

Speaking of which, the river can be very important to mainting a solid win rate. Many times, pots are split that may not have been had you bet. I don't know how many times I've checked a modest high hand on the river and split the pot where if I'd bet even just a little, they wouldn't have called and I would've scooped. For example, say there is $10 in the pot on the river and I have middle 2pr in position, with a relatively docile board. Alot of occasions, this will checked and split between 3rd or 4th low and your high 2pr. End result $5. If you bet $5-7, and they call, you win $5+ the last bet back. If they don't call, you win $10. Big difference in end result. If opponent CR's, then it becomes a player specific situation. Point is, don't be afraid to bet the river, even if you feel you may just be splitting.

Just wanted to have a quick update here, it's been awhile.

Note- I'll be posting alot of hand histories over the in the Full Tilt Poker Forum for the next little bit in a series of Good, Bad & Ugly(GBU's) threads. They'll basically consist of one good hand(played well, optimized EV), one bad hand(poorly played, regardless of result) and one ugly hand(played poorly but still won, played well but lost, nasty badbeat, etc.) I think it will result, eventually, in some quality discussion and move beyond the basic level of thinking currently employed by the majority of forumers. Anyone is welcome to post their own GBU's in the O8 forum as well.

Floating

Knowing your opponents tendencies helps for a successful float in PLO8. When I mean successful, I mean stacking them. In the hand in the link below, I contemplated raising the turn, but I knew the villian was aggressive and would likely stack off with middle 2pr+FD here. If there weren't the flush draw, I'm probably popping it up on the turn.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?2113876

Horse

So I decided this afternoon, something I wish I'd done sooner, to try to satellite into the Horse FTOPS via a $69+ tourney. At 2:00pm, with the start time set for 2:15, there were only 2 people signed up with 1 seat guaranteed. Now, I had one little issue, I had to be home by 4pm to get my daughter off the bus. I figured if it stayed under 16 entrants, I'd be ok. Also, I had my laptop.

At 3 minutes before start time, there were 9 signed up. I look after being seated, 22. Ugh. Better grab my laptop during the 1st break I thought. Played pretty TAGy and was third in chips at the break, feeling good about my play in general. I wish I'd planned it sooner because there really are some awful players in these Horse events. I like these smaller Horse MTT's, it's been awhile since I played in one and I generally have success in them when I do enter.

Dammit! Laptop's not in the car, I left it at home. So I'm faced with 18 players left and 35 minutes before I have to leave to get home in time. I had 2 minutes left on the break with O8 the next up. I only live less than 15 minutes away, but it can be an incredibly long 15 minutes. With 10 minute rounds, I should only miss a moment of Razz. So I close up the shop quickly and hop in the car. I'm just about out of gas. I'm now starting to tweak, just a bit. Book it to the gas station, not a big place but was not usually busy at all at this hour. Not busy today, except for two trucks. One on each side of the island, both getting diesel. Why is this meaningful? Because the diesel pump is right in the middle of the island, each truck was parked in the middle, completely blocking the rest of the pumps.

I'm freaking out a lot more now, just swearing at everyone, of course with my window up. Atleast one of the truck drivers was conscious of the situation, the other was typically oblivious. He seemed to try to pick up the pace. Finally got gassed up and raced home. I got home, ran inside and woke up my computer. Gave it a few moments, then clicked the FTP icon. SOFTWARE UPDATE. AAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGHGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. I hadn't played on my PC at home since before the last update. This is especially annoying because my system will not update from that icon. No matter what I do, it constantly says error, so I have to download the client again to retrieve the update. This is very time consuming.

I finally get logged back in and it's in Stud. I completely missed Razz and O8! My chipstack dropped about %25 which by itself wasn't so bad, however, a lot of others had increased significantly. Another 4 had been bumped off and about 5 more were in the 3-4 Big Bet range. I was at about 8 BB's, so not in much better shape. I rode a wave in the 5-10 BB range and somehow made it to the final table. Pearljammed was there, he has an interesting style.

Again the rollercoaster ride between 5-10BB's until I found myself 5-handed, on the bubble, with only 900 chips during Stud where I caught a set of 9's and doubled up. I picked up another medium size pot and felt like I was rolling along. Instead I just went card dead, with numerous bring in's. Man I'm getting tired, have to wrap this up. Managed to bust the the bubble, but went out in 4th, missing the entry. Did win $160, so not a bad consolation prize. I'm going to bed.

The Bloodshed Continues

One of many today. For once I'd like something to hold up. Me way ahead means I lose.

Full Tilt Poker Game #5120745607: Table Yankee (6 max) - $0.10/$0.25 - Pot Limit Omaha H/L - 16:17:59 ET - 2008/02/04
Seat 1: Zophar ($27.95)
Seat 2: swifor- ($22.60)
Seat 3: HereTwoPlay1 ($2.20)
Seat 4: fikolo ($14.25)
Seat 5: Joe7777hi ($34.10)
Seat 6: finess23 ($20.90)
finess23 posts the small blind of $0.10
Zophar posts the big blind of $0.25
The button is in seat #5
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Zophar [7s 8d Th Tc]
swifor- calls $0.25
HereTwoPlay1 folds
fikolo folds
Joe7777hi folds
Joe7777hi stands up
finess23 calls $0.15
Zophar checks
*** FLOP *** [7c 2d 9c]
finess23 checks
Zophar checks
swifor- checks
*** TURN *** [7c 2d 9c] [6d]
finess23 bets $0.75
Zophar calls $0.75
swifor- raises to $3.75
finess23 has 15 seconds left to act
finess23 calls $3
Zophar raises to $15.75
swifor- has 15 seconds left to act
fraki999 sits down
swifor- raises to $22.35, and is all in
fraki999 adds $5
finess23 has 15 seconds left to act
finess23 calls $16.90, and is all in
Zophar calls $6.60
swifor- shows [6h 3h Ah Kc]
finess23 shows [8c Qs 4c 3c]
Zophar shows [7s 8d Th Tc]
*** RIVER *** [7c 2d 9c 6d] [Jc]
swifor- shows a pair of Sixes, for high andswifor- shows 7,6,3,2,A, for low
Zophar shows a straight, Jack high, for high
Zophar wins the high side pot ($1.70) with a straight, Jack high
swifor- wins the low side pot ($1.70) with 7,6,3,2,A
finess23 shows a flush, Jack high, for high andfiness23 shows 7,6,4,3,2, for low
finess23 wins the high main pot ($29.85) with a flush, Jack high
swifor- wins the low main pot ($29.85) with 7,6,3,2,A
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $66.10 Main pot $62.70. Side pot $3.40. | Rake $3
Board: [7c 2d 9c 6d Jc]
Seat 1: Zophar (big blind) showed [7s 8d Th Tc] and won ($1.70) with HI: a straight, Jack high
Seat 2: swifor- showed [6h 3h Ah Kc] and won ($31.55) with HI: a pair of Sixes; LO: 7,6,3,2,A
Seat 3: HereTwoPlay1 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 4: fikolo didn't bet (folded)
Seat 5: Joe7777hi (button) didn't bet (folded)
Seat 6: finess23 (small blind) showed [8c Qs 4c 3c] and won ($29.85) with HI: a flush, Jack high; LO: 7,6,4,3,2

I'm atleast running super hot in 5 card. Some ray of hope.

Feels like the Arctic

Damn, when I run cold it's amazingly brutal. If I jam ahead, in a race or behind, I lose. Don't know what it is. Last night was one of those times. 5 or 6 major pots nailed me. One hand really bugs me. On the flop I knew I had nut low, w/great flush draw and a gutshot. Popped it up after he bet. Turn brings a 4. Now this counterfeits me, but still only one low beats me, I still have the flush and gutshot. The one combo of cards that can beat me is ofcourse in his hands after we get it all in and I lose. 1 card changed everything from flop to turn. From basically having him dominated, he caught his miracle.

Unfortunately, I misread the situation. Also what was unfortunate was that it was another situation where I kept running into the nuts all night. I'm sitting there clawing away, trying to get a little value out of at best, average winning hands of middle 2pr and 4th low, when my opponents are catching solid top 2 and nut or 2nd nut lows left and right. At one point showed down atleast 6 straight hands where I was 3 steps behind. Then I'd have a big hand that was miracle quartered on the river, then repeat some nasty showdowns.

Jammed a few killer flops,like A2310c on a board of 5610(2clubs). Villian had set of 6's. Turn 9c. River 9. Ugh. Another big hand I had AK10Jss. UTG pots it, I call in the BB. Flop 10J2. I chk/call the flop because we're fairly deep. Figure I'm likely ahead w/top 2 and a gutshot. Turn brings a rainbow 3. Now I like that card. It's a lot less likely that UTG has a good low now. At best maybe a crappy low and straight draw of some sort, or still bare aces. I figure it's time for a check raise all in. They have KQJ7ds. What! They stacked off w/top pair and an OESD. Of coarse a 9 fell. Ugh.

I know I played poorly in some spots, but combine that with running cold, it was awful. I need to learn to reaaallllyy nut peddle when I'm running like this. Sow down on flop jams even though my equity is slightly ahead and just try to milk made hands on later streets. My hope is that this will keep my play in check and not deviate from proper actions. No frusteration jams.