An Unexpected Source
Monday, April 10, 2006
I started the poker day yesterday with high hopes. Wifey Kim was on Long Island helping her mother find a dress for an upcoming party. That left me home alone with a list of chores and a portable laptop.
The day started with a $10 MTT. I lasted until about 21st place out of 63 or so until I succumbed to my fate. I followed that up with another $10 MTT. Again, I lost. Hoping to turn it around, I played a $20 MTT on Absolute. Yep. Lost again. Specifics escape me, but it wasn't poor play, at least not primarily. It was a little bit of the ole variance. My suspicions regarding sir variance was confirmed when I decided to play a $20 SNG on Absolute. A single table tournament with no distractions...this should be a piece of cake. And it was. That is, until we were down to 4 people. Then, on the bubble, I confidently call someone's all-in with my AK. He held A6...and flopped a 6. Not one to sulk, I played with my uber short stack until I got it to a somewhat threatening level, think 900 when all other players have 2k plus. I pushed all-in trying to hold onto the momentum, but my A3 was called by AQ. A 3 on the flop made me glad that variance had come around, until the turn and the river showed QQ.
So, with all of these losses, I was down $75. Don't waste your time with the math. I may've left something out, but whatever the case, $75 by about 2pm was a near 10% loss of my bankroll. With a heavy heart, I went to play some Literati on Yahoo Games. My mind still wanted a challenge, a little interaction. I whooped some serious Scrabble-like ass, hitting 7-letter words like it was my job. I then settled into the couch for another episode of Jack Bauer. I've just started watching 24 from the DVDs ala NetFlix. I'm on the 2nd disc of season 1, and I've got about 4 seasons to go. Joy of joys.
The laptop looked at me with a wistful eye. "Play with me, Jordan. Play with me!" I tried to look away, recounting to myself how it just wasn't my day. "I've got other games Jordan," it said. "Softer games. Lower variance games." Damnit! With nothing but time on my hands, I eventually gave in. But I was done with those damn tournaments. It was time for a change of pace. It was time for a ring game.
I signed onto Noble poker (home of some of the softest action ever), and decided to see if anything was happening at their Omaha and Omaha hi/lo tables. To my surprise, there was a near-full .25/.50 PLO8 table calling my name. I sat down and considered short-buying, but in the end decided on the full $50. I had work to do, but I resigned myself to playing smart, playing tight, and accepting points toward my bonus, if nothing else.
And then it happened. It wasn't anything particular. I was just playing well. If I have a hand in PLO8, I max the pot. Usually, I wait until I have the nuts, or near the nuts. Hand selection is generally: any four cards from A through T, any three cards from A through 5, any three cards from A through J with a suited low card, and random other hands where they are doubled suited or have a suited Ace with a two. It's not exactly a science, but more of an art. I just had to remember the mantra: middle cards are crap.
As an example, if I held four cards from Ace through Ten, I'd bet the pot. I'm hoping that no low comes, and I'm also hoping to bet out those seeking a low. If I hit the flop (and not just a piece, like a pair of aces), I max it again. It was amazing to me how many people would call with crap. They were drawing to the low, or some other crap.
The joy about hi/lo is, there is just more strategy. I was looking for scooping hands. I wasn't just going for the low. But at times, I knew that I could save myself with my low if my high hand wasn't good enough. At other times, I was able to read from my opponent that they were going for the low, so my top pair was good. OR, when my high lost, my back up low hit.
In the end, in less than an hour, I had won back $63 of my $75 in MTT/SNG losses. I was ready to take a break when I saw Veneno online. We chatted a bit before she asked if I was still looking for a HU rematch against her. I hate to say it, but Veneno is like my personal ATM. I currently lead her by 5 games after yesterday's win, making me one of, if not THE, most profitable players against Veneno HU. She's a HU specialist, and I'm a Veneno HU specialist. Once again, her suckout poison was a factor, saving herself twice before I was able to give the death blow. If you are looking for a good time though, a HU match with Veneno can't be beat. With that win ($5 game) I was inches from a positive day. But, I decided that it was time for another break and more time with Jack Bauer.
Wifey Kim came home and we spent some time together. Time passed and bed time came for the wifey. I lurked back into the living room, like a crackhead looking to score. My crackhouse, the laptop, was waiting for me with plenty of Noble poker soft action.
After my earlier success, I decided to return to the PLO8 table. The .25/.50 game was full, so I put myself on the watilist. But a shorthanded .10/.20 game was going, so I hopped in. Long story short, about 10 minutes later, while I played at the .10/.20 game and chatted with DP (aka Fluxer), the .25/.50 table openned up. I was already ahead about $15 (with a $20 buy-in) at the .10/.20 game, so I decided to play in both games. The end result, up about $25 at the .10/.20 game and $15+ in the .25/.50 game. It was like printing money. I finally called it a night when I saw myself slipping due to fatigue. I called down some crappy hand in the .10/.20 game, losing about $4. That was enough of a sign. I hadn't been losing any showdowns in the PLO8 games , so I decided to wrap it up.
Omaha 8 or better, my new cashcow. Who woulda thunk it? Not me. I can't wait for tonight!
posted by Jordan @ 11:02 AM,
13 Comments:
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At 12:20 PM,
said...
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If you can get past the headaches of PLO H/L, then it seems to be a lucrative game. I mean headaches as I can't seem to think fast enough to know if I'm going to win both or lose both whenever I play. Nice comeback.
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At 12:49 PM,
said...
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Good job on the PLO H/L, I had a similar experience in RAZZ this weekend where I made up a lot of the losses from the weekend on a game that I seldom play.
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At 1:32 PM,
said...
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Two months ago I went to Foxwoods and lost $200 playing poker.
My "unexpected source" ended up being roulette and the color red, coupled with one $200 bet. I'm a degenerate. -
At 1:41 PM,
said...
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HAHA! DP, my buddy Roose always hits the roulette wheel on our way out of casinos (or up to our rooms). Sometimes he puts down whatever he won, or whatever is left. He'll just put down 154 or whatever on black or red, hit it and quit it. It's a weird thing to me, but I am impressed by anyone with that much gamble in them.
Prez, I've also had some luck like that in Razz. I think part of it is changing your game of choice when you are running bad. I don't know if that changes luck or makes us play more focused, but either way, I've found that it works.
PS- Kids, don't try this at home. -
At 2:13 PM,
said...
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Hmmmm... maybe I'll finally sign up at Titan and hit up those PLO8 tables.
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At 8:23 PM,
said...
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Just wanted to say thanks for blogging about the $20 6 person RIO SNG's on Titan. I was bored looking far a game so I fired one up and took it down. There was 1 solid player 3 Donkey's and a Luckbox at my table. I see why there your personal ATM.
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At 11:47 PM,
said...
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lmao..I'm your personal ATM..funny..and what about the bounties..
Perhaps I'm just paying to be amused, cause you are quite the entertainer. Nothing like getting Jordan's smack talk and laughter while playing HU. That being said, I think I might have to knock you down a few notches.
Best wishes... -
At 8:06 AM,
said...
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Jordan, great blog. It's always a pleasure to read. And congrats on finding that cash cow. There's nothing better than potting it with the nuts and having 4 -5 callers. PLO8 is a GREAT game!! If you are any good at 7stud, low limit 7stud hi/lo is also a great source of free money!!
Keep up the good work on the blog. -
At 9:58 AM,
said...
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One of my friends is disgustingly good at 5-10 NL and he has no problem with putting down $1500 on red at the end of a night. What's worse is he's got about a 60% success rate.
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At 1:20 PM,
said...
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Hi- I'd like to send you a news tip that I think with your law background and love for poker you'll find very interesting... where can I send you an email?
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At 1:49 PM,
said...
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First off, where the hell are these new people coming from? Wherever it is, keep it coming!! Thank you for your participation and your kind words. It makes this blog thing worth it.
And CS, I can be reached by email at highonpokr@yahoo.com (no E). Thanks. -
At 5:24 PM,
said...
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I used to post replies on your blog as well as Steeler Josh and TripJax, but then I stopped for a while. I'd post under my old name but I forget what it was. Some blogger ID I don't use anymore.
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At 10:10 PM,
said...
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Well, welcome back Tom.
