Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Oned

Last night, something happened to me at the poker table that had never happened before. I was oned. I've been eighteened before, more than once; I've been seventeened before. I've been sixteened. I've been nined. I've been eighted. I've even been sevened. Never in my life, however, had I ever been oned before last night. I take it as a token of esteem and affection, straight from the the poker gods to me. The rarity of the occurence is so great, it really doesn't matter that I was on the wrong side of it. It's as big an honor to have played the losing part as it would have been to play the winning one. Here's what happened:

I was dealt 7c 6s, and the flop came 7s 7d 6h. In other words, I flopped a fatty. I ran my homegrown "percent at flop" utility to calculate how big a favorite this made me. Here are the numbers:

  wins      1052114 (98.31)
    fh      1005596
    4k        46518
  losses      10800 ( 1.01)
    fh        10668
    4k           66
    sf           66
  ties         7276 ( 0.68)
    fh         7276
  total     1070190
    fh      1023540
    4k        46584
    sf           66


My opponent had been dealt Tc 7h. The turn was the ten of spades, which gave him a better full house than mine. I was drawing dead at that point, but didn't know it. He went all in on the river. I called, and promptly hit the felt.

Only players who truly love poker will ever have a hand like this happen to them. Why? The answer is actually quite simple. You have to play a ton of hands to have something like this happen to you. No one could play that many hands without truly loving poker.

During current Hold'em session you were dealt 97 hands and saw flop:
 - 18 out of 23 times while in big blind (78%)
 - 17 out of 22 times while in small blind (77%)
 - 36 out of 52 times in other positions (69%)
 - a total of 71 out of 97 (73%)
 Pots won at showdown - 8 of 23 (34%)
 Pots won without showdown - 19

delta: $-40,000
cash game no limit hold'em balance: $4,815,971
balance: $7,172,924

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Fear factor

If there's one thing I've proven to myself after nearly five years of playing online poker, it's that I don't play scared. I'm not afraid to put all my chips in the middle. That's why how I played a particular hand last night came as a real shock to me. I played scared on that hand. I'd been dealt a pair of sevens, and hit trip sevens on the flop. They were the top set, since the other two cards were lower than a seven. I bet the flop pretty big, about $6,000. One of my opponents went all in for over $40,000 after I acted. That scared me enough to fold, without even stopping to think. It was a knee-jerk reaction, and was stupid. If I'd thought about it at all, I would have realized I was still best. I got to see the holding of the all-in player at the showdown; all he had was an ace seven offsuit, which gave him aces up. The only possible saving grace for me was that the board may have supported a straight, but I honestly don't remember. Let me check the archives...

As it turns out, the board did support a straight, but I can't let myself off the hook. I remember being afraid of a bigger set, which was completely nonsensical! In fact, my memory was that my opponent had gone all in on the turn; that's what I originally wrote in the first version of this post. The only reason for me to fear a bigger set, as my self-esteem demanded, was if the all in had come after the turn card, which was an ace, was revealed. Memory is a notoriously tricky thing! I didn't remember what had actually happened, but what I would like to have happened. I didn't want to admit to myself that sometimes the fear factor kicks in and influences my play.

Thankfully, no real damage was done, and I didn't play scared on any other hands. Still, it was a good lesson; I need to be wary of knee-jerk reactions.

During current Hold'em session you were dealt 52 hands and saw flop:
 - 6 out of 7 times while in big blind (85%)
 - 4 out of 6 times while in small blind (66%)
 - 27 out of 39 times in other positions (69%)
 - a total of 37 out of 52 (71%)
 Pots won at showdown - 4 of 6 (66%)
 Pots won without showdown - 7

delta: $35,341
cash game no limit hold'em balance: $4,855,971
balance: $7,212,924

Monday, July 29, 2013

Broken crowns

When you join a table which has a loose cannon, it doesn't take long to find him out. Last night, I knew within the first ten hands that one of my opponents was a real risk-taker. When I was dealt pocket kings on hand 12, and the loosie went all in pre-flop, it didn't take me long to call. He turned over pocket threes, making me a big favorite. Unfortunately, he hit a set of threes on the flop and they held up; I was left with broken crowns. When you make the correct play and it doesn't pan out, there's no sense crying about it. I reupped for the max and set out to win back the chips I'd lost. I succeeded in that quest, and even finished up with a tidy little profit.

During current Hold'em session you were dealt 102 hands and saw flop:
 - 25 out of 25 times while in big blind (100%)
 - 14 out of 26 times while in small blind (53%)
 - 29 out of 51 times in other positions (56%)
 - a total of 68 out of 102 (66%)
 Pots won at showdown - 13 of 27 (48%)
 Pots won without showdown - 11

delta: $9,298
cash game no limit hold'em balance: $4,820,630
balance: $7,177,583

Sunday, July 28, 2013

Four bagger

When you're trying to break out of a slump, small achievements loom larger than they otherwise would. Last night, I had such an achievement, winning my fourth session in a row. It sure felt big to me :-) My night got jump started on hand 9 when an opponent went all in on the turn. I'd just hit two pair, and called. My two pair held up, and I won a pot worth $74,200. That big cash influx allowed me to be really choosy about what hands I was going to play from that point on. That's a great position to be in, and I made the most of it.

During current Hold'em session you were dealt 63 hands and saw flop:
 - 5 out of 8 times while in big blind (62%)
 - 3 out of 9 times while in small blind (33%)
 - 19 out of 46 times in other positions (41%)
 - a total of 27 out of 63 (42%)
 Pots won at showdown - 5 of 9 (55%)
 Pots won without showdown - 1

delta: $52,983
cash game no limit hold'em balance: $4,811,332
balance: $7,168,285

Saturday, July 27, 2013

An aqueous hand

Last night, I more than doubled up on the penultimate hand of the night. I call it an aqueous hand, not because it was watery, but because it was a full house of aces full of queens. It's always a good feeling when you have a full house, and an opponent goes all in. You know you can't lose! In truth, you're as safe as houses :-)

During current Hold'em session you were dealt 63 hands and saw flop:
 - 8 out of 10 times while in big blind (80%)
 - 5 out of 11 times while in small blind (45%)
 - 22 out of 42 times in other positions (52%)
 - a total of 35 out of 63 (55%)
 Pots won at showdown - 5 of 8 (62%)
 Pots won without showdown - 5

delta: $43,600
cash game no limit hold'em balance: $4,758,349
balance: $7,115,302

Friday, July 26, 2013

The outside edge of a lobster claw

Just as no two snowflakes are alike, and no two fingerprints are alike, no two bar charts of your stack size over the course of a session are alike. Looking at last night's, it reminds me of the outside edge of a lobster claw; it starts off with a small pinch inwards, is widest in the the middle of the session, and curves up nicely towards the end. When my stack went north of $50,000 on the penultimate hand of the session, I knew it was time to call it a night.

During current Hold'em session you were dealt 53 hands and saw flop:
 - 9 out of 9 times while in big blind (100%)
 - 7 out of 8 times while in small blind (87%)
 - 22 out of 36 times in other positions (61%)
 - a total of 38 out of 53 (71%)
 Pots won at showdown - 6 of 8 (75%)
 Pots won without showdown - 8

delta: $11,989
cash game no limit hold'em balance: $4,714,749
balance: $7,071,702

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Saved by my fave

Last night, I was hoping to have a short session. In general, the shorter the session, the better the result. I desperately needed something to stop my slump. I was saved by my fave :-) In other words, my favorite type of hand came to my rescue. As you may know, my favorite type of hand is a flush. On hand 16, I more than doubled up when I made a king high flush on the turn. I don't know yet if my fortune has really turned around, but I'm really hoping it has.

During current Hold'em session you were dealt 17 hands and saw flop:
 - 1 out of 2 times while in big blind (50%)
 - 0 out of 2 times while in small blind (0%)
 - 4 out of 13 times in other positions (30%)
 - a total of 5 out of 17 (29%)
 Pots won at showdown - 2 of 2 (100%)
 Pots won without showdown - 0

delta: $37,883
cash game no limit hold'em balance: $4,702,760
balance: $7,059,713

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Treading water

Last night, I treaded water all session long. That was actually a big improvement over the previous night. I ended up with a slight loss, as I didn't have the sense to take a small profit of just over $5,000 when I had the chance. I think I undervalue small profits too much. Better to take a small profit over a small (or big) loss any day. I'll try to correct my thinking.

During current Hold'em session you were dealt 109 hands and saw flop:
 - 15 out of 16 times while in big blind (93%)
 - 9 out of 16 times while in small blind (56%)
 - 39 out of 77 times in other positions (50%)
 - a total of 63 out of 109 (57%)
 Pots won at showdown - 7 of 11 (63%)
 Pots won without showdown - 8

delta: $-4,134
cash game no limit hold'em balance: $4,664,877
balance: $7,021,830

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Down escalator

Down escalators don't drop steeply, and don't move that quickly, but they get the job done; you arrive at the floor below before you know it. The bar chart of my stack size over the course of Sunday night's session resembles a down escalator; it follows a nearly perfect trend line downwards. I hit the felt on hand 84, reupped for the max, and promptly resumed my slide. The only bright spot of the night was when I briefly got my second stack back up to $25,630 after it had fallen as low as $3,466. I have to admit, I'm in a major slump.

During current Hold'em session you were dealt 143 hands and saw flop:
 - 16 out of 21 times while in big blind (76%)
 - 15 out of 23 times while in small blind (65%)
 - 53 out of 99 times in other positions (53%)
 - a total of 84 out of 143 (58%)
 Pots won at showdown - 8 of 21 (38%)
 Pots won without showdown - 6

delta: $-71,970
cash game no limit hold'em balance: $4,669,011
balance: $7,025,964

Sunday, July 21, 2013

The best time to get rockets

I've used the title of this blog post before, but I'm not going to apologize; I'll probably use it again someday. The best time to get rockets is the hand after you've just won a big pot. You can start building a new pot right away; most opponents will just think you're getting frisky with your winnings, and won't be afraid to call. Last night, I won a pot worth $47,500 on hand 77 with a ten high flush. The very next hand, I was dealt Ah Ac. I raised preflop to $800 and got two callers. I hit a set of aces on the flop, bet $600, got raised to $1,200, reraised to $1,800, and got one caller. I hit a fatty on the turn, and the bets from the prior round were repeated exactly. On the river, I bet $600 again, but my opponent didn't bite a third time; he just called. I won a pot worth $11,300, and called it a night the next hand.

During current Hold'em session you were dealt 79 hands and saw flop:
 - 6 out of 9 times while in big blind (66%)
 - 5 out of 10 times while in small blind (50%)
 - 31 out of 60 times in other positions (51%)
 - a total of 42 out of 79 (53%)
 Pots won at showdown - 8 of 14 (57%)
 Pots won without showdown - 3

delta: $15,367
cash game no limit hold'em balance: $4,740,981
balance: $7,097,934

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Above the fray

The kind of session I like the best is when my stack never falls below its original starting amount. I hereby dub such a session an above the fray session. Of the 434 sessions of cash game no limit hold'em I've played since turning on the PokerStars feature which auto-saves the hand histories, 29 have been above the fray. Two of my last three sessions have been above the fray, including last night's.

One of the requirements of an above the fray session is that you win your first hand of the night. I got curious and wrote a tool to find out how many times I've achieved this. Of the 434 sessions mentioned above, I've won the first hand 87 times, good for 20%. Since I always join a table which has six players at it, I should win the first hand roughly one out of seven times, or a shade over 14% of the time. I take it as a good sign that I'm beating the odds straight out of the gate :-)

During current Hold'em session you were dealt 88 hands and saw flop:
 - 13 out of 17 times while in big blind (76%)
 - 8 out of 14 times while in small blind (57%)
 - 25 out of 57 times in other positions (43%)
 - a total of 46 out of 88 (52%)
 Pots won at showdown - 12 of 16 (75%)
 Pots won without showdown - 5

delta: $38,361
cash game no limit hold'em balance: $4,725,614
balance: $7,082,567

Friday, July 19, 2013

A failure to listen

The most dangerous mistake a poker player can make is not to listen. What is there to hear? Plenty, and none of it has to be words. Players communicate with each other via their bets. It's vitally important to listen to what a player is telling you by the size of his bets. The larger the bet, the more carefully you need to listen. Last night, I failed to listen in one crucial instance. I'd hit trip kings on the flop, and an opponent went all in when a queen showed up on the turn. I was too stubborn to fold. He turned over a pair of pocket queens for a full house of queens full of kings. I lost $44,702 on the hand, leaving me with only $8,158. I hit the felt a mere eight hands later. If I had taken the time to think things through logically, I would have realized my hand was beaten. The problem is, if you don't listen, you don't bother thinking :-)

During current Hold'em session you were dealt 67 hands and saw flop:
 - 5 out of 9 times while in big blind (55%)
 - 7 out of 9 times while in small blind (77%)
 - 25 out of 49 times in other positions (51%)
 - a total of 37 out of 67 (55%)
 Pots won at showdown - 3 of 9 (33%)
 Pots won without showdown - 3

delta: $-40,000
cash game no limit hold'em balance: $4,687,253
balance: $7,044,206

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Score one for the trash man

The level of civility one encounters on PokerStars varies widely. Every so often, I run into an opponent who tries to get into my head by insulting me. I used to rise to the bait, but no longer. It's way more satisfying not to respond to such behavior at all. Last night, here are some of the insults one particular opponent hurled my way, over about a 20 minute period:

off suit Trash no blind neo ROOM SCUM
neostreet TRASHHHHH
neostreet is TRASHHHHHHHHHH
neo
Pusy
neo Psy
neostreet SCUM
neostreet TRASH had a Hand lmfao
scum bagggggggggggggggggggggggggg


On hand 50, I won a side pot worth $62,358 and a main pot worth $53,800 with three of a kind, queens. Score one for the trash man!

During current Hold'em session you were dealt 51 hands and saw flop:
 - 6 out of 8 times while in big blind (75%)
 - 2 out of 8 times while in small blind (25%)
 - 22 out of 35 times in other positions (62%)
 - a total of 30 out of 51 (58%)
 Pots won at showdown - 7 of 10 (70%)
 Pots won without showdown - 2

delta: $98,333
cash game no limit hold'em balance: $4,727,253
balance: $7,084,206

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Two shark fins to end the night

Unlike the night before, I played with a decent amount of patience last night. For the first two thirds of the session, I was on a steady downward trend. I lost over $40,000 before I was able to stop the slide. I ended up playing at three different tables, since the first two tables quit on me. It was while I was at the third table that things finally turned around. I got two shark fins at the end of the session. Just as a reminder, a shark fin is when your stack takes a big upward jump, followed by a long series of small declines.

During current Hold'em session you were dealt 123 hands and saw flop:
 - 16 out of 22 times while in big blind (72%)
 - 13 out of 22 times while in small blind (59%)
 - 49 out of 79 times in other positions (62%)
 - a total of 78 out of 123 (63%)
 Pots won at showdown - 9 of 20 (45%)
 Pots won without showdown - 10

delta: $-17,219
cash game no limit hold'em balance: $4,628,920
balance: $6,985,873

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Sessionus horribilus

Last night I had a sessionus horribilus - in other words, a horrible session. How horrible was it? Horrible enough to tie my worst ever cash game no limit hold'em session with a maximum starting stack of $40,000. I hit the felt, hard; not once, not twice, but three times. Friends and neighbors, that's $120,000 gone in less than 60 seconds (counting only the time I spent deciding whether to call huge river bets). Here's the short version of my tale of woe:

- on hand 36, I lost $24,660 to hit the felt the first time; my two pair of tens and fives lost to a king high straight

- on hand 45, I lost $38,040 to hit the felt a second time; my full house of threes full of sevens lost to a full house of aces full of sevens

- on hand 62, I lost $45,858 to hit the felt a third time; my queen high flush, which I'd made on the flop, lost to a full house of fives full of queens

I'm now over the $25 million dollar mark in play money lost in my online poker career. Thankfully, I'm over the $32 million dollar mark in play money won.

During current Hold'em session you were dealt 62 hands and saw flop:
 - 7 out of 7 times while in big blind (100%)
 - 6 out of 8 times while in small blind (75%)
 - 29 out of 47 times in other positions (61%)
 - a total of 42 out of 62 (67%)
 Pots won at showdown - 5 of 14 (35%)
 Pots won without showdown - 3

delta: $-120,000
cash game no limit hold'em balance: $4,646,139
balance: $7,003,092

Monday, July 15, 2013

Ending with a flourish

When it becomes clear that you're not going to have a winning session, the next best thing is ending with a flourish. Last night, I was underwater for 112 of the 116 hands I played. My stack hit its session low of $6,505 at the end of hand 75. At the end of hand 109, my stack was only $8,409. When I won four of the next seven hands, I knew it was time to quit.

During current Hold'em session you were dealt 116 hands and saw flop:
 - 11 out of 15 times while in big blind (73%)
 - 12 out of 16 times while in small blind (75%)
 - 48 out of 85 times in other positions (56%)
 - a total of 71 out of 116 (61%)
 Pots won at showdown - 10 of 20 (50%)
 Pots won without showdown - 9

delta: $-13,699
cash game no limit hold'em balance: $4,766,139
balance: $7,123,092

Sunday, July 14, 2013

Top ten laydown

The most money I've ever spent on a hand without going to showdown is $33,411. Last night, on hand 40, I spent $20,600 without going to showdown; that was good for the eighth spot on my all time list of big money laydowns. I folded on the river since the river card made a flush possible, and an opponent went all in with his last $21,770. As it turned out, I would have won the hand had I called; I had a set of jacks and my opponent only had two pair. I got to see his hole cards since another opponent had gone all in earlier in the hand. I'm not sorry I folded, though; it was the right thing to do.

During current Hold'em session you were dealt 71 hands and saw flop:
 - 13 out of 17 times while in big blind (76%)
 - 13 out of 16 times while in small blind (81%)
 - 26 out of 38 times in other positions (68%)
 - a total of 52 out of 71 (73%)
 Pots won at showdown - 15 of 19 (78%)
 Pots won without showdown - 10

delta: $39,454
cash game no limit hold'em balance: $4,779,838
balance: $7,136,791

Saturday, July 13, 2013

Beware the counterfeit, my son

Good poker consists as much in not doing what you shouldn't do as it does in doing what you should do. Last night, I played quite well with one glaring exception; at that decision point, I did what I shouldn't have done. Keep in mind that I'm talking about a perfectly cut and dried situation here. It wasn't a case of doing something I maybe shouldn't do; it was a case of doing something I categorically and unequivocally should never do. Here's what happened: I was dealt Ad 7d, the flop came Js As 4d, and the turn came 7h. I bet $10,000 on the turn, and got one caller. The river came Jd. Here's where I made my bloomer. I should have taken into account that the pair of jacks on the board counterfeited my pair of sevens. I knew that one of my opponent's cards must be an ace, or he wouldn't have bet the way he had. That meant that the turn card had given both of us a two pair of aces and jacks. That meant that this hand came down to his kicker vs. my kicker. If his kicker was better than a seven, I was toast. The correct play for me to make on the river was a check fold; that is, I should have checked, and folded to any bet he made. Instead, I had the stupidity to bet $20,000 on the river. He raised to $23,540 to go all in, and I called. His queen kicker kicked the crap out of my seven, and I lost a pot worth $82,280, half of which was my money. My stealth two pair on the turn had given me a fatal false sense of invincibility, and I didn't do the proper due diligence on the river to make the correct poker decision. Live and learn!

During current Hold'em session you were dealt 158 hands and saw flop:
 - 18 out of 27 times while in big blind (66%)
 - 20 out of 26 times while in small blind (76%)
 - 54 out of 105 times in other positions (51%)
 - a total of 92 out of 158 (58%)
 Pots won at showdown - 13 of 28 (46%)
 Pots won without showdown - 11

delta: $-31,971
cash game no limit hold'em balance: $4,740,384
balance: $7,097,337

Friday, July 12, 2013

Scuba night

Since I was underwater for 139 of the 148 hands I played last night, I dub it a scuba night. I haven't checked, but have a sneaking suspicion I set a personal best for underwater percentage for a winning session (93.92). I hit the felt on hand 69, but was proud of the fact that I was on life support at the end of hand 55 and managed to play another 14 hands before succumbing. Playing severely short-stacked is an object lesson in doing what you need to do to survive.

During current Hold'em session you were dealt 148 hands and saw flop:
 - 14 out of 22 times while in big blind (63%)
 - 9 out of 20 times while in small blind (45%)
 - 50 out of 106 times in other positions (47%)
 - a total of 73 out of 148 (49%)
 Pots won at showdown - 17 of 31 (54%)
 Pots won without showdown - 6

delta: $7,281
cash game no limit hold'em balance: $4,772,355
balance: $7,129,308

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Three strikes

In baseball, if you get three strikes, you're out. Often, the same is true in poker. That was the case for me last night. What do I mean by three strikes in a poker context? It's simple. Just sort your hand deltas in descending order by their absolute values, then look at the first three deltas in the list. If they're all negative, that's three strikes, and baby, you are out. Here are the first ten deltas in the sorted list from last night's session:

-17094
-14310
-10986
7500
5458
-4400
3575
3380
-2800
-2200


I didn't play those three hands badly; I had strong holdings, but happened to be up against stronger ones.

During current Hold'em session you were dealt 90 hands and saw flop:
 - 10 out of 14 times while in big blind (71%)
 - 9 out of 16 times while in small blind (56%)
 - 32 out of 60 times in other positions (53%)
 - a total of 51 out of 90 (56%)
 Pots won at showdown - 5 of 14 (35%)
 Pots won without showdown - 11

delta: $-40,000
cash game no limit hold'em balance: $4,765,074
balance: $7,122,027

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Windex session

When you're cleaning a bathroom mirror, you don't want to leave any streaks behind. Windex is a great product for this task. When you're playing poker, however, you absolutely want to leave streaks behind. In my nearly five years of playing online poker, I've discovered that good luck comes in bunches. My most successful sessions have been ones where I've won multiple hands in succession. I call this being in the sweetness. If you play long enough and are patient enough, the sweetness will come to you. It won't be your doing, and you can't control how long it will last, but that doesn't matter; what matters is that you recognize your good fortune and ride it as long as you can.

Last night, the most hands I won in a row was a mere two. That hardly qualifies as a streak. That means I essentially played a streak-free session - a Windex session, if you will :-) Here's hoping I can avoid that fate tonight.

During current Hold'em session you were dealt 84 hands and saw flop:
 - 12 out of 17 times while in big blind (70%)
 - 12 out of 16 times while in small blind (75%)
 - 33 out of 51 times in other positions (64%)
 - a total of 57 out of 84 (67%)
 Pots won at showdown - 10 of 19 (52%)
 Pots won without showdown - 7

delta: $992
cash game no limit hold'em balance: $4,805,074
balance: $7,162,027

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

The magnificent seven

Last night, I had the best in-session streak of winning hands of my poker career. It wasn't the best because it was the longest, funnily enough; I have one longer streak and another streak of the same length. It was the best because it was the longest winning streak where I was playing against a full table. I won seven hands in a row - the magnificent seven. I was definitely in the sweetness, and stayed there as long as I could :-)

During current Hold'em session you were dealt 141 hands and saw flop:
 - 19 out of 25 times while in big blind (76%)
 - 16 out of 27 times while in small blind (59%)
 - 52 out of 89 times in other positions (58%)
 - a total of 87 out of 141 (61%)
 Pots won at showdown - 8 of 19 (42%)
 Pots won without showdown - 19

delta: $13,523
cash game no limit hold'em balance: $4,804,082
balance: $7,161,035

Monday, July 8, 2013

My true poker love

Last night, I did something I almost never do. I played two flavors of cash game poker on the same night. I've only done this three times in my career. Most of the time I have the discipline to stick with one flavor for a session, but last night I got so disillusioned with PLO I just had to make a switch. What a great feeling it was to come back to hold'em! I was returning to my true poker love.

During current Hold'em session you were dealt 87 hands and saw flop:
 - 13 out of 17 times while in big blind (76%)
 - 12 out of 18 times while in small blind (66%)
 - 29 out of 52 times in other positions (55%)
 - a total of 54 out of 87 (62%)
 Pots won at showdown - 9 of 18 (50%)
 Pots won without showdown - 6

delta: $14,579
cash game no limit hold'em balance: $4,790,559
balance: $7,147,512

TH;SP

As you may know, I'm a fan of snowclones and internet memes. That's a redundant statement, given that a snowclone is a type of internet meme. As you may also know, I like inventing my own poker lingo, and also my own snowclone instances. The title of this post is a snowclone instance. The snowclone template is XX;YY; the canonical instance which uses this template is TL;DR. TL;DR is shorthand for "Too Long; Didn't Read". Friends and neighbors, I present TH;SP for your approval. TH;SP is shorthand for "Too Hard; Stopped Playing". After just four sessions of PLO, including last night's, I've decided to stop playing it. The variance is just too high for my liking. It's just too hard for me to make money playing this game. That's the bad news. The good news is, last night I played hold'em after playing PLO, and my brief stint away from hold'em has completely eliminated my feeling of being in a rut.

During current Omaha session you were dealt 55 hands and saw flop:
 - 9 out of 11 times while in big blind (81%)
 - 4 out of 11 times while in small blind (36%)
 - 16 out of 33 times in other positions (48%)
 - a total of 29 out of 55 (52%)
 Pots won at showdown - 4 of 8 (50%)
 Pots won without showdown - 2

delta: $-22,900
cash game PLO balance: $-70,707
balance: $7,132,933

Sunday, July 7, 2013

Microburst

Last night, all my profit came in a four hand microburst. On hand 34, I won a pot worth $8,404 when no one called my $3,400 river bet; I'd made a king high flush on the river. On hand 35, I was in the small blind, and folded before the flop. On hand 36, I won a pot worth $20,565 with a full house of jacks full of nines. On hand 37, I won a pot worth $15,900 with a jack high straight. I probably should have quit at that point, but felt like playing some more. I played another 44 hands, ending with a stack almost as big as the one I had at the end of hand 37.

During current Omaha session you were dealt 81 hands and saw flop:
 - 13 out of 16 times while in big blind (81%)
 - 7 out of 16 times while in small blind (43%)
 - 18 out of 49 times in other positions (36%)
 - a total of 38 out of 81 (46%)
 Pots won at showdown - 7 of 11 (63%)
 Pots won without showdown - 3

delta: $12,773
cash game PLO balance: $-47,807
balance: $7,155,833

Saturday, July 6, 2013

A game of the nuts

As many poker professionals have stated, Omaha is a game of the nuts. It's very difficult to win at showdown in Omaha without the nuts (the very best possible hand given the community cards). I realized this intellectually before, but now I'm learning it the hard way :-) Last night, I hit the felt on hand 37 when I had a very strong hand, but not the nuts. I was dealt 3d Jc Jh Ad, the flop came Kc Ks 5c, and the turn was Jd. This gave me a full house of jacks full of kings. Believing I had a very strong hand, I bet $3,400; one opponent called, and another raised to $17,125 to go all-in. I reraised to $22,299 to go all in, and the first opponent, who had me covered, called. It turned out I was actually drawing dead on the turn; the opponent who had me covered had been dealt Qd 4d Js Kd, giving her a full house of kings full of jacks on the turn. She ended up collecting both the side pot of $10,348 and the main pot of $58,775.

There's a poker expression relating to straights - "the ignorant end". The ignorant end of a straight is the low end. You rarely want to go to showdown in hold'em with the ignorant end of a straight, and I can say quite categorically that you never want to go to showdown in Omaha with the ignorant end of a straight. The concept of an ignorant end can also be applied to full houses. The ignorant end of a full house is when you have three of the card with the lower denomination, and only two of the card with the higher denomination. That's what I had in hand 37 last night. It's foolhardy to put any money on the ignorant end of a full house in Omaha, which is what I did. I compounded the error by going all in. After reupping for the max, I settled in for a long night of watching my stack slowly sink towards the felt. The only positive I took from the session was that I didn't hit the felt a second time.

During current Omaha session you were dealt 183 hands and saw flop:
 - 22 out of 43 times while in big blind (51%)
 - 20 out of 48 times while in small blind (41%)
 - 37 out of 92 times in other positions (40%)
 - a total of 79 out of 183 (43%)
 Pots won at showdown - 9 of 21 (42%)
 Pots won without showdown - 20

delta: $-55,315
cash game PLO balance: $-60,580
balance: $7,143,060

Friday, July 5, 2013

Set over set

Last night, I played Omaha for the first time in over two years. I played pretty well, although the session was not a winning one. Towards the end, people kept leaving the table until there were only two of us left. I was able to relieve my opponent of his remaining chips, then decided to call it a night instead of joining another table. Hand 89 was the one which made the session a losing one. I was dealt Ts Th 7s 8h, and hit a set of tens on the flop. Unfortunately for me, one of my opponents hit a set of kings on the flop. He went all in on the turn, and I called. Fortunately for me, he'd started the hand with less chips than I had, so I didn't hit the felt. I did lose $22,943, however. I need to recalibrate my hand assessing for Omaha; Omaha requires much better hands to win than hold'em. Funnily enough, last night marks the first time my cash game PLO balance has ever ventured into the red.

During current Omaha session you were dealt 107 hands and saw flop:
 - 21 out of 24 times while in big blind (87%)
 - 15 out of 23 times while in small blind (65%)
 - 23 out of 60 times in other positions (38%)
 - a total of 59 out of 107 (55%)
 Pots won at showdown - 9 of 21 (42%)
 Pots won without showdown - 7

delta: $-27,013
cash game PLO balance: $-5,265
balance: $7,198,375

Thursday, July 4, 2013

Time to switch it up

Since I'm a creature of habit, and my habit has always been to wait until I hit another play million dollar plateau before allowing myself to change poker flavors, I'd been resigning myself to at least two more months of doggedly building up my stack. When I was trying to come up with a title for tonight's post, though, I realized there's no reason to wait. It's time to switch it up! I'm in a rut in hold'em, and it'll do me good to get some fresh air by playing another poker flavor. I've gotten into the habit of watching PokerStars TV while playing lately, and have gotten fired up once again by the idea of playing Omaha. I know, I've sworn off it at least two times before, but I'm willing to give it another shot. I know it'll be fun, whether I win or lose, and that's the main point.

During current Hold'em session you were dealt 152 hands and saw flop:
 - 22 out of 26 times while in big blind (84%)
 - 19 out of 28 times while in small blind (67%)
 - 65 out of 98 times in other positions (66%)
 - a total of 106 out of 152 (69%)
 Pots won at showdown - 9 of 19 (47%)
 Pots won without showdown - 18

delta: $-14,925
cash game no limit hold'em balance: $4,775,980
balance: $7,225,388

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Best AJo

As I've said before, AJo (ace jack offsuit) is my worst hand. I've lost more money on this hand than on any other. I half-jokingly resolved never to play it again. Such resolutions are impossible to keep :-) Last night, I had the best AJo of my career; here are the top ten:

Jd Ah      $47,864    2013\0702\hands    45
Js Ah      $44,750    2011\1014\hands    70
Jd Ah      $33,991    2013\0611\hands   276
Jh Ac      $26,300    2013\0530\hands    52
Jd Ac      $20,300    2012\0317\hands    81
As Jh      $15,700    2011\1112\hands    83
Jh Ac      $13,500    2012\0118\hands    10
Ac Js      $10,900    2013\0124\hands    53
Ac Jd      $10,400    2013\0629\hands    21
Jc Ah       $9,400    2012\1120\hands    46


This was another instance of "One hand to rule them all"; the next biggest absolute value delta I had last night was a mere 3,585.

During current Hold'em session you were dealt 46 hands and saw flop:
 - 5 out of 6 times while in big blind (83%)
 - 3 out of 6 times while in small blind (50%)
 - 20 out of 34 times in other positions (58%)
 - a total of 28 out of 46 (60%)
 Pots won at showdown - 5 of 9 (55%)
 Pots won without showdown - 0

delta: $33,578
cash game no limit hold'em balance: $4,790,905
balance: $7,240,313

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Poker radar

Last night, my poker radar was in fine working order. When it's really homed in, it's like being able to see your opponents' hole cards. You know what they have just by the way they're betting. You can sense when they're trying to buy the pot; the bet sizes are just a hair too big. Only someone who really doesn't want to see a call bets in a certain range. That's when the bet size isn't big enough for a bluff, and isn't small enough to be the result of slow-playing. In such cases, very often the opponent will have high cards, likely including an ace, but will not have hit a pair. This is the very scenario I sensed last night, on hand 35. I was dealt Jh Th, and the flop came Ts 9s 3d. I bet $600, and called a raise to $2,600. No one else called. The turn was 8h, my opponent bet $3,600, and I called. The river was Kh, my opponent bet $5,600, and I called a final time. My opponent turned over Ac Qs, and I won a pot worth $29,500 with my pair of tens.

During current Hold'em session you were dealt 38 hands and saw flop:
 - 5 out of 5 times while in big blind (100%)
 - 7 out of 7 times while in small blind (100%)
 - 16 out of 26 times in other positions (61%)
 - a total of 28 out of 38 (73%)
 Pots won at showdown - 3 of 8 (37%)
 Pots won without showdown - 5

delta: $12,235
cash game no limit hold'em balance: $4,757,327
balance: $7,206,735

Monday, July 1, 2013

A second helping of deuces

In mathematics, twin primes are pairs of prime numbers which differ by 2. Just as there are an infinite number of prime numbers, there are an infinite number of twin primes. Here are the first 5 pairs: 1 and 3, 3 and 5, 5 and 7, 11 and 13, and 17 and 19. I've always loved this concept of numerical kinship. So much so, in fact, that I've appropriated it in a poker context. In poker, I declare twin hands to be consecutive hands where the hole cards are identical. The order in which the hole cards were dealt is unimportant.

If you're paying attention, you should notice when you're dealt twin hands. You should immediately get a funky feeling of deja vu when you look at the second twin. You should get a sensation that something isn't quite right. It just doesn't seem natural to be dealt the same hand two times in a row. Of course, this feeling is illogical; from a purely statistical standpoint, you should expect to see twin hands once in every 1,326 chances. Why is that? For the simple reason that there are 1,326 unique starting hands in hold'em. Every time you're dealt a hand, there's a 1 in 1,326 chance that your next hand will be identical.

On Saturday night, I was dealt twin hands near the end of the session. It was a pair of deuces (the deuce of spades and the deuce of diamonds, to be precise). I lost $400 on the first hand, but had a strong hunch when dealt the second one that I'd see a third deuce in the flop. I wasn't disappointed. I raised an all in bet of $5,739 on the turn to $11,478, and got one caller. On the river, I bet $20,000, and the opponent who'd called on the turn folded. My set of twos held up, and I won a pot worth $45,395, $29,717 of which was o.p.m. (other people's money). I realized I'd just seen the best of my luck and called it a night.

During current Hold'em session you were dealt 82 hands and saw flop:
 - 7 out of 8 times while in big blind (87%)
 - 8 out of 11 times while in small blind (72%)
 - 36 out of 63 times in other positions (57%)
 - a total of 51 out of 82 (62%)
 Pots won at showdown - 6 of 12 (50%)
 Pots won without showdown - 7

delta: $-10,353
cash game no limit hold'em balance: $4,745,092
balance: $7,194,500