PLO Woes

I should probably just stop playing PLO. I'm not playing well. Losing to first time players. Not running well either. Surprising how simply hitting your 23482934802 outs on the turn and river will change your attitude about whether you're playing well or playing badly.

NLHE is going ok. At least it's profitable. I think I got my BR to an all-time high. I don't remember exactly what the high number was. It was after I won that $1 tourney last year.

Obviously, I've lost a few games since then, but overall, I'm up about $15 or so. If I can win a few today, there will be no question.

I am going to put a stop loss on my play today. Basically, if I lose that $15, I'm stopping. Doesn't help that I just tanked a PLO game. Got bluffed out of a big pot holding Top Top, he led out for basically the game on the river and flashed a pair of tens after I folded.

He will obv not win a ton playing that way, but I guess he had a read against me.

HOW IS POKER GOING?!

Full Tilt Poker Game #9473183632: $2 + $0.15 Heads Up Sit & Go (72325909), Table 1 - 15/30 - Pot Limit Omaha Hi - 14:26:38 ET - 2008/12/13
Seat 1: PFC_Witman (1,445)
Seat 2: actzeng (1,555)
PFC_Witman posts the small blind of 15
actzeng posts the big blind of 30
The button is in seat #1
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to actzeng [As Qs Kh Ks]
PFC_Witman raises to 90
actzeng raises to 270
PFC_Witman raises to 810
actzeng raises to 1,555, and is all in
PFC_Witman calls 635, and is all in
actzeng shows [As Qs Kh Ks]
PFC_Witman shows [Th 4d 5d Ts]
Uncalled bet of 110 returned to actzeng
*** FLOP *** [2c Td 2h]
*** TURN *** [2c Td 2h] [7h]
*** RIVER *** [2c Td 2h 7h] [Ah]
actzeng shows two pair, Aces and Twos
PFC_Witman shows a full house, Tens full of TwosPFC_Witman wins the pot (2,890) with a full house, Tens full of TwosThe blinds are now 20/40

Now running bad

This will be a trying time - a bit, anyways. In the last 2 days, I was way up in my experiment, and now fallen back to almost even. I'm not going to recount the hands because I don't think it's necessary. Yesterday, the hands played themselves. I got stuck in bad spots with big hands and that was it.

This is exactly why I didn't want to do this experiment - the swings. I'm down almost $30 right now, and maybe no end in sight. That is a lot of $2 games - to make up that kind of money. That's 6 $5 games, and basically $12 in the 2 dollar games, and that kind of losing streak rarely happens at $2.

I need to get back to being patient. I will try. Last game I crippled myself with top pair on the river, chasing an open ended straight (oppenent had flopped 2 pair). And then pushed into an UTG raiser with 99 and he had JJ. Not a great play.

PLO not going well

I busted in like 108th place in the $1 Turbo. I totally forget what the bustout hand was, but I remember being quite disappointed. Three straight cashes would have been pretty cool. Then proceeded to donk off some more in HU PLO. Lost 2 games, basically.

I do not feel that I got outplayed. Sometimes it is just a struggle. You flop the straight, get it in, and they hit some miracle flush or FH on the river. This happens over and over. One of the games I lost, I lost early. I had K-high flush, and yep, he had me beat.

I keep wondering how long I should wait until I start playing higher in MTTs, especially given my most recent results. I'm not dumb enough to think that I'm going to start ripping shit up on every tourney I play, but the recent results have to be in part due to some disciplined play. I was looking back over mt MTT results and my ROI is pretty good. I guess I have to discount for the improved quality of play, but who knows how much improved the players really are at that level. My guess is - not much. I will probably give it a more serious shot when/if I can get my BR to four figures. That will probably be about 6-7 months of solid grinding.

I think one of the factors influencing the better play is the Gus book. I'm not that far through it, but it helped me in terms of bet-sizing when the antes start. I'm still really bummed about that guy hitting his two outer on the river, because there's no telling what I could have done with a top 10 stack at that point.

The other major concept that I've been making a part of my game is something that I call conceptually in my head "the in between." When I'm not playing well, I constantly think I need to go all in in certain spots. This is true sometimes, but not as much when I'm playing well. Sure, you have to bet, and catch some cards, but "the in between" is about bet-sizing, especially when you have a weak hand or a bluff - like AK on a nothing flop, or playing mid-pairs. The all in with a weak hand or bluff is just too weak of a play nowadays (you will get called), and folding sometimes is just too passive. Whenever I feel like I am in a situation where it is all in or fold, I'm trying to ask myself whether there's something I can do that's in between. A bet that is big enough to represent a real hand but also small enough that it looks like you want the call. Often, the right decision, and what is perceived as a strong play to your opponents is to do something in between all in and fold. I should post a hand as an example of this. The biggest consideration of the in between is your opponent's stack size.

Objects in mirror...

Amazingly enough, I made another MTT run. This time in the 6-max $1 on FTP. We were pretty well into the money when I just started running bad. The worst was when I got all my money in with 99 on a flop that read TT2, and he called. With 55!!!. Turn was good, but the river didn't cooperate. I later made a mini comeback only to lose to the same guy. I had AK, raised, he RR me all in, I called. He had 77. Flop came a K, but also a 7. Turn was a tease K, and river was nothing, although the odds gods probably should have given it to me. Anyway, less than a dollar profit on it. Thought all along it was strange I was running through this one the same way as the last one.

Since the MTTs are going ok, I'm going to play the $1 turbo tonight.

Cue the downswing

Bad. Getting my money in good when the money is on the line and just not hodling up.

so stupid

I shouldn't play after going deep in a tourney. I just needlessly called an all in on a BOB action with K8 os and lost to his Ace rag. WTF - so stupid.