Rude pictures

Today's personal snippet: I got a camera-phone this week, and I do rather like it. I already had an El Cheapo digital camera, but there's something very cool about one that you carry with you at all times by virtue of it being part of your mobile. And yes, like every other doofus who gets one of these things, the first thing I did was to swap some rather rude pictures with The Girl I Am Seeing. (I cannot bring myself to say 'girlfriend', thats just way too serious. Although I have pledged exclusivity for as long as we are seeing each other, which is preventing me indulging myself in a couple of other spots or living the louche lifestyle I anticipated after I split with my ex).

But never mind that, I hear you cry, how did it go last night after my - gasp! - 72 hour break from poker?

Well, it didn't go too badly. I only won $35 over about five hours in total, but I did feel back in control of myself and I did play with game selection, position and patience as my guiding principles. A quick breakdown:

$1/$2 Five card stud: $6 in one hour of quite enjoyable play. Throwing $6 with a foolish bluff-raise on fourth and crying call on fifth was a little silly.

Heads-up No Limit tourneys: Played 6, won 3 which makes a neglible loss on the rake. Got stiffed in one where we were almost level in chips and I got him all-in on the flop as a 2-1 underdog, but he hit. There is no doubt in my mind that these are profitable for me, but only at a low level. They are great fun though, and a very good second table as they stop you playing all but the best situations on your main table.

Pot Limit Omaha (cash): I played quite well, with good patience and not a whole lot of cards. I made one I made one tough fold which overall I am happy with. I may have been winning, but if not then I was drawing all but dead and I am determined to avoid those 'drawing dead' situations.

I also gathered my courage when my made nut-flush saw a board-pairing river, and I bet all-in. If you don't bet big in these situations there is just too much danger of getting bluffed off by a half-decent player - or by somebody who thinks their non-nut flush might be good. Betting here (given the size of the pot and remaining stacks) was definitely the right play, even if the guy had turned over the full house and I lost. My money was scared but I was fearless.

Best of all, I kept alive to other tables and was able to hop later on to a truly sweet table comprised almost entirely of poor short-stacks. My overall win was only $37 in about four hours, but without any monster hands that is quite acceptable.

Pot Limit Omaha (Sit and Go): These are really starting to piss me off. I have now failed to cash in (I think) five in a row. This one was typical, I just didn't see a hand at all, while two moderate players hit monster flop after monster flop to build stacks with which they knocked us all out one by one.

Overall, as I said, I was more or less happy with my play. This was the sort of session where, over the last fortnight, I probably would have got bored and frustrated and gone chasing hands and pots with disastreous results.

I will be back in action tonight before spending the rest of the weekend with TGIAS.