6 max headroom

I am getting really pissed off with poker. With my luck. With never, ever winning a crucial hand. (Yes, I won one on Monday as a 45% dog, the fact that I remember it so well shows what a fucking rarity it is).

Yesterday I lost a little bit. I played the 6-max tables at my old site; one table of straight Omaha and one of O8. (Possibly not the ideal mix!) I won reasonably at the PLO8, reminding me that I was doing pretty well at that before I emptied the account in April. However, I took a fair loss in Omaha high. The slightly frustrating part was that I was 55% favourite in a four-way all-in-on-the-flop pot for the biggest pot of the session, which would have given me a very nice win over the two tables.

Obviously, in a way I am encouraged by that. I felt I adjusted pretty well going back to short-handed. There is a knack to knowing how far - and in what ways - you should loosen up, and it came back to me quite naturally.

Later on I had a quick, semi-recreational punt at two $10 sit and goes on Party. I am beginning to think that either I suck at these, or I am having a terrible run of luck in them, or they are just a crapshoot. I find myself wondering how people make good profits on Party SNGs, given the structure, and I think I will read some of the blogs and other articles about them. For all I know, you might get more chips at the higher buy-ins, though I doubt it.

My exits (6th and 4th) came with a 75% favourite pre-flop all in, and then an inability to win with a 40% dog. I expect I made some mistakes along the way, but it sure would be nice to win some of those hands at the critical point in a game. I probably ought to just quit sit and goes, but I am somewhat seduced by the action and the feeling that I really ought to be able to turn in a decent return on investment in them. I would like to have as many profitable strings to my bow as possible.

Incidentally, going back to the PLO cash game, there was a chap to my right with a stack of about eight buy-ins. He won the big pot where I was favourite (he had a legitimate top set and about 30% equity). He then proceeded to win every single pot of note for about the next hour. I mean every one - and he didn’t even play well, at all. He just called everything and flopped, turned or rivered the nuts, hand after hand. A decent player would have made a ton more money with the cards he held, and don’t think that fact went un-noticed by me nor failed to make me wail with frustration.

It only just dawned upon me that the World Series of Poker begins tomorrow. I find myself curiously unmoved, but I will probably get into it as it gets underway. I will certainly be keeping an eye out for any bloggers making headway in the opening $1500 event. Having said which… I don’t know any of their real names!