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!

Shopping

I popped back onto my old site on Thursday night, after yet another loss at the Party PLO8 tables. I sat down for a NLHE heads-up freezeout and got dealt AA on my first hand. Now that’s a ‘welcome back’ bonus!

I won 5 out of 6 matches, losing a 55/45 coinflip all-in for my sole defeat. I didn’t make much because I played real small, but it was enjoyable and a nice change of pace to be playing almost every hand, using cunning and aggression and nerve as opposed to the highly mathematical and disciplined world of O8.

I went away for the weekend, back up north to catch up with old friends (sadly, my ex was out of town). It was fun, and it’s always kind of nice to go a couple of days without playing. I did some shopping, which is very rare for me; a new pair of trainers, a DVD and a rather cool, bargain-priced digital video/still camera with which I am in love.

We also ventured to a gay club on Saturday night. I’ve been a couple of times before and had a blast, but the music was dreadful this time. You don’t realise how big a role the music plays in making a good night, until it sucks. Heaping on the disappointment, I didn’t get chatted up even once! (No I’m not, by the way, but its always flattering…). I think I may have witnessed my first man-on-man blow job in the toilets, but I’m not sure ‘cause I didn’t look twice.

The rest of the weekend mainly involved listening to all the late 80’s/early 90’s music that we remember so fondly, and me rediscovering ‘Calvin & Hobbes’.

Yesterday, Bank Holiday Monday, I played a fair bit of PLO8 and had a nice result. It kicked off with a decent pot where I only had 44% equity when the money went in on the flop, but I scooped. About bloody time! Besides that, I played pretty well and with supreme discipline. There can’t be another form of poker where good folds are more important and have to be made so often.

Finally, I ought to give my capsule reviews of the three poker books I bought in Canada.

‘The Making of a Poker Player’ by Matt Matros (pronounced ‘May-tros’ by the way) is excellent. Easy to read, entertaining and interesting. I must go back and read some of the game theory passages again. Its not stuff that will engage somebody already into game theory and with strong maths skills, but gives the layman a tantalising glimpse of that stuff. I rate books by the likelihood of me selling them on eBay at a later date. 1% in this case.

‘Championship Omaha’ by McEvoy and Cloutier. Yuk. This one did nothing for me. I hoped, having enjoyed ‘According to Doyle’ so much, that TJ’s Tales at the back might at least be worthwhile – but they are completely dull and only lead you to wonder why you seem to have to be a paid killer for TJ to deem you ‘a character’. On top of that, McEvoy trots out his ‘see you in the winner’s circle’ schtick at least twice. It is a mystery to me how Bob Ciaffone could have had any involvement in this shallow and unenlightening book. My eBay rating: 90%

‘Poker: The Real Deal’ by Phil Gordon. I quite enjoyed this, although I haven’t read every chapter. Gordon writes in a nice, humorous style that makes for a good light read. It is, though, a typical 'poker-boom' book in that is going to be of most interest and value to the beginner. Having said which, Gordon throws in a few interesting quizzes that should get most people thinking a bit, about seat selection and such. My eBay rating: 25%