Upcoming Borgata, Multi Table Sit and Goes and Epic Fail

Borgata Winter Open starts on Wednesday and I am headed up Thursday morning thru Sunday or maybe Monday. Unfortunately, I will not be able to defend my chop "win" from a year ago since I have a family obligation Wednesday evening. Instead I will head up Thursday with the intention of playing the following events:

• Event #2 $350 NLHE
• Event #5 $450 Omaha Hi-Lo
• Event #7 (or maybe #6) $400 NLHE
• Event #8 $450 Deep Stacked NLHE

This series is the best of the four that Borgata runs annually as it generates huge fields of baddish players, has great structures and is my last hurrah before the onslaught of tax season. Something new this series is I have set up a twitter account to update my progress. My mass text list had grown to nearly 50 people and I usually sent out 3 or 4 texts per day. With 10-15 response texts that added up to 300-400 texts on some days. So I am trying this out. I don't know crap about twitter but people have been asking me to do it so we'll give it a whirl. I have set up a link on this site and you can find me on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/bwoodspoker.

Online poker has been pretty good this month. I have made 2 discoveries since the beginning of the year: No-limit Omaha Hi-Lo and Multi Table Sit and Goes (MTSNG). I have never played many MTSNG but for the last 2 weeks I have been giving them a try at low stakes. I have been playing the $16 18 mans and the $6.50 and $12 45 mans. Wow is the play bad. Unlike cash games and even tournaments SNG can be mass tables relatively easily since most of the decisions are push or fold after about the first 2 levels or so. This means I can pretty comfortably 25 table and play a lot of SNG in a short amount of time. In any event here are the results of this through the first 2+ weeks of 2011:

I also have started to play more NL Omaha Hi-Lo. I haven't played much of it in the past since I wasn't really sure how to make the adjustment from PL to NL. Well turns out the play in NL is WAYYYYYYY worse than in PL. The games are infiltrated by short stackers who are just dreadful. You really don't even have to play that well if you are patient and you can get your money in very well. Here are a few hands to illustrate.

This first one is funny as I raise to $20 pre and get flat called...lol. Then he check folds the flop. I'm probably losing value actually by not shoving pre flop here.

Poker Stars $100.00 No Limit Omaha Hi/Lo - 7 players - View hand 1125102
DeucesCracked Poker Videos Hand History Converter

UTG+1: $18.80
MP: $20.00
CO: $50.55
Hero (BTN): $102.70
SB: $27.50
BB: $134.10
UTG: $20.00

Pre Flop: ($1.50) Hero is BTN with 2 A 6 A
3 folds, CO raises to $2, Hero raises to $20, 2 folds, CO calls $18

Flop: ($41.50) Q T 3 (2 players)
CO checks, Hero bets $31.00, CO folds

Final Pot: $41.50
Hero wins $39.45
(Rake: $2.05)

And a big blind special here. Guy simply refuses to believe that I could have a T.

Poker Stars $50.00 No Limit Omaha Hi/Lo - 9 players - View hand 1125108
DeucesCracked Poker Videos Hand History Converter

UTG+1: $15.25
UTG+2: $14.90
MP1: $10.25
MP2: $23.50
CO: $25.75
BTN: $95.15
SB: $53.40
Hero (BB): $101.35
UTG: $41.65

Pre Flop: ($0.75) Hero is BB with 4 T Q K
7 folds, SB calls $0.25, Hero checks

Flop: ($1.00) T Q T (2 players)
SB bets $0.50, Hero raises to $2, SB raises to $3.50, Hero raises to $87.50, SB calls $49.40 all in

Turn: ($106.80) A (2 players - 1 is all in)

River: ($106.80) 3 (2 players - 1 is all in)

Final Pot: $106.80
SB shows A 6 Q 7
Hero shows 4 T Q K
Hero wins $103.80
(Rake: $3.00)

However, bad players can get lucky. This call by the villain is a bit of a head scratcher.

Poker Stars $50.00 No Limit Omaha Hi/Lo - 6 players - View hand 1125110
DeucesCracked Poker Videos Hand History Converter

MP: $19.50
CO: $11.00
BTN: $22.55
SB: $6.30
BB: $20.00
Hero (UTG): $68.55

Pre Flop: ($0.75) Hero is UTG with A T A 8
Hero raises to $68.55, 2 folds, BTN calls $22.55 all in, 2 folds

Flop: ($45.85) 7 Q 5 (2 players - 1 is all in)

Turn: ($45.85) 9 (2 players - 1 is all in)

River: ($45.85) 5 (2 players - 1 is all in)

Final Pot: $45.85
BTN shows 5 J 2 K
Hero shows A T A 8
BTN wins $43.60
(Rake: $2.25)

Finally a good hand from my Thursday night game. Royals don't come around a lot!

Sadly my opponent folded the river so it wasn't a huge pot.

Finally the Ravens had an epic choke job on Saturday against the hated Steelers. How do you botch a 21-7 half time lead? How do you let a receiver get behind you on 3rd and 19 in a tie game? How do receivers drop a TD pass and first down pass deep in the 4th quarter? Pretty pathetic. I actually think the Packers look the best in the playoffs and will be very difficult to beat IMO.