October

October Review

Not a very good month at all. I played ~75 hours total broken down as follows:

MD Live 2/2 PLO 54 hrs. ~($100)
MD Live 2/5 NLHE 8 hrs. ~$1,500
MD Live 5/10 NLHE 6 hrs ~($560)
Various Home Games Mostly 1/2 PL Mixed 9 hrs ~$440

Month started off strong looking like it was going to be a really good month but then some variance kicked in and ended up a paltry amount of less than $1,300.




Obviously this is a meaningless sample size so we shall see how November progresses. I will again be putting a good bit of volume in this month. As I stated in September my goal is to put in 250 hours between September 15 and December 31. Since I stated that goal I have logged nearly 90 hours so I should be able to get there.

Doing a quick query I have logged nearly 110 hours at MD Live since they opened in late August and am up a bit over $5k in those hours for an hourly of a bit under $50. Obviously the huge PLO swings is a bit difficult to deal with sometimes so a short break from it is now in force! All NLHE for the next 2 weeks (other than my bi-weekly Thursday night home game).

Also think I may try and play the Sunday MD Live $330 MTT a couple of times before year end. Obviously staying home to watch the Ravens is a worthless exercise.

Sept was good

September was a pretty good month overall.  Below is a snap shot of my cash results.  I also was up ~$400 in a few small home game type tournaments.  My goal from Sept 1-end of year is to get 250 hours in.  Obviously with only 39 in Septemember I will have to get a lot more once I get through the 10/15 tax filing deadline for my clients.









Here is a quick session review from last week in which I ended down a bit.  


10/2/13-MD Live

28mins 1/2 NLHE 0 (broke even)
1:44 mins 5/10 NLHE -$560
7:56 2/2 PLO +$60

Total Session ~10:10

Got to the casino early and ended up playing a long session. The PLO game I was in was really good so I just didn't want to get up. I was buried for like nearly $1,500 after a few bad beats and some missed draws, etc. Ended up holding in a dumb pot with AAxxds getting it all in probably not in great shape but in a 4b pot.

Here are a few of the key hands:

Could have lost more

Just got moved to 5/10 maybe 2 orbits ago. We are 6 handed as people are moving to the main game and bringing new players in. I open AQ to 35 from MP. C/O calls and we go to the flop HU. I really have no reads at this point though he seems middle aged and not super aggro.

(Pot $85) Flop Q45. I lead $55 and he calls.

(Pot $195) Turn A. I lead $120 and he calls. At this point I guess his range is OESD, A4, A5, sets, Qx, A2, A3 and that seems about it.

(Pot $435) River 7 I decide to check (although bet/fold might be better in hindsight). He bets $275 and I can't fold even though I think I am beat here a decent amount. Top 2 seems like the bottom of my calling range here against what appears to be a straightforward older player. IDK...I call to see 44.

Other than that 5/10 was rather uneventful other than turn quad 9s in a pot where I had opened Q9:club and seen the board run out 8999. I bet turn smallish and he folded.

First Dumb PLO Hand

I was raising a lot...probably most at the table and probably had a pretty splashy image. Not sure what my post-flop image was but I think most thought I was trying to run the table or at least be the most aggro.

I don't recall the action exactly but I called a raise in M-LP with 9956. Not the greatest ever but I felt fine post flop and most stacks were 200BB+ deep so I am fine playing some marginals. Anyway there must have been a straddle to 5 and a raise to 20 at some point as I remember going 8 ways with $160ish in the middle.

(Pot $160) Flop 89T Ok never folding. Middle set with meh flush draw. End up getting it in 3 ways in about an $900+ pot (maybe a bit more) with 78-82% equity and obv losing (I didn't write down all the suits though for sure I remember only 1 other being shown.

ProPokerTools Omaha Hi Simulation

666 trials (Exhaustive)

board: 89T

Hand	Pot equity	Wins	Ties
9s9h6h5s	78.53%	523	0
KcKdJcTh	12.99%	33	107
KhJsTd2h	8.48%	3	107

So that hurt though always good to get in that far ahead. Lost another where a dorky McLovin looking kid led 589r board, I pot 997T, tight older guy behind me stacks off and McLovincalls off with QQJT and board runs Qx and McLovin scoops after (I think unintentionally) slow rolling.

ProPokerTools Omaha Hi Simulation

600,000 trials (Randomized)

board: 985

Hand	Pot equity	Wins	Ties
997T	46.08%	273,239	6,520
QQJT	33.06%	196,323	4,097
674x	20.85%	123,918	2,423

Finally I got it in here:

AAxxds-Close eyes and jam

I open AAT9 to 15 over a straddle. Gambly asian dude 3b to 55 and gets 2 callers. I repot to 275 and get 2 callers. Effective stacks to start the hand are:

Me $700
Gambly Asian $600
Other Dude $450

Basically I am forced to stack off on all boards mathematically IMO.

(Pot ~$875) Flop 87K I jam, asian dude thinks a bit and calls off after I guess realizing the size of the pot, 3rd dude calls off.

(Pot ~$1825) Turn 2, River Q and I somehow hold. I assume I was up against pair and draw combos, something like that. I thought the Q was actually bad as it made a lot of 2 pair hands but I was good!

Once I won this I basically kept it up and ended up slightly up for the PLO portion of the session.

Moving this week so not sure I will get down there though I will try.

Playing off Image leads to big night

So Wednesday night I wasn't really planning on going to MD Live but I had met a particularly crazy work deadline on Monday and just decided last minute to head down. Good thing I did as the session resulted in my biggest 2/5 session.

MMMM Pumpkins (pumpkins are oversized $1k chips)

One of the things I have noticed more and more as I approach 1k hours since I committed to live poker is how poorly most live players adapt to image. The weird thing is you can fold and fold for hours on end then get a big hand and its as if they never notice. Conversely, if you play a ton of hands, particularly aggressively, and some players suddenly decide they are going to be sherriff's and rein your aggression in. On Wednesday night I was fortunate to have a good rush of cards right after I sat. I was 3b and opening a TON of pots. A few of the live-fish, of course, "adjusted" by playing and two cards against me (in fact I lost a pretty good sized pot to 23o vs my TT on a 945J6 board calling my all in turn c/r). 

One player, in particular, decided he was going to "show me who was boss". I had already seen him jam $300 into a $75 with AK on QJT4telling the guy afterward that he didn't want him to draw out. 

Anyway I obviously had to adjust to this cat by realizing he is "gunning" for me. Played 3 hands with him and he emptied the clip on 2 of them.

Your Ace is good sir

Villain opens to $20 in MP, I call BTN with 77 and we go 4 to the flop. Flop is Q97r. Villain leads $50, I raise to $150 and he calls rather quickly. Turn is A and he open ships ~$750 into the $380-ish pot. I snap call and river is a complete brick. He then says "Your Ace is good sir". I'm sorry huh? How do I have an A here? I guess maybe AQ is possible. Anyway I am guessing he had KQ or perhaps JT??

At this point my man is on raging tilt though he is trying to pretend like he isn't. He reloads for $500. 30 mins later the next hand happens.

You fold top pair?

So I open QJ from MP to $20 and end up with 4 callers including the fish from the BB. 

(Pot ~100) Flop Q56 Checks to me and I c-bet 60. Mr. Tilty now check-raises to 160 with 400-ish behind. For some reason, I just read him for strong. I think he has a ton of semi-bluffs in his range but he also has some made hands and better Q's too. This is really a pretty easy bet/fold spot most of the time but given this guys tilt I'm just not sure.

ProPokerTools Hold'em Simulation

71,280 trials (Exhaustive)

board: Q56

Hand	Pot equity	Wins	Ties
QhJh	41.50%	26,252	6,660
Aq, KQ, QT, QJ, 56, Ass, KsJs, 78, 55, 66	58.50%	38,368	6,660

This is probably too strong a range for Uncle Tilty but coupled with the fact that I just read him as strong and I can't really take a lot of heat on turn and river I opt to give up and fold. I also really think I will have a shot at his stack at some point with a more nutted holding (hate this type of thinking but meh what can I say). I opt to show him the Q thinking it will make him feel that he can run me over and give him a chance to puff out his chest and feel over confident. He is shocked that I folded but doesn't show.

Any other opinions on this hand?

You're too good

Finally, less than 2 orbits later I get him to stack off and end his night early. I open AJ from UTG +1 to 20. Get 4 callers including my budddy OTB.

(Pot ~100) Flop J35. Seen worse . I elect to bet 75 and my buddy calls. His range is super wide but I am 100% ahead and obviously have the flush redraw. 

(Pot ~250) Turn is a 7. I lead again. This time for 210. He snaps with about 525 behind and I know for sure he is drawing. 

(Pot ~660) River is 4 I decide he will 100% jam if I check and I'm simply not going to fold to this cat. So I check and on cue he rips it. Only way I am beat here is if he has like 56s or 45s type of hand where he floated flop with middle pair and picked up turn outs. But I'm just not folding TPTK to this dude so I snap and he tables 24o for a flopped OESD-rivered pair. 

He laughs like I made some dumb call and says "all that with one pair? I guess you're just too good for me" sarcastically. I just flip the dealer a couple of bucks and start stacking. No reason to engage these monkeys.

Played a few more hours and ended up $2,765 over a 4 1/2 hour session. Not a bad hourly .

Since June I am up ~$8,100 over a paltry 160 hours. Really need to up my time through the end of the year. Going to set a goal of 250 hours played through the remainder of the year. I have one more big work deadline on October 15 but other than that should be able to commit to these time goals.

As far as 5/10 and 5/5 PLO go, I had to use some of my poker BR for real life stuff as we are in the process of moving. This has caused me to be a bit more conscience of variance and, thus, with the softness of 2/5 I just think grinding it makes more sense ATM. I will still play a few sessions through the end of the year just for the immediate future going to stick to the small games 2/5 NLHE and 2/2 PLO.