Hey there.

Well I'm a decent slightly winning online poker player at Omaha Hi-Lo 8-or-better both in ring (cash) games and tournaments. After maybe 500 hours of play I'm (at the time of this writing) up about $600, which includes bonus money earned on deposit specials. I'm down quite a bit at No-Limit Hold 'Em poker tournies (a game I apparently suck at), so actually my results at Omaha H/L 8/b are pretty decent.

Overall not exactly stellar results but not losing either.

Anyways hope you enjoy reading my little poker blog, I'll be posting interesting hands and maybe just letting off steam. I'll try to keep the bad-beat stories to a minimum, I promise! ;)

Well. In the last two sessions (played yesterday too, didn't post) I've been pushed around, because I played while in a passive mood at tough tables at $2-4 and $3-6 where the players are generally trickier, more aggressive and more experienced.

Basically forgot to make plays, to even think about what these guys are doing with their bets. Just folded my hands like a weak-tight player.

When I play poker from now on I have to come prepared to really play. Not just to pass the time before going to bed or to collect FPP's.

Super disappointed in my play last few sessions, and in my net results. Awful feeling to be pushed around at the poker table.

... which sometimes cost me a few chips. BUT I noticed that I am getting CALLED more often too with my good hands. So basically, yes it's good to make plays from time to time, as they work enough to show a small profit PLUS you get called down with your nut hands.

I wanted to note to myself here that if I am making plays and have established an image of a poker player willing to take stabs at pots then I have to also value bet on the end with more marginal hands.

Overall down about $40 now since the blog started. Exactly half-way to the deposit bonus, plus a lot of FPP's earned (which do have value), and only need about 400 more to hit the SilverStar level at Pokerstars (which also has value).

Going well. This will be a short post despite the long title - mostly I wanted to remind myself to keep playing poker with the thought in mind to try to MAKE PLAYS and OUTPLAY MY OPPONENTS. (We can draw to the nuts too!)

Finished playing. A winning session with GOOD POKER PLAYS MADE. Playing poker well may well be not just to ENDEAVOR to play well - but perhaps just as or more important, to stay aware and present - each moment, each card, each hand.

Table looks good at first glance. I have notes on only one player so all these guys are fresh faces here. That's usually good news. Once again my goal for this session is to 'play poker' and not just peddle the nuts.

So far just 5 hands in I have perhaps a slightly aggressive image. I limped 3457 in SB vs BB, bet a 26J flop and took it down. Then raised AAK5 versus an MP limper and BB, KQ7 flop check/check/I bet, fold/fold. Great! I also bought in for $200, much more than the rest of the table (avg. about $80). Not sure of the psychological effect that has, but it's probably positive for me.

Stole another pot, standard bet at a KK2 flop with nothing really, backdoor low draw. Both opponents folded. 3-1 pot odds on the 'semi'-bluff, though it's hard to really count the backdoor low draw. Nobody tried to raise me taking 2-1 that I was bluffing. Good!

Switched to a $1-2 table though. Maybe I shouldn't have? First hand in my BB I get [3c 2d Ac Qh], get raised from MP. Decide to just call. Flop comes [2s Th Jc] so I have the gutshot for high and a backdoor low draw. I checked (probably had to bet there) he bet, I decided to 'peel one off'. Turn comes [2s Th Jc] [3s] giving me two tiny pair. Flush draw now present. I check, he bets, I call. River came [2s Th Jc 3s] [Ts] making the flush also and counterfeiting my two miniscule pair. I check, he bets again.

I timed out and thus folded. ARGH. I was getting 6-1 on the call, I had two pair including the board pair of tens. Now that I think about it 6-1 might have been a fair price to snap off an A2xx bluff. On the other hand there's about a zillion ways to be behind there and only one specific way to be ahead. I couldn't even beat some of his bluffs. AH WELL. Probably should have just dumped it on the flop or at least BET OUT and tried to take it down on a two-high-card board vs the preflop raiser.

HAH!!! Nice poker play. 5-way hand I'm in the BB with [As Js 9h 5d]. Flop comes [3d 3h 9c] - paired board. Checked around to a guy I JUST noted "capable of stabbing at scary board". He duly bet that flop. I checkraised him getting 3-1 on him bluffing. He folded!

So far actually 'playing poker' has netted me two pots this session that in my standard boring conservative game I don't win, that I usually let someone else win. It's so far tonight the difference between a winning poker session and a losing one.

Bleah lost a big pot with AA3Q vs AA7Q. I'm a HUGE favorite there I think. He made a flush on the turn and I felt compelled to call the river bet (had nut low draw also). Ah well. Still have accomplished my goal of 'playing poker'. Stats tell the story I think.

Pots won at showdown - 2 of 4 (50%)
Pots won without showdown - 6

Just have not been catching any cards. When's the last time I won a hand with the nut low? Net down about $65 since the blog started.

That is, trying to outplay my opponents, as I mentioned in the last post. First hand in fact I made a bluff try which was foiled, but at 4-1 flop odds then 2.5-1 on the turn those bets are ok I think. Also gives me a bit of a looser image perhaps.

Alright made another play. 3-way pot I'm in with A344 versus the blinds. SB bets out on a flop of KK2. BB folds, I raise! 2 bucks in to a 4 dollar pot, so if he has no king one time in two I break even there. He folds! Perhaps a bit out of line as this was a new player who just sat down and I had no read on him at all.

Next hand though I did get paid off with the nuts in two spots. Have I established a loose image at this table with my attempts at play-making? That could very well be the case!

Then the next hand I semi-bluffed headsup with the backdoor nut low draw in a SB vs BB hand. Possibly I should NOT have given what I think my image might be?

Well I'll take a break for now. Won just a little, but the important thing this session I think was actually 'playing poker' instead of just nut-peddling.

This is getting depressing. Playing online poker at Pokerstars once again at a pretty good $2-4 table - at least it was good when I sat down. Currently flops seen percentage is down to 33% from over 40.

I won the first hand I played on a nice turn semi-bluff with the a2 low draw, board flushed on the turn and I was able to represent the flush with another bet on the river. Since then my play has been conservative as usual. TOO conservative. I read a good quote on a poker message board, here it is:

"The important thing is to have the proper mindset. The idea is to OUTPLAY your opponents."

Other than that first bluff I haven't made any attempts to outplay my opponents at all. I did have a few opportunities this session which I shied away from. Goes back once again to not playing my poker 'A' game and not playing with total intensity.

Down $13 this session about $70 overall.

Update: Decided to play a little more poker as one of the 'million' hands is approaching. (Pokerstars is giving away cash for every millionth hand dealt until the 10 BILLIONth hand is dealt.) Ran a successful bluff from the BB when the flop came 3 clubs and only one low card, I had one club. Took a 4-1 stab at it and took it down. Probably my image at this table is quite tight.

I need to start thinking about 'outplaying my opponents' when I sit down to play poker, not just grinding out the nut low draws vs loose fishy players.

Playing online again at Pokerstars, $2-4 LO8. At a tough table - been possibly pushed out of a pot with an aggressive player (flop of J T 9 I had a jack only, he bet flop and turn and I folded turn) after it was seen I was playing quite tight. Hard for me to call there though with one pair on the turn and a straight showing.

Then another hand where I raised the loose-aggressive with AA4x, I flopped the nut flush and the 2nd nut low, bet out quickly twice and everyone folded. (Maybe that was good as I didn't have to split the low.) Did I bet too quickly?

Done for now. Overall down about $50 since the blog started.

Playing $2-4, down 50 bucks really quickly. Ironically I feel as though I'm playing good poker, playing the percentages properly. Actually though my table selection was impatient (the $.50-1.00 games are much better), there are definitely some GOOD POKER PLAYERS here (just got turn checkraised). I recognize half the table as regular players. BAD BAD. Got to get up!

Argh won a pot so got sucked in and posted my BB again. Luckily I won a hand. If I want to take my poker game to the next level I'm going to have to get used to playing poker players of this calibre. But I think just playing now for the deposit bonus (plus the other Pokerstars promotions), I'll be more picky from now on, choosing softer tables to earn my FPPs. If I decide to start getting really serious about poker again I might try tackling these tougher tables more often.

And for the night I'm done. Down $35.

Playing poker at Pokerstars once again. In my experience the poker games here tend to be MUCH worse at these hours - 11pm to the wee hours where I live (Pacific time) - as I generally see at least a few regulars (some of whom are playing ALL the low-limit tables simultaneously) and not nearly as many fishy players. I SHOULD be able to take advantage of those multi-tablers who won't be able to take as much time on their decisions. Will I?

And as I say that I'm multi-tabling myself. Better stop it.

Ok down to two tables. Up a little. Don't find it relaxing to play more than one table at a time.

... Poker is a very deceptive game. Right now I'm catching pretty good and BOY does that inflate the poker ego. Overall though (in my play since I started this blog) just playing break-even poker more or less which isn't very satisfying, although I'm over 1/5th of the way to getting the deposit money.

Probably I need to bring the same level of intensity to my cash game as I do to my SNG and tourney game to win some money.

Well I'm down a bit so far since this poker blog has started. Something like 15 bucks. Probably just a normal swing, although I think I may be folding too early on occasion at these low limits against unknown poker players.

You just don't know what these guys are betting with. A recent hand had an UTG player bet his non-nut gutshot straight draw into 3 other players. I think I folded the eventual winner there. I also folded a winner on another hand when the first position player made a strange bet at the pot. I had a pair or something with no low draw, no flush draw and a two-flush/two-low board. (Probably that was a proper fold.)

I think, no, I KNOW I'm not always playing my best poker. It really takes full concentration to do so - you just can't try to collect FPP's so you can get your deposit bonus.

Currently a flop-seen % of 73%!!! It's a new table so that percentage will drop but seeing lots of mediocre (at best) poker hands being shown down.

Last hand 7 out of nine people saw the flop. OOH! The showdown hands were [4h 3h 9s 9c] and [5h 9h 4c Tc] - terrible O8 hands in case you didn't know.

Probably a lot of these players (only a few of whom I've seen before) have been enticed to play poker here because of the promotion and deposit bonus. Why not, it's the best time to play here for newer players.

Unfortunately I have some business to take care of at the moment. It's OK though as good Limit Omaha 8-or-better games are generally pretty easy to find at Pokerstars.

Playing poker at Pokerstars once again. This $2-4 table has a 45% Flops seen percentage so that's good but I have no line on most of the players and the one guy I do recognize is a good regular aggressive poker player. In one go-around I haven't seen any fishy play yet. Another regular just sat down - BAD. May switch tables if I don't see some fishy play here.

Update: Switched to $3-6 after seeing only good hands shown down and no fishy play. Plus this table has a 50% flops seen percentage - very good if it holds up.

WHEW! Won a big hand, the first I was involved in. Called down a bluff with a mediocre high hand after raising with [2c Ac Kh Ad] preflop over an UTG limper. Flop came [Jd 5d Kd], not the greatest to say the least. SB (who completed to the raise) checked, UTG bet, I called for the backdoor low basically with a pair. I would have bet if checked to me since I had the ace of diamonds. SB called also.

Turn brought the 7s for a board of [Jd 5d Kd] [7s] so I had my low draw. UTG bet out again, both me and SB called again.

River came the [Jd 5d Kd 7s] [Ks] giving me trip kings but no low. SB checked, UTG bets VERY QUICKLY again. I thought for a moment that to bet into two players on the river showed some strength. But I called with trips getting about 9-1 on the call. SB folds. TRIPS WERE GOOD! UTG had [9h Th 9s Jc] a stone bluff all the way.

Oddly enough his NAME gave me extra reason to call. 'downwitstars' - I figured a losing player. I'd have to call a good player down there also. I was fortunate to catch the king on the river as it would have been difficult for me to call with one pair if say a ten hit the river.

Also interesting to note, and I've used this play fairly often, would have been for UTG to CHECK the turn knowing that one or both other players in the hand would be calling that turn bet regardless with the low draw. If the river comes high THEN you bet - if a low card comes on the river you give up the bluff and you've saved yourself the turn bet. Also it perhaps looks a bit more convincing.

Also of note is that I managed to make the calls in this hand even with a weak hand. I'm pretty sure that's a LARGE leak in my poker game - FOLDING too often to bets and always assuming they have the nuts when they bet. Poker players love to bluff!

Not much to say here actually. Table has a 'flop seen percentage' of about 36% which isn't really very good for these limits. I usually like to see 40 or more, and 50 is just great. (In case you don't know what that means for Limit O8, when the flop-seen %-ages are high, it means players are in with BAD STARTING HANDS. Unlike No-Limit Hold'em or even LHE to some extent, I'm pretty sure you just CAN'T WIN with crappy starting cards in this game at a full table due to the split (and thus contested) nature of most pots.)

I guess the main reason I'm playing poker tonite at Pokerstars is because of the promotion they have going - plus the deposit bonus. Even playing break-even poker (which I sometimes lazily do when I'm not playing my 'A' game) you can build your poker bankroll a little with almost complete safety playing Low-stakes Limit O8. It can be quite a grind though. I find I play tournaments and SNG's with much more intensity - I just have more energy and more focus it seems. (Probably it's the do-or-die nature of those games.)

Argh just got sucked out on. Flopped the wheel in my bb with [Qc 5c 4h 3d] vs a fishy late position raiser who raised my bb with [2c 8h 9d Jh]! He flopped a pair of deuces then turn/rivered two nines [3h Ac 2d] [9s] [9h] to take the high. I check-called the flop, checkraised and 4-bet the turn (he 3-bet with 2 pair and no low). AH WELL these are the kinds of players you want to be playing poker against!

Dunno if I'm gonna keep grinding it out here. This player in particular is playing quite bad though and spewing chips (not to mention juicing up the table). He unfortunately is giving them to other players while sucking out on me (he just did it again).

Well I'm right now at a VERY GOOD Omaha H/L 8/b table at very low limits, just $.50/1.00 at Pokerstars. First hand I'm involved in, and first hand I've played for probably 3 months or more I'm in the BB with a piece of cheese, (K Q 4 4). I think it was double suited so maybe it wasn't that bad.

The flop comes A 4 J. UGH!!! BOTTOM TRIPS. I think that no decent O8 player likes those kinds of hands much. At least the flop was rainbow. I was thinking of betting but thought I might check/raise and try to limit the field. Last position player bets, fishy player to my left calls. UGH!!! I decide to just call, I don't really want to put more money in the middle with bottom trips. 4 players still in.

Turn comes a KING for A 4 J / K board that now has two clubs. Now the fishy player to my left BETS OUT! GAWD. This is awful. But he's been playing fishy (seen him show down 8752 and T876), and I dunno, I thought about for awhile, groaned, and called. (Probably fold this if playing a higher limit. Actually perhaps I should have folded here with the straight out and having no low draw.) All 4 players still in.

River comes a CLUB TEN for an A 4 J / K / T board that has 3 clubs. So the flush got there but I made the straight. Fishy player to my left now checks. Me and the next guy check. Last position player now bets. UGH!!! Fishy player CALLS. I groan, and think for awhile. I figure Last Position Player probably has a flush and must have the straight at least. But then again he's betting from last position so he might be stabbing at the pot or something. I CALL with the straight getting about 11-1 odds, but I figured at best I was splitting with LPP, so 5-1.

RESULT: The STRAIGHT IS GOOD! I split with the other player in the hand. Fishy player had trip kings. LPP who bet the river had TWO PAIR!!!

IN HINDSIGHT: Probably I could have folded the turn. (?) River call I think was OK, probably have to make those kinds of calls at these limits.