It’s been a couple days since I last posted. To make a long story short, I’ve either been too busy losing a bit at the tables or preparing for my priorities to shift in the upcoming three weeks.
In the past I’ve written about bad beats at the table, perhaps as a form of catharsis. I was going to upload a couple histories yesterday but decided not to do it. Hell, it happens: I flop a set of Queens and a guy jams having hit a single nine and catches runner-runner Aces for an overfull of Aces full. He then proceeds to donk off a couple buy-ins, of which I get a very small portion. LAGtard calls a huge preflop and I’m stacked on what looks to be a dry board. I win it all back only to lose it all again. So, I’m down $80 from my all-time high.
Oh, I might want to add that I moved up to the $25 PLO tables. This might have something to do with it. I realize that just a couple days ago I mused about staying at $10 for a bit longer in order to gain more experience/skill and increase my bankroll to a very comfortable level,, yet I also knew that I wouldn’t know for certain if I was ready to move up unless I gave it a shot.
I made the move two nights ago and I have probably logged about 500 hands, and I’ve noticed a couple things so far.
One question I had prior to making the leap was whether the players were better and therefore I’d be outgunned? Perhaps. I suspect that I am occasionally getting bluffed off of the best hand, but I cannot verify that. Someone calls my big late position bet and the flush hits on the turn, I’m slowing down and folding to a lead-out. Otherwise, I can’t see too much difference in skill level between $10 and $25 games.
I have also noticed is a different level of aggression. Players are considerably less tentative, raise and re-raise big preflop, and look to get it all in the middle whenever they can. If one wants to play, one must be prepared to pay to do so. This has cost me a few sheckles, for it is clear that I have yet to adapt to the LAGs, or rather, believe how they could have conceivably hit that flop. I either reluctantly fold on the turn or pay up.
There is one thing that is consistent, and that is my hand selection. I am consistently playing suited Aces with a pair or a small wrap (i.e. As10s9c9d and As5s6s7d), double suited Aces and all wraps with no more than a single low gap. However, I have tightened up on my out of position play. This seems even more essential against the greater number of LAGs.
Speaking of LAGs, I was at a table last night where it got so crazy that one of the LAGs typed “Are we the only two playing at this table?” He was asking the question of the player to his immediate left. Both were raising and re-raising each other on nearly every hand. No limping allowed. And, not surprisingly, they were swapping chips like lovers swap spit. Even though they were playing in a manner that restricted the number of players in a hand (two), and they were enjoying each other’s banter, I was content to wait for a chance to poop on their party. I double up through one and received a bit more from the other when he decided a chase was not wise after my flop re-raise and turn pot-sized bet. Thanks to them, my losses in $25 were not as bad as they had been.
I concluded my little experiment rather early last night, as I had to get up fairly early this morning to prepare for a meeting with one of our farm clients. My meager yet dedicated group of readers will recall that we are growing plant starts for a local organic grocer’s huge plant sale in May.
The meeting took all of 20 minutes, which was just as well, seeing how the buyer was ill. I smothered my hands and face in antibacterial hand sanitizer as soon as I returned to my truck. I cannot afford to get sick, especially now that I have an idea of the work ahead of me.
Rather than go into detail now, I’m going to try to incorporate all that is ahead in this blog. So, dear readers, unless you’re into gardening, get ready to be inundated by mundanity.
Now, if it would only quit sleeting and snowing…
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10 comments:
"However, I have tightened up on my out of position play."
I think that hand I posted on PA when you had AA would have played very differently if you had position. If he pots it on the flop, this gives you information depending on his betting tendencies. I find these lagtards always seem to sandbag big hands, fire small bets when they miss then start overbetting on later streets with the big hands.
1. Still not into Omaha, so I may enjoy your blog even more with the new thrust. Photos of the progress might be fun. (no pressure, we know you do not have unlimited time to entertain us.)
2. Re the LAG at bigger tables: At pao, at small buy-in tables, I see people like MAJOR, RKM, sbstar do the same thing. Mostly very nice guys, by the way. ( MAJOR does it to the point of hurting the dime table: Enter, bet big, lose, reload, repeat until a big win. No fun or learning for the rest of us.)
I even heard bastin mention once, "just a flesh wound," after a loss that would have left me broke several times over and feeling crappy. Ubu roi told me he was just making good use of his br. To be fair, bastin was not playing in my small-stakes realm. Ubu was, I think.
The point of all this is that maybe you are now playing with people who just don't respect $25 as much as you do. They came to participate, not sit and wait, and don't care as much if their bankrolls vary or even go down. When you get used to those guys, you can take advantage of that. But, you might still be a $10 guy for a while, my electronic friend.
Yes, yes, a second point to all that is just to rant about people with bigger brs than mine!
Gumpo-
"fire small bets when they miss then start overbetting on later streets with the big hands"
Yes, I've noticed the same thing. Poke a small bet out there to see where they stand, and if faced with a big raise, they fold.
Crash-
1. Photos will be part of it.
2. I have never seen any point in losing $100 to make $20, even if it is play money.
Yes, bastin at PA is much better off than bastinptc is.The latter can indeed afford to take a hit or two at the $400NL table, but that doesn't mean he's there to donk off even $20, unless, of course, he's had one too many cocktails. Then it doesn't matter if it's bastin, ubu or bastinptc. Money will be lost.
Now, $25 real money is something that needs to be respected. So is $10, and for that matter, $1. Some may look at these sums as the cost for entertainment. Good.
Guys like these don;t think it;s fun to fold. I think it;s fun to win money,however.
Your link to one of the Yakshi sites: He says he plays far better poker with a couple of bumps, but one too many, and he is in donkeyville.
Re: My comment on MAJOR. He is currently playing superbly in first place, at a tough tourney, yes tourney, at pao. But P K is creeping up on him. Stay tuned.
Tourney-6 players remain. #1 thomas j, $19k, #2 MAJOR, $19k, #3 P K, $17k
MAJOR breaks down. Out of race 4th place. Remaining in order: skydog, thomas j, P K.
It is down to P K and skydog neck and neck. MAJOR just called P K "wonky," whatever that means. Race in final furlongs.
skydog wins by infinity. Race over.
Entering the tourney, skydog's br=$453
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