Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Lessons: the pain



When you live and breathe by the sword, the short end of the stick gets tough going.

Or something like that. At least I have my sense of humor.

I hate going to bed thinking about a hand of poker, and unlike a lot of other schmoes who sat up listening to the WSOP ME HU battle, it wasn’t one between by Moon and Cada. (Just to be clear, I was listening.)

Truth be told, in the last couple of days I’ve been clocked a couple times by the same type of draw I’ve been crowing about in recent posts. Last night took the cake. After the hand was over and the villain immediately disappeared, I typed “idiot” into the chat box. It did not escape me that I could have just as easily been referring to myself.

Villain was the maniac shortie to my right and who started firing pot-sized bets right off the bat in the six-handed game, position be damned. He took down six or seven hands in a row without a showdown. I knew the drill: Wait for the big hand and get it in.


PokerStars Pot-Limit Omaha, $0.10 BB (5 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

MP ($6)
Button ($6.85)
Hero (SB) ($13.95)
BB ($10.05)
UTG ($15.90)

Preflop: Hero is SB with K, Q, Q, K

1 fold, MP (poster) checks, Button bets $0.45, Hero raises to $1.55, 2 folds, Button calls $1.10

Flop: ($3.30) 7, A, 4 (2 players)

Hero bets $2.30, Button raises to $4.60, Hero calls $2.30

Turn: ($12.50) 6 (2 players)

Hero checks, Button bets $0.70 (All-In), Hero calls $0.70

River: ($13.90) K (2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: $13.90 | Rake: $0.65

Results:

Button had J, 5, A, 3 (straight, seven high).

Hero had K, Q, Q, K (three of a kind, Kings).

Outcome: Button won $13.25


I could have, no, should have check/folded on the flop when the Ace hit. I figured him for an Ace. I didn’t figure him for much else and thought that if I could hit either a K or Q… well, I did. It took a minute for it to sink in when the chips didn’t get shipped my way. As much as I would like to rationalize “wide ranges” and "Button steal," I can’t.

I eventually fell asleep, and forgot about the hand until I fired up this infernal machine this morning. It’s just one hand, and just $6.85, so I suppose I’ll eventually get over it. Or rather, learn from it. If I couldn’t to do that, I would have to quit the game. And we can't have that.




So, what have I learned so far? I already knew preflop margins are slim in Omaha. I forgot my PLO mantra of "patience and paranoia." That's the main lesson. I also have a sneaky suspicion that I need to read up on strategies for playing short-handed PLO as the game seems to rely on more aggression than a full table (as it should be). 


I'll get back to you.



5 comments:

Forrest Gump said...

This is the most important thing from this hand B.

"After the hand was over and the villain immediately disappeared, I typed “idiot” into the chat box."

And its not to do with berating or tapping on the tank.




FG

bastinptc said...

FG - I'm allowed to be cryptic. You aren't.

I think I get you. I left too. Blood in the water and all of that...

Forrest Gump said...

By definition, a tagfish is solid preflop and terrible post flop. Actually, now i think of it Darvin Moon is an extreme example. You're not one by any stretch, but that particular hand had some elements. The blinkers were one and you were riding that pony until it frothed at the mouth and keeled over.

bastinptc said...

True, I had only one thing in mind. Never good.

joxum said...

It's really odd, how sometimes a small loss during a session can have a huge impact, while getting stacked twice in a row is just "oh, well - tomorrow's another day".

Of course it's not always the amount, but the play that led to the loss. But I can get really pissed with myself for wasting three bucks on a bad play.

/j.