Back, and doing well

I've been able to free up enough time for a decent amount of poker these past few days, here is a graph of my progress since the 14th.

This has been a very big turnaround from the hellish nightmare of Oct/Nov.

Still not the kind of money I've been used to, but 1.5k over 1 week is nothing to frown at.

Another winning day

And I am quite happy

An upswing yesterday!

There's the momentum I need! Woo!

Played some poker!

It is becoming more and more clear that Internet Marketing is going to take a while to get established in. It will also be a while before I know everything I need to start making some money - so today I played some poker to try and make that monthly nut.

It went pretty well. Considering I was only playing 50$ NL 6-max, a +300$ day is actually quite good. I plan on sitting at 50$ NL for a while, regaining my confidence, building my bankroll, etc. etc.

The players at this level are ABSOLUTELY HORIBLE. Free money for anybody with some patience and half a clue how to play poker.

Glad I finally had a good day - I really have been due for one for the past couple months.

:)

Pot-Limit Omaha - Beginnings

I've given PLO quite a few shots in the past. I never really was too serious about it. I'd just play it when I was sick of Hold'em and wanted to liven things up a bit. And let me tell you, it is quite an experience compared to hold'em. Yesterday and today, I have played about 2.5k hands of 100$ buyin PLO on PokerStars. Either I am incredibly terrible at PLO, or someone must have flipped my doomswitch, because I was greeted with a nice 800$ downswing. I think it was a little bit of both, honestly.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?599292 Nut flush vs. Straight flush... Being a NLHE player, of course my jaw dropped.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?601159 This is one hand that I DEFINITELY should have laid down on the flop. These kids dont reraise much other than AAxx, but my NLHE instincts took over and lost me another 80$.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?601165 I played this one like a big dumb donkey...

http://www.pokerhand.org/?601173 I was looking for hands that I played well, and this really is the best I could come up with, and it is pretty good evidence that I'm starting to be able to transition from NLHE to PLO. Opponents stats showed that he raised less than 2% of his holdings, which at this level almost always means he has AAxx or a strong wrap hand. So if he has AAxx, I win with a 9, J, 7, or any heart - giving me 16 outs, and making me a favorite against AAxx. If he has a hand like TJQK, 9TJQ, or if his AAxx contains 2 hearts, I am in big trouble. But I think I am ahead enough of the time to raise him here and push him out of the hand.

In general, I did overestimate the value of some of my low wrap hands. I also played my KKxx and QQxx hands a bit too frequently out of position, this was improved very much after a few hours of play.

What I've learned so far -
Position is HUGELY important in PLO - much moreso than hold'em.
Very few low level PLO players really know what they're doing.
AAxx is overrated and should not be open-raised in early position.

I've got the odds of the game down. I've been counting outs and reading hands for years, and this part has become second nature to me. Now I need to start to develop a style for myself, and build some confidence in this game like I have in NLHE.

In time I expect to tear Stars PLO apart, simply because it is an untapped resource... While NLHE has been supersaturated with 2+2ers and set-mining grinders.

I plan to practice my PLO game early in the day when the hold'em tables are loaded with rocks and pros. I'll continue my NLHE rampage at night when the fish are swimming. Mixing up games is always good, and keeps my mind fresh.

'Til next time...