Why PLO8 is a Great Game

This is why I love Pot Limit Omaha/8. I've got an OK hand, nothing great but I don't go crazy until I have a lock. The flop gives me the 2nd low since someone holding A4xx has the best low draw. I decided to call the flop raise because I felt like someone was overplaying A2 and got counterfeited. So the call might have been a little loose, but I had my reasons. It turns I was dead on with my read of one of these players holding A2xx. I didn't realize the BB was dumb enough to think his Kings were going to win the high side of the pot.

PokerStars Pot-Limit Omaha/8, $0.02 BB (3 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: HTML)



SB ($2.66)
BB ($3)
Hero ($2.93)


Preflop: Hero is Button with Ad, 5c, 8c, Ac.

Hero calls $0.02, SB completes, BB checks.

I raised the BB's bet because I figured he had A2. My read was a little off because it was the SB holding A2xx.
Flop: ($0.06) 8d, 3h, 2s (3 players)

SB checks, BB bets $0.06, Hero raises to $0.12, SB calls $0.12, BB raises to $0.18, Hero calls $0.06, SB calls $0.06.

I hit the jack pot on the turn and now it's time to jam the pot...Raisy-Daisy!!

Turn: ($0.60) 4h (3 players)

SB bets $0.6, BB calls $0.60, Hero raises to $2.73, SB calls $1.86 (All-In), BB calls $2.13.

River: ($7.98) Tc (3 players, 1 all-in)


Final Pot: $8.52

Results:

SB has Kh Ah Kc 6h (Low: 6, 4, 3, 2, A | High: one pair, kings).

BB has 2h As 4d Qs (Low: 8, 4, 3, 2, A | High: two pair, fours and twos).

Hero has Ad 5c 8c Ac (Low: 5, 4, 3, 2, A | High: straight, five high).

Outcome: Hero wins $8.52.

OK...I lied. It's Not Over

I didn't really lose all my money. Plus I'm playing on PokerStars again. I like Stars because of the game selection and tourneys. I did play over my bankroll again and get myself down to $3.00 but I decided to give (PLO8) Pot Limit Omaha 8 a shot because the games are very soft. Not that the No Limit Hold 'Em games aren't soft...I was just tired of the suckouts and needed a change in scenery. I'm now over $50 after playing PLO8 for 3 weeks on and off. I will post some hand histories and strategies for those who would like to learn PLO8. At the micro stakes you can pretty much assume that a pot sized raised preflop means AAxx or A2xx. Many players will auto raise with these hands even though they are what I call naked. For example, let's say I have AA74 (with unsuited aces) in early position (or late position). I'm not raising because not all four cards work well together. Same goes for if I'm dealt A2J7. I'm going to limp and hope for a low flop in which an Ace or deuce doesn't hit. If I hold A2J7 and the Ace isn't suited, it's a fairly weak hand. If the Ace is suited up, it's becomes a bit stronger. I'm hoping for a flop with low cards and 2 of my suit (or a monotoned flop giving me a flush with a draw to the low). For example...

Me holds Ad 2c 7d Jh

Flop: 4d 5d Kc

There are 3 people in the pot with me at this point, sometimes 4. I'm going to jam this pot on the turn if I make my low because I'll have a lock on half the pot and if someone else already has the low and I make a flush, he'll get quartered and I get 3/4 of the pot. Sometimes I'll miss my flush but I'll usually get half the pot with low because someone else has the high. I don't get quartered often in these situations because in pot limit Omaha/8, people are less likely to chase than in limit Omaha/8.

I didn't get into position at the table in this scenario, but typically if I have position and make my low with a draw to the high, I'm jamming the pot and seeing if anyone wants to gamble with me. At the microstakes, many players will chase no matter what...sort of contradicts what I said above, but sometimes you run into players who know when to fold. The vast majority of the time you don't.

In my next post, I'll go over the importance of position...especially when holding all high cards, and explain why holding a hand like AKKQ (suited up) works better in a heads up pot than in a multi way pot. Maybe I'll do that tonight :-)

-Donktastic

It's Pretty Much Over

I donked off almost my entire bankroll over the weekend. I took 4 terrible luckbox beats Saturday night. I was stacked holding AA and KK by some one who limped then called my raise with KT only to have the flop come QJ9. Got stacked again holding AA when the BB called my raise with QT and the flop came QQT. I flopped a set of Aces only to get stacked by someone holding Qd 4d and they back-doored a flush. At that point I said, "FUCK IT!!!"And donked the rest off at a .25/.50 table.

I was playing awesome (as I usually do) and got my stack up to $80 then my KK lost to Q4 when the donkey who called my preflop raise, and my continuation bet hit a Queen on the turn and a 4 on the river. That got me down to $13. Then I worked my stack back up over $80 when I had my AK lose to AQ. An Ace came on the flop and I check raised all in against a villain who played 45/22/2.5. He called and of course, a Queen fell on the river...NICE...Story of my life.

I don't really care that much. I have come to the reality that I will NEVER make any significant amount of money playing poker. It hurts, but it's the truth and though difficult, I can accept that. Maybe I'm just not lucky. Even after all the positive thinking I use when playing, things just don't seem to work out.

I know I'm a great poker player but I don't think making money playing poker is in the cards for me. As I'm writing this, my conscience is saying you're wrong, you can make money playing poker. I think I really need to squash my conscience LOL. For now I'm just going to treat poker as a fun hobby instead of putting pressure on myself to make money with it. If I do make money playing it, then it's gravy!

For now, I'll probably just keep my blog up-to-date with strategies on how to kill the game. Seems like the people I give advice to end up doing much better than I do...at least for now ;-)

-Donktastic

Build it up and it comes crumbling down

I think I'm going through another period of variance. I'm getting my money in with the best hand and taking big time suckouts. I got my roll up to $155 after taking some shitty beats and now it's down to $105. Stupid fucking donkeys...I figure I'll get it back and then some. I got my aces and kings cracked like this on Tuesday night.

AA vs. 33 (lost to a set)
AA vs. QcTc and flop came TT4
KK vs. AQ and flop came Q7T, turn 8, river Q
straight loses to a flush
flush loses to a boat

Totalling 5 buyins. I actually lost $15 playing 10NL and lost $35 playing 25NL. I probably shouldn't have played over my bankroll...but oh well. On a good note...because of all the bad beats I've taken over the past week or so, looks like I'm due for the cards to fall my way.

Bad Beats and the Thrill is Gone!

Here are some shitty beats I have taken to drop my banroll down from $150 to $113. All of them set over set except for one in which a fucking donkey just happened to flop a better 2 pair than me. Set over set happens 1/1087 times. The following three hands happened in less than 1000 total hands. Would you play any of these any different. If you would then you're a fucking nit! I don't care if some one only raises with 4% of their hands. If you hit a set, you're going to the felt with it.

Number 1
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Ultimate Bet
No Limit Holdem Ring game
Blinds: $0.05./$0.10.
5 players
Converter


Pre-flop: (5 players) Hero is UTG with
Hero raises to $0.35, CO folds, Button calls, 2 folds.


Flop: ($0.85, 2 players)
Hero bets $0.6, Button calls.


Turn: ($2.05, 2 players)
Hero bets $2.05, Button raises all-in $6.86, Hero calls.


River: ($15.77, 1 player + 1 all-in - Main pot: $15.77)



Results:
Final pot: $15.77
Button shows Ad 8d for a 9-high straight.

Number 2
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Ultimate Bet
No Limit Holdem Ring game
Blinds: $0.05./$0.10.
5 players
Converter


Pre-flop: (5 players)
Hero is BB with
UTG folds, CO raises to $0.35, 2 folds, Hero calls.


Flop: ($0.75, 2 players)
Hero checks, CO bets $0.65, Hero calls.


Turn: ($2.05, 2 players)
Hero checks, CO bets $0.85, Hero raises to $1.7, CO raises to $3.4, Hero raises all-in $16.66, CO calls all-in $14.01.
Uncalled bets: $14.01 returned to CO.


River: ($22.11, 0 player + 2 all-in - Main pot: $35.37)



Results:
Final pot: $22.11
Hero shows Ts Td for a set of Tens (FUCK)
CO shows Qc Qs for a set of Queens

Number 3
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Ultimate Bet
No Limit Holdem Ring game
Blinds: $0.05./$0.10.
6 players
Converter


Pre-flop: (6 players)
Hero is UTG+1 with
UTG calls, Hero raises to $0.45, CO folds, Button calls, 2 folds, UTG calls.


Flop: ($1.5, 3 players)
UTG bets $0.65, Hero calls, Button raises to $2.25, UTG folds, Hero calls.


Turn: ($6.65, 2 players)
Hero is all-in $12.02, Button calls all-in $7.25.
Uncalled bets: $4.77 returned to Hero.


River: ($21.15, 0 player + 2 all-in - Main pot: $21.15)



Results:
Final pot: $21.15
Hero shows 4h 4s a set of fours
Button shows Js Jh a set of jacks

This is just fucking pathetic. This cost me a lot of money. And it's frustrating for me because no matter what table I sit at, I feel like I'm the best player there. The day I don't, is the day I stop playing.