The Balance of PLO8

As I've been grinding PLO8 daily for a few months, I wanted to share my thinking on game strategy and moving up in limits. It seems most of the 2+2ers prefer LO8, and there's not too much discussion on PL or NL versions.

The best way I can describe attacking PLO8 is maintaining a balance. As you start out at the bottom (.05/.10), you will have many players seeing the flop, as much as 75%. Because you're fighting so many hands in a given pot, it's best to let the other players do the betting for you if you connect on the flop. This concept is strongly applied with a nut low - I usually expect it to be a quartered low with so many opponents. So sit back and call it down unless you think you might have a chance at the high pot. (Don't be afraid to get quartered on small pots, it's usually worth the information anyway.)

Some players like to pot bet with the nut low, to try and scare off others with the same low and avoid the quarter. Make notes on these players. My opinion is don't overestimate your opponents - there are a lot of beginners that will throw in no matter what.

When I have a scooping hand and it's time to bet out, I usually fire out with half the pot. I stick to this firmly, regardless of my strength (even if I have the mortal nuts). The consistency of my bet often gives me information based on how my opponents react. Also, on hands where I have superior position and it's checked around, firing out that same bet can thin the field or sometimes steal a pot. (Playing the river is different, either a value bet or full pot depending on how strong I am and how pot committed everyone else might be.)

There are basically two types of players at the beginning levels: Tight short stacks and loose aggressive big stacks (LAGs). The big stacks buy in the max amount, and try to create big pots by making big bets. They hope to make money by stealing pots through aggression and winning a big scoop with an odd (weak) starting hand. Expect these players to play over 50% of all hands.

I prefer the tighter smaller method, especially at the smallest stakes. Buying in for only a few dollars, makes it an easy decision to push/call all-in on a big pot (especially when you are already freerolling on low or high). Even if you rebuy the small amount 3 times, you're still not down one full buy in. (Yes, it limits the amount you can win early on, but you can build your stack quickly on one or two hands.)

Pay attention to any players who bet out two pair - especially lower two pair. These LAGs try to steal, or build a pot in order to give them odd to chase the (at best) 6 outer full house. Make notes on all the players - most don't mix it up enough.

At the lowest limits I see 30%-40% of flops, depending on the cards. It's very common to limp into most pots. A good player can expect to pull chips on 33% of flops seen. I find losing sessions are below 33% and winners are usually above 33%.

As you move up in limits, play gets progressively tighter. Picture an upside down funnel - as you move towards the top of the funnel, it's size gets smaller. Most of these tighter players are trying to save their chips for the most extreme scooping situations. As you move up to .25/.50 or .50/1, flops seen can drop into the 20%-30% range. If a loose table opens up at this level (or above), expect to see a long waiting list.

This is where balance ties everything together. Assuming you are properly bankrolled and have some inclination of how your opponents play, don't be afraid to loosen up these tighter tables. Learn to play loose, buy in short to start. As you move up in limits you're only going to see tighter and tighter play. You will face more pre-flop raises at these levels, so don't be afraid to call/push with good starting hands.

As for bankroll and starting hands, I follow a 25x max buy in rule to determine which stakes I play. (This applies to full ring, not 6 max). I play a looser version of the Hutchinson point system. (I really feel it was designed for LO8.) If you don't know what the Hutchinson point system is, get googling now!

I guess you could sum everything up as, "Learn the table texture and play accordingly." It's not really that simple. Go back to the funnel. As you start at the bottom, play tight and then adjust to table conditions. As you move up the funnel, start loose and then adjust as needed.

I play this game to help maximize my rakeback and rewards, but I think it's one of the softest games in online poker. I'll sit at a lower limit all day long if I know I can beat the game. (There's no better feeling than taking down a pot in PLO8 on a stone bluff!)

OT: Online Personals

As a single guy, I occasionally look at the online personal ads. Sometimes it's just for comic relief, but I do wonder what the Internet savvy folks are looking for these days.

What's curious to me is the subtext in the personal listings. When someone lists "I'll tell you later" under smoking, what does that really mean? It that secret code for 420? Perhaps it means, "I smoke but I don't want to admit it and scare off the cute non-smokers."

Also, when a woman asks for "a real man" who "knows how to be a man" and "knows how to treat a woman", what exactly does that mean? I'm guessing a real man = well hung, knows how to be a man = rough sex, and knows how to treat a woman = makes me orgasm. Am I far off on this?

I find a lot of the "perfect guy" syndrome. Women who are looking for the nice guy and "no players need apply". Yet at the same time they want an instant spark of chemical attraction AND romance. Maybe this is a bit of a generalization, but most of these woman are attracted to the good looking bad boys who make them tingle. However, these men are not a good fit for the rest of their life.

There's nothing wrong with wanting it all, but relationships are all about compromise. That doesn't mean settle for less. When you're involved with someone it's give & take 24/7/365. Relationships are not easy, they're hard work and there are no guarantees.

I'm amazed at the amount of listings where the woman likes camping. I can appreciate an outdoorsy type, but I HATE camping. Give me a nice hotel in downtown Toronto, with several 4 star restaurants and many bistros nearby. Good food, entertainment, and/or a ball game - all with good company. That's a perfect date to me.

I currently live in a somewhat remote area, surrounded by senior citizens. Much like the movie In Her Shoes, but with a frumpy dude instead of Cameron Diaz. It's been hard enough to find interesting women to socialize with, and from what I've seen online it will probably be a long shot to find a good match. (Unless I opt for the Sugar mama route!)

Heck, it's hard to find anyone - much less a single woman - who can understand what I do for a living (and why I do it).

Appreciate what you do have and if you're in a decent relationship, consider it a blessing.

Karma's a Bitch

Ask for a bad beat and ye shall receive. This donk went as many chips deep as he could drawing to one out.

Full Tilt Poker Game #2957568159: Table Washburn - $0.05/$0.10 - Pot Limit Omaha H/L - 19:20:58 ET - 2007/07/15
Seat 1: twothreecall ($4.10)
Seat 2: blacksox1 ($4.15)
Seat 3: Schupick12 ($4.35)
Seat 4: 66Buffalo66 ($8.15)
Seat 5: 2Grinder 4 ($3.55)
Seat 6: CoverAllJoe ($7.30)
Seat 7: highiam ($9.75)
Seat 8: A130588 ($18.75)
Seat 9: mstrider ($8.60)
highiam posts the small blind of $0.05
A130588 posts the big blind of $0.10
The button is in seat #6
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to 66Buffalo66 [Ac 4s 9d Ah]
mstrider folds
twothreecall folds
blacksox1 folds
Schupick12 calls $0.10
66Buffalo66 calls $0.10
2Grinder 4 folds
CoverAllJoe folds
highiam folds
A130588 checks
*** FLOP *** [Th Ad Tc]
A130588 has 15 seconds left to act
A130588 checks
Schupick12 checks
66Buffalo66 bets $0.15
A130588 calls $0.15
Schupick12 calls $0.15
*** TURN *** [Th Ad Tc] [5c]
A130588 checks
Schupick12 bets $0.40
66Buffalo66 raises to $2
A130588 raises to $5
Schupick12 calls $3.70, and is all in
66Buffalo66 has 15 seconds left to act
66Buffalo66: if u got quads
66Buffalo66 has requested TIME
66Buffalo66: u got me beat
66Buffalo66 raises to $7.90, and is all in
A130588 calls $2.90
66Buffalo66 shows [Ac 4s 9d Ah]
A130588 shows [7h 6c 5s Td]
Schupick12 shows [4c 2d 6s 3c]
*** RIVER *** [Th Ad Tc 5c] [Ts]
66Buffalo66 shows a full house, Aces full of Tens, for high
A130588 shows four of a kind, Tens, for high
A130588 wins the side pot ($6.90) with four of a kind, Tens
Schupick12 shows three of a kind, Tens, for high
A130588 wins the main pot ($11.80) with four of a kind, Tens
Schupick12 is sitting out
66Buffalo66 adds $1
No low hand qualified
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $20.70 Main pot $13.10. Side pot $7.60. | Rake $2
Board: [Th Ad Tc 5c Ts]
Seat 1: twothreecall didn't bet (folded)
Seat 2: blacksox1 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 3: Schupick12 showed [4c 2d 6s 3c] and lost with HI: three of a kind, Tens
Seat 4: 66Buffalo66 showed [Ac 4s 9d Ah] and lost with HI: a full house, Aces full of Tens
Seat 5: 2Grinder 4 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 6: CoverAllJoe (button) didn't bet (folded)
Seat 7: highiam (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 8: A130588 (big blind) showed [7h 6c 5s Td] and won ($18.70) with HI: four of a kind, Tens
Seat 9: mstrider didn't bet (folded)

Summer of Geekitude

My summer of technology continues as I setup new computer and accounting systems at my uncle's shoppe. (I just like spelling it that way.)

Back at the ranch, I grind away daily, having met my table time goals for almost 60 days straight. I just received my first significant rakeback payment and it certainly made my day. Things are going in the right direction.

I'm still waiting on a little plastic card that will make my banking much easier. My patience is lacking but I expect things to go smoothly after the 1st of the month.

All I can say about the poker world drama right now is W... T... F. I'm not sure I would ever want to be famous in this circle. Besides busto/robusto and the usual angle shooting, I've read about meth, oxy, collection muscle, holes in the desert, car crashes, death by exposure, bestiality - and I'm sure there are untold stories that top them all.

I love poker. I love to play poker, teach poker, talk poker and watch poker. But I'm strictly small potatoes. I thank my lucky stars I'm not photo shopped all over some message board or blog as I try to move forward in this field.

As I write this, Gus Hansen is The WSOP ME leader. I don't think he can take it down because he's too loose with a big stack. We shall see - anything would be more exciting than last year's event.

Looking Back, Looking Forward

I've been playing online poker for 3+ years. I think it's a good idea to reflect on my advancements and my future goals.

I started out playing NLHE tourneys (with their alluring quick paydays). I was way underfunded and didn't have any bankroll management technique. I did go busto on a $50 deposit, but quickly learned to take advantage of bonuses.

Clearing bonuses drew me to cash ring games and from there I discovered rakeback and affiliate income. Although still not a good player, I realized bankroll building involved more than just playing a given number of hands.

One of my regrets early on was having money spread out over many sites. I should've just concentrated on one site and pooled my funds to play bigger stakes.

The biggest discovery for me as a player were the non-hold 'em games. There are just some games that come easy and seem almost intuitive. Split pot poker is my epiphany and I begin winning almost immediately. The result was two fold: I finally developed real confidence at the tables, and learning these new games made me a better hold 'em player (eventually making me a winner at HE).

While I enjoyed this smorgasbord of poker, I didn't focus on one discipline and played whatever I fancied at the moment. Again, this didn't allow me to advance in stakes. (I will say however at this point in my poker journey, mixed games weren't available online.)

As I slowly develop poker income, I learned better bankroll management. I read (and reread) various books on poker. Like a lab to a college textbook, I played various games to try out the new concepts I learned. I often jumped around between tourneys and cash games. Again, while this is improving my skill it is keeping me from moving up the ladder.

In the past year or so I have improved my tournament play tremendously. However, I still have trouble dealing with the variance. It can be soul crushing to play excellent poker for 5 hours and lose on a bad beat with nothing to show for it.

So here I am in the present, finally learning to grind. Playing split pot poker ring games, maximizing my time and effort with rakeback and bonus programs, playing within my bankroll (as always) but learning to take shots upward at the right time.

There is no fame and glory in grinding cash games, especially at my level. I'm absolutely OK with that. I'd like to also play tourneys once in a blue moon - but only as a fun diversion. I take some pride in the fact that I'm a winning tourney player, even though it hasn't been fun all the time.

I'd like to move up in stakes to at least mid-level. I've never really played above $3/6 limit or $.50/1 NL/PL, and I want to see just how tough the competition is up there.

I'm trying to average 3 hours of multi-table play each day, and it's been easy to reach for the past few months. I still have passion for poker and I don't think I would be this far along without it. I hear so many players say how the hate the grind, so they must do it for some other reason. I'll always be happy being the anonymous player making his daily bread.