PLO - Part II

Or this one?

PLO

Running well in PLO, although I have no idea what I'm doing. This is a good starting hand, right?

Security!

I sat down last night in my new favorite place, Freddie's at Fife. They are getting a semi-regular 8/16 LHE game and there is a perfect mix of rocks, pros and idiots to keep it profitable.* There can also be a high variance.

My first buy-in was gone on the 3rd hand I played. No worries - he hit his set of 9s on the river when I flopped two pair with my AQ. I want him drawing all the way there.

Well, I had ordered dinner some time during my second hand. When it arrived (a nice appetizer of bacon wrapped shrimp with Bearnaise sauce - 1/2 price for poker players!), I decided to take an out button while I finished my meal. When it was done, I got up to wash my hands. Now keep in mind, there is no money in front of me. I told the dealer to hold my seat and I got up.

When I came back, my seat was still vacant, but the receipt for my dinner was gone. Had someone paid it? Odd, but whatever. I looked around for Diana (the hot waitress with the really impressive cleavage), but she wasn't around. As I was sitting back down, I noticed two huge security guys coming my way. I didn't think anything of it as I reached into my wallet for the next buy in.

I happen to glance up as I'm pulling out my cash. I see the guards. They see me. We freeze for a moment.

HOLY CRAP. THEY THINK I WAS GOING TO STIFF THE TAB!

Just then, Diana comes back out of the kitchen. As she comes around the guards I asked her about the tab. She stammered something about not knowing if I was coming back. I was in disbelief!

I tipped her generously and went back to the game (finished up over $500 for the night).

And to think, I could have gotten away with it.


*Not sayin' which one is me.

Razz vs. PLO8 / Cash vs, Tourney

After receiving all my mobneys from the prop bets, I decided to parlay them into big bucks. Since I'm a masochist, I fired up two Razz cash games and an 18 player PLO8 SNG at the same time.

I've always felt Razz is my best game (some day I hope to be as good as this guy), but tonight it kicked me in the junk. Repeatedly.

PLO8 is not my best game, but I do love the tournaments. I also love being the dominant chip leader for most of the game.

I also like this:

Thoughts on Veteran's Day

First off, I had an absolute blast on FT last night with blogger mixed games. We played a 7-game rotation with MHG, Penner, Matt C. and yours truly (sorry for the lack of linkage, but I'm in a rush. See the full write up here). Blogger mobneys are the best mobneys!

***
Now to answer a question I've received a couple times already. No, I did not know the Ft. Hood shooter personally. That said, the Army doctor community is pretty small, and I'm literally surrounded by doctors who knew and trained with him. There is no new insight I can add to what is already in the media - this just brings it home a little extra for me. It's especially disconcerting because I was stationed at Ft. Hood from 1987-1988 and I'm having flashbacks to a similar massacre out there in 1991.

***
Pres. Obama will be attending the services. Good. That said, he probably should be in Berlin. Instead he sent Hillary. That decision was made a while ago and it was a mistake. The military funeral will provide a nice cover as to why he isn't there in Germany.

***
Finally, as I've said many times before, I did not serve in the Army for 16 years for your thanks, but to those of you who have thanked me in so many ways, YOU'RE WELCOME!

I Am the Fish

Congrats again to The Wife for her 10th place cash in the big tournament. Once again, you prove that your tournament skills are light years beyond mine.

***

Omaha is not my best game, but I do love it. When I busted early from the tournament, the cash game started right up and it was dealers choice. There were several good players at the table and just enough newbies to keep it interesting. The newbies were easy to spot. Regulars bought in for $100 -$200 using $100 bills. Newbies bought in for $20 or $40. Sometimes with $1 bills.

The game is PLO8 with no cap. I'm on the button with AA34 suited in clubs. It's raised to $6 by the uber aggressor in early position and there are 4 limpers before it gets to me. Mistake #1 was not re-potting it here. Both blinds call.

Seven of us see a flop of 10s-8s-6c. Not the best flop for my hand. Blinds check. Uber dude bets pot. MP1 calls, MP2 calls all in. MP3 calls. Now it's on me. I have about $150 behind. There was $42 in the pot before the betting. Now there are 4 more bets of $42 each making the pot $210.

What do you do?

Saying Goodbye

No poker here. If you are looking for my response to the last post, I put my comments in the comments section. In case it wasn't clear, he had QJ and we chopped.

***

Last night I said a final goodbye to an old friend. It was far more emotional than I expected.

I met her a short 5 years ago, back in 2004. She was a little older and showing her age, but still beautiful. Seriously, people would see her and couldn't help staring. Little kids would comment! You ever meet someone that was so uniquely attractive that you felt obligated to say something? It seems awkward after the fact; "Has anyone told you how beautiful...?" If you are the recipient of such a compliment, how do you react? She always responded with silence, but I could tell she was beaming inside and out.

High maintenance doesn't begin to describe her. You know some women who are so naturally beautiful that they don't need make up? Yeah, that wasn't her. In fact, I know she had over $70,000 in surgery just to stay beautiful. Unlike Michael Jackson, every dime spent made her better.

She began wasting away from the inside about 5 months ago. With barely any substance left, she gave up the rest last night. As I lay there saying goodbye, I reviewed all the great times we had together. It is with sadness and love that I said goodbye.

Then I turned off the lights for the last time on Casa Chako, Federal Way.

Another Interesting Hand

Had a profittable session again last night. I could get used to this. I tried to sabotage it by playing 4/8 while waiting for a 3/5 NL seat. I'm almost embarrassed to say that I was on my 3rd rack (or was it 4th?) before I got called.

Well, I got me seat immediately to the left of a very straightforward player who has a little wider range of preflop calling hands and is pretty much a calling station after that.

I have AQ UTG and raise to $20. Yes, you could make an arguement to fold or raise higher, but I chose $20. Deal with it.

One random MP caller and BB also calls $15 more. Pot is $63.

Flop: Q-3-3

BB checks. I bet $45. MP folds. BB flat calls. $153 in the pot. We are heads up.

Turn: 6

I lead out again for $80. BB thinks a while and flat calls again.

River: 3

BB checks again. What do you do?