1/3 PLO Crown, Melbourne
My vision for this blog is for all 1/3 Holdem players to realise they are playing the most boring, high raked game in the world and move to 1/3 PLO.
I've heard people say that the PLO game is like bingo and that it's too high variance. While the game does have its fair share of six-way 3b pots (with three people all-in pre), I hope this blog shows 1/3 PLO is a great alternative to the $10 hourly on 1/3 Holdem.
In this blog I will be analysing hand histories of my interesting spots, some occasional big pot brags and almost certainly a few punt offs.
I've heard people say that the PLO game is like bingo and that it's too high variance. While the game does have its fair share of six-way 3b pots (with three people all-in pre), I hope this blog shows 1/3 PLO is a great alternative to the $10 hourly on 1/3 Holdem.
In this blog I will be analysing hand histories of my interesting spots, some occasional big pot brags and almost certainly a few punt offs.
Here is my first hand to get the blog started:
I post UTG+1 and get dealt 8642 tri suit (three diamonds).
We go 6 ways to a limped pot of 8c5d2c. I flop top and bottom 2p, a double-gutshot and a backdoor fd.
SB checks, BB comes out and bets 15 (into 18). I choose to call given the multiwayness of the hand. The next player to act makes it 50. Folds to the BB who calls and I call.
Turn is Ad giving me a crappy flush draw. 43 is now the nuts. BB checks and I think its a great spot to rep the 43, especially when I have straight draws and flush draws to go along. I pot for 170 and both players fold.
Moral of the story: always post when new to the table
I post UTG+1 and get dealt 8642 tri suit (three diamonds).
We go 6 ways to a limped pot of 8c5d2c. I flop top and bottom 2p, a double-gutshot and a backdoor fd.
SB checks, BB comes out and bets 15 (into 18). I choose to call given the multiwayness of the hand. The next player to act makes it 50. Folds to the BB who calls and I call.
Turn is Ad giving me a crappy flush draw. 43 is now the nuts. BB checks and I think its a great spot to rep the 43, especially when I have straight draws and flush draws to go along. I pot for 170 and both players fold.
Moral of the story: always post when new to the table
Start hand around 250.
UTG raises to 10, folds to me in the HJ and I call with 8765s.
This is a bit of loose call that I wouldn't make in a tougher game
We go 5 ways to flop Ks9d7d (I have diamond fd).
BB leads 30 (50), I call and the BU calls.
I think some people would get excited with a wrap and flush draw here and raise. But with the flush draw being non-nut, as well as the wrap being non-nut AND with two people yet to act, I think calling is better
Turn is 2s (I have 1 spade only) BB bets 100 (140), I call and the BU calls.
This is getting tricky now. I have very few clean outs and I dont close the action. I'm not worried about facing a raise but being OoP on the river on cards that I improve but not to the nuts e.g. what do I do on diamond rivers with a player behind. This turn could actually be a fold
River is 5o, BB bets 75, I jam 115 and BU folds.
Ok so I hit the nuts guess I dont have a difficult decision. However, is it worth considering a call to try rope the BU in for an additional 75? I choose to call because he is likely on a draw so wont call anyway. Plus if I raise I get a guaranteed extra 40 from the BB
The BB shows K7 only and mucks when I show my hand (have no idea what his 2 other cards were). The BU says he had JT with diamonds - I was drawing very thin on the river.
I think the lesson in this hand is that I made a questionable call preflop and it lead to me getting into difficult spots that I shouldn't have been in. The other lesson is to recognise the good variance I got and make a mental note that I got very lucky here when I could have easily been punished for a preflop mistake. Potential final lesson: though I didn't see all four BB's cards, he was likely making those bets with a very weak hand thus could be making even bigger mistakes than me (after playing with him longer I saw him consistently put his money in poorly in similar spots).
UTG raises to 10, folds to me in the HJ and I call with 8765s.
This is a bit of loose call that I wouldn't make in a tougher game
We go 5 ways to flop Ks9d7d (I have diamond fd).
BB leads 30 (50), I call and the BU calls.
I think some people would get excited with a wrap and flush draw here and raise. But with the flush draw being non-nut, as well as the wrap being non-nut AND with two people yet to act, I think calling is better
Turn is 2s (I have 1 spade only) BB bets 100 (140), I call and the BU calls.
This is getting tricky now. I have very few clean outs and I dont close the action. I'm not worried about facing a raise but being OoP on the river on cards that I improve but not to the nuts e.g. what do I do on diamond rivers with a player behind. This turn could actually be a fold
River is 5o, BB bets 75, I jam 115 and BU folds.
Ok so I hit the nuts guess I dont have a difficult decision. However, is it worth considering a call to try rope the BU in for an additional 75? I choose to call because he is likely on a draw so wont call anyway. Plus if I raise I get a guaranteed extra 40 from the BB
The BB shows K7 only and mucks when I show my hand (have no idea what his 2 other cards were). The BU says he had JT with diamonds - I was drawing very thin on the river.
I think the lesson in this hand is that I made a questionable call preflop and it lead to me getting into difficult spots that I shouldn't have been in. The other lesson is to recognise the good variance I got and make a mental note that I got very lucky here when I could have easily been punished for a preflop mistake. Potential final lesson: though I didn't see all four BB's cards, he was likely making those bets with a very weak hand thus could be making even bigger mistakes than me (after playing with him longer I saw him consistently put his money in poorly in similar spots).
I have now played 1 session after starting this blog and I could feel myself playing a little stronger in terms of mental game. I get the feeling this blog will be a great tool to improve my poker.
To make sure I get the most benefit out of this blog, I will need to set some goals. Will sleep on it and update during the week
To make sure I get the most benefit out of this blog, I will need to set some goals. Will sleep on it and update during the week
There is a min raise to 6, a few calls and I defend the BB with A764r
5 ways to flop AA2r, checks to OR who bets 15 (30), player IP calls and I call.
Turn is 5o. I check, OR checks and the IP player goes all in for 59 (75).
This should be a simple spot. The guy is gonna have an A (think I can just dismiss the OR, he was playing loose anyway) so my A will need to improve to win.
I need 32% to break even and turns out I only had 14%. Should have folded but I didn't.
Shows how soft the 1/3 game is when a) the OR is cbetting on that flop and b) people like me calling off on the turn
5 ways to flop AA2r, checks to OR who bets 15 (30), player IP calls and I call.
Turn is 5o. I check, OR checks and the IP player goes all in for 59 (75).
This should be a simple spot. The guy is gonna have an A (think I can just dismiss the OR, he was playing loose anyway) so my A will need to improve to win.
I need 32% to break even and turns out I only had 14%. Should have folded but I didn't.
Shows how soft the 1/3 game is when a) the OR is cbetting on that flop and b) people like me calling off on the turn
Start hand around 250.
UTG raises to 10, folds to me in the HJ and I call with 8765s.
This is a bit of loose call that I wouldn't make in a tougher game
We go 5 ways to flop Ks9d7d (I have diamond fd).
BB leads 30 (50), I call and the BU calls.
I think some people would get excited with a wrap and flush draw here and raise. But with the flush draw being non-nut, as well as the wrap being non-nut AND with two people yet to act, I think calling is better
Turn is 2s (I have 1 spade only) BB bets 100 (140), I call and the BU calls.
This is getting tricky now. I have very few clean outs and I dont close the action. I'm not worried about facing a raise but being OoP on the river on cards that I improve but not to the nuts e.g. what do I do on diamond rivers with a player behind. This turn could actually be a fold
River is 5o, BB bets 75, I jam 115 and BU folds.
Ok so I hit the nuts guess I dont have a difficult decision. However, is it worth considering a call to try rope the BU in for an additional 75? I choose to call because he is likely on a draw so wont call anyway. Plus if I raise I get a guaranteed extra 40 from the BB
The BB shows K7 only and mucks when I show my hand (have no idea what his 2 other cards were). The BU says he had JT with diamonds - I was drawing very thin on the river.
I think the lesson in this hand is that I made a questionable call preflop and it lead to me getting into difficult spots that I shouldn't have been in. The other lesson is to recognise the good variance I got and make a mental note that I got very lucky here when I could have easily been punished for a preflop mistake. Potential final lesson: though I didn't see all four BB's cards, he was likely making those bets with a very weak hand thus could be making even bigger mistakes than me (after playing with him longer I saw him consistently put his money in poorly in similar spots).
UTG raises to 10, folds to me in the HJ and I call with 8765s.
This is a bit of loose call that I wouldn't make in a tougher game
We go 5 ways to flop Ks9d7d (I have diamond fd).
BB leads 30 (50), I call and the BU calls.
I think some people would get excited with a wrap and flush draw here and raise. But with the flush draw being non-nut, as well as the wrap being non-nut AND with two people yet to act, I think calling is better
Turn is 2s (I have 1 spade only) BB bets 100 (140), I call and the BU calls.
This is getting tricky now. I have very few clean outs and I dont close the action. I'm not worried about facing a raise but being OoP on the river on cards that I improve but not to the nuts e.g. what do I do on diamond rivers with a player behind. This turn could actually be a fold
River is 5o, BB bets 75, I jam 115 and BU folds.
Ok so I hit the nuts guess I dont have a difficult decision. However, is it worth considering a call to try rope the BU in for an additional 75? I choose to call because he is likely on a draw so wont call anyway. Plus if I raise I get a guaranteed extra 40 from the BB
The BB shows K7 only and mucks when I show my hand (have no idea what his 2 other cards were). The BU says he had JT with diamonds - I was drawing very thin on the river.
I think the lesson in this hand is that I made a questionable call preflop and it lead to me getting into difficult spots that I shouldn't have been in. The other lesson is to recognise the good variance I got and make a mental note that I got very lucky here when I could have easily been punished for a preflop mistake. Potential final lesson: though I didn't see all four BB's cards, he was likely making those bets with a very weak hand thus could be making even bigger mistakes than me (after playing with him longer I saw him consistently put his money in poorly in similar spots).
The 8765 hand is a must-threebet pre. You have a four-card rundown that is very easy to play postflop, just get some more money in there, if you get it HU or three-ways there are also a lot of boards where you will take it down with a c-bet. You need to have a three-bet range that is way more than aces and other high cards, especially since a lot of players at this level will think that "he three-bet me pre so I guess he has aces or kings" when you cbet on something like 962r - and you get the money in as a huge favorite vs some random trash hand. It´s also unlikely that you´ll end up in tough spots, since it´s basically a hit or miss hand.
As played, I don´t really like this passive line either. The flop isn´t really good for you, since you only have three cards to the nuts and you won´t know which outs are clean, however there are not that many hands that crush you on this board either - so with the stack sizes I think you need to either re-pot the flop from the HJ or fold. By re-potting you will put his marginal holdings to the test and if he has a set, you have a lot of outs unless he also has the diamond draw. He is leading into four players, so it should never be a bluff and I´d say it´s weighted more towards a made hand than a drawing hand, unless he has flopped a monster with something like AT8x w/diamonds. By just calling you also risk an overcall from the button closing the action with a hand like a naked flushdraw, which is something you really want to avoid.
So yeah, basically I three-bet pre and either raise of fold the flop.
As played, I don´t really like this passive line either. The flop isn´t really good for you, since you only have three cards to the nuts and you won´t know which outs are clean, however there are not that many hands that crush you on this board either - so with the stack sizes I think you need to either re-pot the flop from the HJ or fold. By re-potting you will put his marginal holdings to the test and if he has a set, you have a lot of outs unless he also has the diamond draw. He is leading into four players, so it should never be a bluff and I´d say it´s weighted more towards a made hand than a drawing hand, unless he has flopped a monster with something like AT8x w/diamonds. By just calling you also risk an overcall from the button closing the action with a hand like a naked flushdraw, which is something you really want to avoid.
So yeah, basically I three-bet pre and either raise of fold the flop.
Agree with both comments on preflop. The hand is weak and I certainly wouldn't play it vs tough opposition. I'd probably prefer to fold than 3b because its vs UTG and this particular guy was tight.
Regarding flop, I didn't consider a raise but after your suggestion ReGen I took a look and I'm actually a favourite vs BB leading range though this is assuming all players behind fold. Trying to model the hand with players behind gets a bit tricky: I ran a couple of equities to see how often they will come along if I raise and what my equity looks like if one of them did. In that scenario, I'm pretty much flipping but they don't come along that often. Raising flop seems to be a better play.
Regarding flop, I didn't consider a raise but after your suggestion ReGen I took a look and I'm actually a favourite vs BB leading range though this is assuming all players behind fold. Trying to model the hand with players behind gets a bit tricky: I ran a couple of equities to see how often they will come along if I raise and what my equity looks like if one of them did. In that scenario, I'm pretty much flipping but they don't come along that often. Raising flop seems to be a better play.
1/3 PLO GOAL
My goal for 1/3 PLO is to win 10k by the end of the calendar year.
The goal is a little ambitious because I don't think I will be able to play enough volume and will need to run very hot to get there.
However, the game is very soft so it is very doable.
Since starting this blog I have played two sessions and counting those I am up $69 so only $9,931 more to go.
My goal for 1/3 PLO is to win 10k by the end of the calendar year.
The goal is a little ambitious because I don't think I will be able to play enough volume and will need to run very hot to get there.
However, the game is very soft so it is very doable.
Since starting this blog I have played two sessions and counting those I am up $69 so only $9,931 more to go.
Session 2 review
The kind of action that makes a 1/3 table great is when you get 1-2 people raising pre to juice up the pot. For example, having a player who makes it 10 half the time makes for a much better game than a table of all limpers. Another great table is when multiple people are blind raising UTG. For those who don't play at Crown, an UTG straddle is not live but often people will post a dead straddle of 6-10 just to juice the action up.
The table today had a couple of people juicing it up to 10 and a few people blind raising UTG. It was a great game apart for a few hit and runs. Games like this require patience to pick up some hands and have them hold. This didn't really happen today but here are some of my highlights (and lowlights):
Hand 1
I limp KK52s UTG7 on a table that has a decent amount of action pre. My plan is to limp and call a raise of 10 which is likely to have a mass-multiway flop. (Loose) CO makes it 10 (raise size less than pot) and the SB pots to 40. SB is a loose passive character who is playing at least 70% VPIP but never coming in for a raise. I fold my KK. SB had AA**
Hand 2
A couple of rounds later, I limp UTG7 again with KKT5 single suit spades. There is a 7s exposed. (Same loose) CO makes it 13, BU calls, and same (Loose passive) SB pots it again. I fold my KK for the second time, and again, SB had AA. Only this time I would have won the pot with a K on the river.
Hands 1 & 2 I have lost a total of 6 when having KK vs AA.
Hand 3
Forget the precise preflop action but I defend the BB with KJ98 (forget suits).
Flop is 4 ways Qd 9h 9d I check to the BU who bets 15 (into around 40). The BU is the same (Loose passive) player from hands 1 & 2. I put him squarely on 9 or better and raise him to 40. My thinking is that I have K kicker and side cards are middling or higher. Because he plays so loose pre I can be ahead of many of his 9***. Folds back around to him and he jams. Given my read on the character I fold my hand. He shows me Q9.
Hand 4
UTG blind raises to 10, there are two callers and I pot the BU to 54 with AQJJr. Both the SB and BB cold call, the UTG player jams 200 and it folds back to me. The UTG player is the same Loose Raiser from hands 1&2 so I don't necessarily assign a strong range. I jam 275 in hopes to drive out the blinds. SB folds and BB says "tilt call" and calls it off.
Board runs out 9 9 5 4 3 and I lose to the UTG who has AQJ2s. The BB never showed his hand. I had UTG dominated but since the BB never showed his hand I put in a reasonable range and he was likely ahead 3 ways.
Hand 5
Limps to be in BB I check 9983s
5 ways to flop is Jd 8d 8h I had dd. Action checks around
Turn is 5o, I bet 10 (15) get one caller IP
River is a 3 giving me full house. I bet 30 (35) he tanks and calls. He shows J8 and says he wanted to raise but didn't want to run into JJ (lol). Good soft games
Hand 6
UTG blind raise to 8, (Loose passive) CO limps, I pot the BU with KTT9r and UTG calls.
3 ways to Qc 9c 2s I have Kc. Action checks around.
Turn is As Loose CO bets 10 (into 112 lol), I call and UTG calls.
River is 6c checks to me and I bet 140. UTG folds and Loose CO calls with K874 for 74cc flush.
Overall, there was plenty of action to book a decent win but wasn't able to showdown any big hands in big pots.
The kind of action that makes a 1/3 table great is when you get 1-2 people raising pre to juice up the pot. For example, having a player who makes it 10 half the time makes for a much better game than a table of all limpers. Another great table is when multiple people are blind raising UTG. For those who don't play at Crown, an UTG straddle is not live but often people will post a dead straddle of 6-10 just to juice the action up.
The table today had a couple of people juicing it up to 10 and a few people blind raising UTG. It was a great game apart for a few hit and runs. Games like this require patience to pick up some hands and have them hold. This didn't really happen today but here are some of my highlights (and lowlights):
Hand 1
I limp KK52s UTG7 on a table that has a decent amount of action pre. My plan is to limp and call a raise of 10 which is likely to have a mass-multiway flop. (Loose) CO makes it 10 (raise size less than pot) and the SB pots to 40. SB is a loose passive character who is playing at least 70% VPIP but never coming in for a raise. I fold my KK. SB had AA**
Hand 2
A couple of rounds later, I limp UTG7 again with KKT5 single suit spades. There is a 7s exposed. (Same loose) CO makes it 13, BU calls, and same (Loose passive) SB pots it again. I fold my KK for the second time, and again, SB had AA. Only this time I would have won the pot with a K on the river.
Hands 1 & 2 I have lost a total of 6 when having KK vs AA.
Hand 3
Forget the precise preflop action but I defend the BB with KJ98 (forget suits).
Flop is 4 ways Qd 9h 9d I check to the BU who bets 15 (into around 40). The BU is the same (Loose passive) player from hands 1 & 2. I put him squarely on 9 or better and raise him to 40. My thinking is that I have K kicker and side cards are middling or higher. Because he plays so loose pre I can be ahead of many of his 9***. Folds back around to him and he jams. Given my read on the character I fold my hand. He shows me Q9.
Hand 4
UTG blind raises to 10, there are two callers and I pot the BU to 54 with AQJJr. Both the SB and BB cold call, the UTG player jams 200 and it folds back to me. The UTG player is the same Loose Raiser from hands 1&2 so I don't necessarily assign a strong range. I jam 275 in hopes to drive out the blinds. SB folds and BB says "tilt call" and calls it off.
Board runs out 9 9 5 4 3 and I lose to the UTG who has AQJ2s. The BB never showed his hand. I had UTG dominated but since the BB never showed his hand I put in a reasonable range and he was likely ahead 3 ways.
Hand 5
Limps to be in BB I check 9983s
5 ways to flop is Jd 8d 8h I had dd. Action checks around
Turn is 5o, I bet 10 (15) get one caller IP
River is a 3 giving me full house. I bet 30 (35) he tanks and calls. He shows J8 and says he wanted to raise but didn't want to run into JJ (lol). Good soft games
Hand 6
UTG blind raise to 8, (Loose passive) CO limps, I pot the BU with KTT9r and UTG calls.
3 ways to Qc 9c 2s I have Kc. Action checks around.
Turn is As Loose CO bets 10 (into 112 lol), I call and UTG calls.
River is 6c checks to me and I bet 140. UTG folds and Loose CO calls with K874 for 74cc flush.
Overall, there was plenty of action to book a decent win but wasn't able to showdown any big hands in big pots.
Went to Crown to log another session of 1/3 PLO but the list was 9 deep so I played 2/5 holdem while I waited.
I sat down and watched a hand in progress where the player on my immediate left check called two streets then donked the river as an obvious bluff. The very next hand, he squeezes it up then stacks KK on a A high board in a spot where he would have never ever been ahead. So I'm thinking that I'm in for a good game with this character.
He leaves the table to get more chips and comes back with $350 which is an odd amount to buy in for, I interpret thats as all the money he has left for the day.
Hand 1
I open JhTh from EP and the loose player calls, we go heads up to the flop Kh 6s 4c.
I cbet 20 (37) and he calls pretty quickly.
Turn is 2s and I bet 50 in the hope of getting him off an underpair or middle pair. He calls. At this point I decide I'm prob not firing on the river because if he didn't fold KK on an A high board he's certainly not folding anything on the river.
River is Ah so now I think I have a good spot to fire. He has literally just sat down with this (what is likely his last) buy in and I think he wont want to lose it and have to go home. He has around 250 left. I cover him and go all in. He tanks to the very last second (there is a shot-clock in this game) and folds KJ face up. I think he would not have folded this spot if he had more chips to reload with and I wouldn't have jammed the river if that was the case.
Hand 2
This is an unusual hand: I raise 20 over a limper KdQd from EP, same player to my left calls along with the BU and the SB.
Flop is 9d 3s 2c. I check, the player on my left bets 20 (65) and everyone calls. By the time it gets to me I need to call 20 to win 125 (less rake). Getting 6-1 in a flop spot like this is a novel spot and I wasn't sure if calling here was ok but my gut feeling thought it would be fine. I have 2 overcards and backdoor straight flush draw.
Turn is 5h, same player bets 20 again and everyone calls again! This time its 20 to call to win 205 (less rake) and getting 10-1. Drawing to a pair is not something that normally happens but I felt getting 10-1 it should be a call.
River is 9 same player bets 50, BU calls and we fold. The guy betting had A2 and the BU had 97.
Running some equities ono the flop I have around 22%. I have to make some big assumptions given the novel situation, it's not like I can plug in some GTO starting hands and go from there. It's certainly a thin call but given the characters in the hand I think I can make it work.
Running equities for the turn, when the action gets around to me, I estimate that I have around 10% equity to draw to a pair (lol). Again, I think its close on the turn but workable given the character in the hand.
Hand 3
UTG opens 15. He is one of the better players I have seen on 2/5, playing very TAG and apart from what feels like a little too much opening from EP, not getting out of line. He gets called in MP and the CO. I'm on the BU with ATo and decide to squeeze to 80. The other 2 players have been tight but not nitty. Not sure if my squeeze here is good, calling would be fine, but felt like I wanted to go with my read and capitalise on the EP opening slightly too wide. EP calls and the rest fold.
Flop is K Q (cant remember next rank, its [8-2]. Rainbow. He checks and I bet 50 into a little under 200. He calls.
Turn is a brick, he checks again and I barrel. Pot is around 300 and I have 400 behind. I bet 160 which upon reflection I dont like at all. I think a bet of around 100 is much better. Also upon reflection, I'm not even sure if barrelling here is good.
I find ranging him on the turn difficult. I don't know exactly what hands he defends the 3b with and what hands he 4b with. My image is very tight and I think he will play well enough to not get out of line by defending something marginal. On the flop, I'm not sure if he floats with an underpair (I'm guessing not) so keep him to a Q or better. Against this range, he has top pair or better around 55% of the time, so I do think its a +EV barrel.
Ultimately I won the hand but here I am quite exploitable, if he knew my strategy I can get owned pretty hard (AT is pretty out of line). I could have easily run into a big hand from him, or, taken ATo multi way in a 3b pot if one of the callers comes along too. And thats not a good spot. I don't necessarily like my 3b but I dont hate it either. It really depends on the UTG opening too wide and the cold callers being too wide (which I'm not 100% sure they are). Overall, I don't like turn sizing and I can't decide if I like the 3b or not.
Apart from the guy on my left being great value, the rest of the table is average. I still haven't been called for 1/3 PLO so decide to quit an average game and go home. I book a small win but since its not PLO I wont count it toward my attempt of getting to $10k by the end of the year. This goal is not going to be achievable if I cant get in the game.
I sat down and watched a hand in progress where the player on my immediate left check called two streets then donked the river as an obvious bluff. The very next hand, he squeezes it up then stacks KK on a A high board in a spot where he would have never ever been ahead. So I'm thinking that I'm in for a good game with this character.
He leaves the table to get more chips and comes back with $350 which is an odd amount to buy in for, I interpret thats as all the money he has left for the day.
Hand 1
I open JhTh from EP and the loose player calls, we go heads up to the flop Kh 6s 4c.
I cbet 20 (37) and he calls pretty quickly.
Turn is 2s and I bet 50 in the hope of getting him off an underpair or middle pair. He calls. At this point I decide I'm prob not firing on the river because if he didn't fold KK on an A high board he's certainly not folding anything on the river.
River is Ah so now I think I have a good spot to fire. He has literally just sat down with this (what is likely his last) buy in and I think he wont want to lose it and have to go home. He has around 250 left. I cover him and go all in. He tanks to the very last second (there is a shot-clock in this game) and folds KJ face up. I think he would not have folded this spot if he had more chips to reload with and I wouldn't have jammed the river if that was the case.
Hand 2
This is an unusual hand: I raise 20 over a limper KdQd from EP, same player to my left calls along with the BU and the SB.
Flop is 9d 3s 2c. I check, the player on my left bets 20 (65) and everyone calls. By the time it gets to me I need to call 20 to win 125 (less rake). Getting 6-1 in a flop spot like this is a novel spot and I wasn't sure if calling here was ok but my gut feeling thought it would be fine. I have 2 overcards and backdoor straight flush draw.
Turn is 5h, same player bets 20 again and everyone calls again! This time its 20 to call to win 205 (less rake) and getting 10-1. Drawing to a pair is not something that normally happens but I felt getting 10-1 it should be a call.
River is 9 same player bets 50, BU calls and we fold. The guy betting had A2 and the BU had 97.
Running some equities ono the flop I have around 22%. I have to make some big assumptions given the novel situation, it's not like I can plug in some GTO starting hands and go from there. It's certainly a thin call but given the characters in the hand I think I can make it work.
Running equities for the turn, when the action gets around to me, I estimate that I have around 10% equity to draw to a pair (lol). Again, I think its close on the turn but workable given the character in the hand.
Hand 3
UTG opens 15. He is one of the better players I have seen on 2/5, playing very TAG and apart from what feels like a little too much opening from EP, not getting out of line. He gets called in MP and the CO. I'm on the BU with ATo and decide to squeeze to 80. The other 2 players have been tight but not nitty. Not sure if my squeeze here is good, calling would be fine, but felt like I wanted to go with my read and capitalise on the EP opening slightly too wide. EP calls and the rest fold.
Flop is K Q (cant remember next rank, its [8-2]. Rainbow. He checks and I bet 50 into a little under 200. He calls.
Turn is a brick, he checks again and I barrel. Pot is around 300 and I have 400 behind. I bet 160 which upon reflection I dont like at all. I think a bet of around 100 is much better. Also upon reflection, I'm not even sure if barrelling here is good.
I find ranging him on the turn difficult. I don't know exactly what hands he defends the 3b with and what hands he 4b with. My image is very tight and I think he will play well enough to not get out of line by defending something marginal. On the flop, I'm not sure if he floats with an underpair (I'm guessing not) so keep him to a Q or better. Against this range, he has top pair or better around 55% of the time, so I do think its a +EV barrel.
Ultimately I won the hand but here I am quite exploitable, if he knew my strategy I can get owned pretty hard (AT is pretty out of line). I could have easily run into a big hand from him, or, taken ATo multi way in a 3b pot if one of the callers comes along too. And thats not a good spot. I don't necessarily like my 3b but I dont hate it either. It really depends on the UTG opening too wide and the cold callers being too wide (which I'm not 100% sure they are). Overall, I don't like turn sizing and I can't decide if I like the 3b or not.
Apart from the guy on my left being great value, the rest of the table is average. I still haven't been called for 1/3 PLO so decide to quit an average game and go home. I book a small win but since its not PLO I wont count it toward my attempt of getting to $10k by the end of the year. This goal is not going to be achievable if I cant get in the game.
The problem with betting 160 OTT in Hand 3 is that you don´t have enough to fire another barrel OTR (240 left with 600+ in pot). However, I don´t like 100 either (and it also leaves you with just a little over half a pot sized bet OTR), I mean, would you ever bet this small with AA/AK/KK? I would probably size to something 70 OTF in order to set up a turn jam, which I by the way think is perfectly fine since you should have good fold equity in this spot and on this board.
The problem with betting 160 OTT in Hand 3 is that you don´t have enough to fire another barrel OTR (240 left with 600+ in pot). However, I don´t like 100 either (and it also leaves you with just a little over half a pot sized bet OTR), I mean, would you ever bet this small with AA/AK/KK? I would probably size to something 70 OTF in order to set up a turn jam, which I by the way think is perfectly fine since you should have good fold equity in this spot and on this board.
When I arrived at the table, there were two 2k stacks and a 5k stack. And, apparently a player with a 6k stack had recently quit the game. That is a very deep game for a 1/3 table when players can only buy in for $300 at a time!
Most players were putting on a blind 6 and a blind 10 which I happily followed. Given the stacks and blind raises I was expecting big action but instead it was a lot of 5-6 way flops for $10 each. There was very little potting pre as most people seemed happy to just call the 10 to see a flop.
A game like this I like to play a wide range of hands IP. If the flop is going 6 ways, and no one is raising behind, then you get a great price to see a flop. The price is even better other players are going to continue being loose post flop. The hard part is actually making hands that can win at showdown. This is the second session in a row where I only won a few hands throughout the session.
Hand 1
It's not often a hand like this pops up: UTG has blind raise to 6, I have blind raised to 10 and the player to my left blind raises to 20. Get 3 callers and its back to me. I have Ks Qs 5c 4c. If I pot the raise will be around 140 which is half of my stack. I find it very difficult to assess the EV of potting here. The EV will come from forcing out a couple of players (hopefully) and then bloating the pot on the flop where I have a short SPR, go all in and force out more equity. The only problem with this is I dont know how many players I'm going to force out because if I dont force out many the hand doesn't play that well multiway. And its a high variance spot for my 280 stack.
Alternatively, I get a great price on just completing the 20, especially when I close the action. Getting something like 10-1 for just calling is going to be very +EV and is hard to **** up. If I pot it here I could see the play being higher EV, but at the same time I could also seeing it being -EV. Given the uncertainty, I just called the 10.
Now that I am home with the luxury of running equities, I believe the better play is to pot it on the condition that I can fold out 2 people. I have the player to my left who put in a blind bet so sometimes he wakes up with a hand but mostly he folds. Then its just a matter of making a judgement on the remaining players and try to predict if they are the type to continue for another $120.
Someone might think its odd that I dedicate this much thought to a preflop decision but unique spots like this are a great opportunity to find more EV. And if you are finding the extra EV that other players aren't then this is what gives you the edge at the table.
Hand 2
I'm in the CO and there is the blind 6 and blind 10 raises. A couple of calls in front and I call with Ac Qd 9c 4h. We go 7 ways to the flop Kc 8d 2c. One of the first to act bets 70 (has 130 behind), there is 1 caller and it is on me. I have nut flush draw with a couple of backdoor straights and not folding. The decision is whether to go all in or call and see a turn. I have played a bit with the player up front and put him on 2p plus. The caller is pretty loose so put him on a K with overkickers/flush draw. I chose to call. Turn is a Q giving me a pair, first player jams 130 and we both call. I brick my flush draw.
Running some equities I can see calling is in fact the better play as I don't push any equity. The surprising finding here is that my call on the turn doesn't push much equity at all. In fact it barely breaks even. It is worth noting that the caller here has clubs often which reduces my equity, plus, I still lose on some board pair clubs.
One final comment I want to make on this hand, is that while the calls might not push much equity at all. There is value in taking some neutral EV gambles in the hope of getting a big stack and playing deeper at the table. This obviously only applies when other players at the table are deep, which is certainly the case here. If everyone on the table only has a 300 stack (and I have seen games like this) then I should be folding the turn.
Hand 3
I'm in the 3 (of the 1/3/6/10) with Ac 8s 6d 5c there are a bunch of limpers and I call. We go 5 ways to Kc Qs 5c giving me bottom pair and nut flush draw. It checks to the BU who pots it. I call in the hope I get another caller behind but alas we go heads up to the turn which is an offsuit 8.
The pot is 150ish and I have around 210. Here I consider leading for pot but end up checking. I don't know if the BU noticed something or checked on his own but we go to the river which is an offsuit 9. I check, he bets 115 and I fold.
The possibility of the BU noticed a tell on me when the 8 came (most likely sub-conscious) shows sloppiness on my part. This was the kind of game I wasn't paying much attention to, mostly because every pot is multiway and there are no big river spots so I can get away with just playing my cards. However, it may have cost me on this turn. If I was a bit more alert, I could have given more thought to my turn decision. A pot lead from me may have won the pot.
Close
The table quality deteriorated once certain players left and the pots started shrinking considerably. I ended up quitting and having a semi-early night.
I didn't play as sharp as I could have, was a little loose in some spots but overall that's fine. My sub-par game was still more than enough to be profitable. It's just another night of not being able to showdown many hands.
Most players were putting on a blind 6 and a blind 10 which I happily followed. Given the stacks and blind raises I was expecting big action but instead it was a lot of 5-6 way flops for $10 each. There was very little potting pre as most people seemed happy to just call the 10 to see a flop.
A game like this I like to play a wide range of hands IP. If the flop is going 6 ways, and no one is raising behind, then you get a great price to see a flop. The price is even better other players are going to continue being loose post flop. The hard part is actually making hands that can win at showdown. This is the second session in a row where I only won a few hands throughout the session.
Hand 1
It's not often a hand like this pops up: UTG has blind raise to 6, I have blind raised to 10 and the player to my left blind raises to 20. Get 3 callers and its back to me. I have Ks Qs 5c 4c. If I pot the raise will be around 140 which is half of my stack. I find it very difficult to assess the EV of potting here. The EV will come from forcing out a couple of players (hopefully) and then bloating the pot on the flop where I have a short SPR, go all in and force out more equity. The only problem with this is I dont know how many players I'm going to force out because if I dont force out many the hand doesn't play that well multiway. And its a high variance spot for my 280 stack.
Alternatively, I get a great price on just completing the 20, especially when I close the action. Getting something like 10-1 for just calling is going to be very +EV and is hard to **** up. If I pot it here I could see the play being higher EV, but at the same time I could also seeing it being -EV. Given the uncertainty, I just called the 10.
Now that I am home with the luxury of running equities, I believe the better play is to pot it on the condition that I can fold out 2 people. I have the player to my left who put in a blind bet so sometimes he wakes up with a hand but mostly he folds. Then its just a matter of making a judgement on the remaining players and try to predict if they are the type to continue for another $120.
Someone might think its odd that I dedicate this much thought to a preflop decision but unique spots like this are a great opportunity to find more EV. And if you are finding the extra EV that other players aren't then this is what gives you the edge at the table.
Hand 2
I'm in the CO and there is the blind 6 and blind 10 raises. A couple of calls in front and I call with Ac Qd 9c 4h. We go 7 ways to the flop Kc 8d 2c. One of the first to act bets 70 (has 130 behind), there is 1 caller and it is on me. I have nut flush draw with a couple of backdoor straights and not folding. The decision is whether to go all in or call and see a turn. I have played a bit with the player up front and put him on 2p plus. The caller is pretty loose so put him on a K with overkickers/flush draw. I chose to call. Turn is a Q giving me a pair, first player jams 130 and we both call. I brick my flush draw.
Running some equities I can see calling is in fact the better play as I don't push any equity. The surprising finding here is that my call on the turn doesn't push much equity at all. In fact it barely breaks even. It is worth noting that the caller here has clubs often which reduces my equity, plus, I still lose on some board pair clubs.
One final comment I want to make on this hand, is that while the calls might not push much equity at all. There is value in taking some neutral EV gambles in the hope of getting a big stack and playing deeper at the table. This obviously only applies when other players at the table are deep, which is certainly the case here. If everyone on the table only has a 300 stack (and I have seen games like this) then I should be folding the turn.
Hand 3
I'm in the 3 (of the 1/3/6/10) with Ac 8s 6d 5c there are a bunch of limpers and I call. We go 5 ways to Kc Qs 5c giving me bottom pair and nut flush draw. It checks to the BU who pots it. I call in the hope I get another caller behind but alas we go heads up to the turn which is an offsuit 8.
The pot is 150ish and I have around 210. Here I consider leading for pot but end up checking. I don't know if the BU noticed something or checked on his own but we go to the river which is an offsuit 9. I check, he bets 115 and I fold.
The possibility of the BU noticed a tell on me when the 8 came (most likely sub-conscious) shows sloppiness on my part. This was the kind of game I wasn't paying much attention to, mostly because every pot is multiway and there are no big river spots so I can get away with just playing my cards. However, it may have cost me on this turn. If I was a bit more alert, I could have given more thought to my turn decision. A pot lead from me may have won the pot.
Close
The table quality deteriorated once certain players left and the pots started shrinking considerably. I ended up quitting and having a semi-early night.
I didn't play as sharp as I could have, was a little loose in some spots but overall that's fine. My sub-par game was still more than enough to be profitable. It's just another night of not being able to showdown many hands.
Hello, nice to meet you , I grind in crown as well,500h in 1/3 ,morning time is no very good,very close to crush. Now I am playing 2/5. the PLO in crown are always trouble makers , people love to play because it is fun, I think there will be more recreational players ,GL.
Hello. 500 hours is a lot! Is that at 1/3 PLO or 1/3 holdem? If PLO, why did you move over to holdem?
On hand 1 if you pot is anyone in the game aggressive/good enough to re-pot? Your analysis seems to assume only you are going to be aggressive.
No I don't think so. The player blind raising to 20 is good enough to reraise with hands more than AA** but the remaining players are not limp/trapping. Only 1 player would be close to repotting for the lolz but really the biggest risk here is repotting and no one folding. Then I'm just burning EV
The most difficult part of playing 1/3 PLO is preflop because most hands go mass multiway.
Playing the top 10-15% is easy but its the next few tiers of hand classes become tricky. Nitting it up obviously wins but when other players are playing the bottom 20% of hands (yes, literally) and when people are drawing to bare third nuts post flop, then nitting it up pre-flop doesn't win the maximum. Limping in for $3 when in a 7 way limped flop can be great when you can flop some equity and have people making big mistakes post flop. However, losses can add up quick when seeing 10 flops and not winning any of them, or limping in for $3 then facing a raise (or calling a raise). Then there is the variance of either running hot/cold in terms of being able to connect to the board and win a showdown. All the while trying not to be tilted and objectively evaluate whether you are playing well preflop.
This session I was playing stuck most of the time and in the back of my mind I knew that if I booked a loss it would be 3 losing sessions in a row. As the session wore on, my mind started questioning whether I had the most optimal strategy in this game. This has happened to me before: consistent losing (albeit only 3 sessions) makes me doubt myself. This is actually a good thing from an anti-fragile perspective because the internal self-questioning made me sharpen up my play. I tightened preflop and found a few creative spots to win some pots. While I still booked a loss for the session, having to be creative to win some hands could give me a few more tricks to add to my game.
Hand 1
UTG blind raises to 6, gets a string of calls, SB isn't paying attention and puts in 10 (thinking he is only calling). I am in the 3 and look around, people who have called 6 are annoyed coz now they are going to have to put in more money to see the flop. I look down and see KcTc9s7c tri suit and 3b to 42. BU calls and SB calls.
Flop 7s 8c 9c I flop 2p with straight draw and 2nd nut fd. SB checks and I bet 60, BU folds and SB calls.
Turn is Ac giving me the nuts. Here I check because I have the board so crushed and hope that he finds something to bet into me with on the river.
River is 8d which must be the worst card to see. He checks and I think for a bit. I bet real small 20 (240ish) and he snap calls, I win. He says I got the maximum on the river but given how fast he called I could have gotten away with betting more.
Hand 2
Blind raise to 10, a few callers to me and I call on the BU with Ac Tc 8c 2s and we go 7 ways to the flop. This is a perfect example of trying to play preflop well. It's not a great hand but when going 7 ways I think its good to get in there.
Flop Kh 5d 4d giving me nothing but a 3rd nut gutshot. Checks around and I check.
Turn is an offsuit Q giving me a new gutshot (this time to the nuts). It checks around to me again and I pot it for around 70 and take it down.
I've not been winning any of these spots and only took a shot at this hand because I had been losing and looking for new ways to win some pots. I'm not sure if I'm just forcing action because I am losing or if its a genuine spot that I had been missing.
Hand 3
New player to the table and posts $3 from MP. There is a limp ahead of him and he raises to 13, BU calls and I 3b the SB with Ks Kc Qd Jh. One of the limpers calls my 3b, the original raiser goes all in for 200 and the BU folds.
I only have a stack of a little more than 200, maybe 220ish. Calling off here feels real close and I wasn't sure at the time. I thought for about 30 secs, couldn't work it out so decided to just call it off because I think it wont matter too much either way. I will clearly be behind to the OR who will have AA only but I will be ahead of the limper who cold called. He will likely show up with some sort of pretty double suited hand and wont be folding.
My 3b was to 58 so it was 142 to call. Running a sim I have about 24% equity and thats pretty much what I need to be able to call. I'm completely indifferent here between calling and folding so I think you just make a decision based on bankroll constraints or how much variance you want to take.
Here is probably the hand that I most need to analyse:
I open Q J T 9 from UTG and get 4 callers.
Flop is Kh 9d 6h. I have 9h only. It checks to the BU who bets 40 (50), SB calls and I call.
Turn is Ac it checks to me and I consider leading for pot. I spend about 15 seconds thinking but decide to check, the BU checks.
River is 4h completing the flush. SB checks and now all I have is missed wrap, pair 9s with 9h. Here I have a great bluff candidate but just need to make a read on what the other players are likely to hold and what I can get them to fold. My read was that the SB is less likely to have nut flush because I don't expect much check raising and I think BU is more likely to have a hand holding a K given the bet on flop and check back on turn. The next question is whether these players will fold a Q high flush and I thought there was a reasonable chance these particular players do (I have a pretty decent image and they are regulars). There are a lot of assumptions going on here which gets dangerous. Finally, I just have a great hand to bluff with. Not that I give much of a **** about being balanced, this would be an excellent candidate to "balance my range lol".
So I potted for around 170, BU folded and SB repotted me. I snap folded for 30 more. My assumption about SB not having much check raise was wrong here. If I was right about that, I ultimately have no idea if I can get a Q high flush to fold. This river bluff was really dicey and for $170, really want to be careful of not spewing off in these spots otherwise its very hard to win.
Close
Once again I was unable to win any pot of any reasonable size. Most of my session was seeing flops and having to fold. My next session will be to continue focusing on preflop to make sure I'm not leaking money away and to continue looking for some creative spots to win post flop. Don't complain about running bad, just sharpen up and keep playing.
I'm now nearly $1k down since starting this blog. I'm going to have a real hard time getting to $10k by the end of the year, especially when I'm not playing many sessions. Still, you can run very hot in this game and a few thousand dollar upswing happens all the time.
Playing the top 10-15% is easy but its the next few tiers of hand classes become tricky. Nitting it up obviously wins but when other players are playing the bottom 20% of hands (yes, literally) and when people are drawing to bare third nuts post flop, then nitting it up pre-flop doesn't win the maximum. Limping in for $3 when in a 7 way limped flop can be great when you can flop some equity and have people making big mistakes post flop. However, losses can add up quick when seeing 10 flops and not winning any of them, or limping in for $3 then facing a raise (or calling a raise). Then there is the variance of either running hot/cold in terms of being able to connect to the board and win a showdown. All the while trying not to be tilted and objectively evaluate whether you are playing well preflop.
This session I was playing stuck most of the time and in the back of my mind I knew that if I booked a loss it would be 3 losing sessions in a row. As the session wore on, my mind started questioning whether I had the most optimal strategy in this game. This has happened to me before: consistent losing (albeit only 3 sessions) makes me doubt myself. This is actually a good thing from an anti-fragile perspective because the internal self-questioning made me sharpen up my play. I tightened preflop and found a few creative spots to win some pots. While I still booked a loss for the session, having to be creative to win some hands could give me a few more tricks to add to my game.
Hand 1
UTG blind raises to 6, gets a string of calls, SB isn't paying attention and puts in 10 (thinking he is only calling). I am in the 3 and look around, people who have called 6 are annoyed coz now they are going to have to put in more money to see the flop. I look down and see KcTc9s7c tri suit and 3b to 42. BU calls and SB calls.
Flop 7s 8c 9c I flop 2p with straight draw and 2nd nut fd. SB checks and I bet 60, BU folds and SB calls.
Turn is Ac giving me the nuts. Here I check because I have the board so crushed and hope that he finds something to bet into me with on the river.
River is 8d which must be the worst card to see. He checks and I think for a bit. I bet real small 20 (240ish) and he snap calls, I win. He says I got the maximum on the river but given how fast he called I could have gotten away with betting more.
Hand 2
Blind raise to 10, a few callers to me and I call on the BU with Ac Tc 8c 2s and we go 7 ways to the flop. This is a perfect example of trying to play preflop well. It's not a great hand but when going 7 ways I think its good to get in there.
Flop Kh 5d 4d giving me nothing but a 3rd nut gutshot. Checks around and I check.
Turn is an offsuit Q giving me a new gutshot (this time to the nuts). It checks around to me again and I pot it for around 70 and take it down.
I've not been winning any of these spots and only took a shot at this hand because I had been losing and looking for new ways to win some pots. I'm not sure if I'm just forcing action because I am losing or if its a genuine spot that I had been missing.
Hand 3
New player to the table and posts $3 from MP. There is a limp ahead of him and he raises to 13, BU calls and I 3b the SB with Ks Kc Qd Jh. One of the limpers calls my 3b, the original raiser goes all in for 200 and the BU folds.
I only have a stack of a little more than 200, maybe 220ish. Calling off here feels real close and I wasn't sure at the time. I thought for about 30 secs, couldn't work it out so decided to just call it off because I think it wont matter too much either way. I will clearly be behind to the OR who will have AA only but I will be ahead of the limper who cold called. He will likely show up with some sort of pretty double suited hand and wont be folding.
My 3b was to 58 so it was 142 to call. Running a sim I have about 24% equity and thats pretty much what I need to be able to call. I'm completely indifferent here between calling and folding so I think you just make a decision based on bankroll constraints or how much variance you want to take.
Here is probably the hand that I most need to analyse:
I open Q J T 9 from UTG and get 4 callers.
Flop is Kh 9d 6h. I have 9h only. It checks to the BU who bets 40 (50), SB calls and I call.
Turn is Ac it checks to me and I consider leading for pot. I spend about 15 seconds thinking but decide to check, the BU checks.
River is 4h completing the flush. SB checks and now all I have is missed wrap, pair 9s with 9h. Here I have a great bluff candidate but just need to make a read on what the other players are likely to hold and what I can get them to fold. My read was that the SB is less likely to have nut flush because I don't expect much check raising and I think BU is more likely to have a hand holding a K given the bet on flop and check back on turn. The next question is whether these players will fold a Q high flush and I thought there was a reasonable chance these particular players do (I have a pretty decent image and they are regulars). There are a lot of assumptions going on here which gets dangerous. Finally, I just have a great hand to bluff with. Not that I give much of a **** about being balanced, this would be an excellent candidate to "balance my range lol".
So I potted for around 170, BU folded and SB repotted me. I snap folded for 30 more. My assumption about SB not having much check raise was wrong here. If I was right about that, I ultimately have no idea if I can get a Q high flush to fold. This river bluff was really dicey and for $170, really want to be careful of not spewing off in these spots otherwise its very hard to win.
Close
Once again I was unable to win any pot of any reasonable size. Most of my session was seeing flops and having to fold. My next session will be to continue focusing on preflop to make sure I'm not leaking money away and to continue looking for some creative spots to win post flop. Don't complain about running bad, just sharpen up and keep playing.
I'm now nearly $1k down since starting this blog. I'm going to have a real hard time getting to $10k by the end of the year, especially when I'm not playing many sessions. Still, you can run very hot in this game and a few thousand dollar upswing happens all the time.
I was on a losing streak of 3 sessions and keen to play well to break the losing chain. In previous sessions I felt that I had been unable to win showdowns (just not making good hands) and that my pre-flop game needed a little tightening. Unfortunately, I didn't get much of a chance to play - the room was so busy that I was 18th on the 1/3 PLO list. I ended up playing 2/5 Holdem for a few hours.
By the time I got on the 1/3 PLO I was already up a few hundred and ready to go home but put in a couple of hours of PLO anyway. The game was average, the positives were one guy splashing around preflop by juicing it up to 10 or 15 most of the time and a couple of players willing to punt off 100 here and there. But the negatives were three people playing a <$100 stack making it hard to play big pots.
I'm still working out what factors make a good PLO game but what I look for is something like:
1. multiple deep stacks (around 800 or more)
2. most pots raised or 3b
3. people playing trashy hands (bottom 20% of hands)
4. people calling >$100 bets or raises post flop that are clear losing
This game ticked 3 boxes but the multiple short stacks really hurt.
Hand 1
There is a blind raise to 6, UTG calls and I pot the LJ with Qs Qd Ts 2d, folds around to the BB (the 3) who calls, blind 6 folds and the original limper raises to 100. It's back on me and I'm not sure what the play is here. We start 400 effective so if I call and BU calls we have SPR 1 on the flop. My gut feel says fold pre-flop but I called thinking the hand was close enough. I completely missed the flop, had to fold and never saw his hand.
Running some equities now I see that my raw equity is ok but playing SPR 1 spot on the flop I will just have to fold too much making the pre-flop call a loser. It doesn't look close either.
Hand 2
Blind raise to 6, blind raise to 10, call 10, I pot with As Kh Js 5h, BU shoves for 91, guy who makes it 10 blind calls, limper folds and its on me. I have a decision whether to reopen the action. I started hand about 350 and the blind 10 covers me. In game, I decided to see a flop in position with dry side pot. I thought that if I shoved pre, the guy isnt folding and I'd only be pushing a very small edge (if any). Then as I thought later about the hand I changed my mind and thought shoving was better.
This is a hard one to check by running sims because have to make a lot of assumptions when entering a range in for each player, then there is the different stack size set ups for side pots. Now that I've ran some equities I again like just calling and playing post flop. I think taking it post flop allows for greater edges.
The flop came Qc Jd 5c giving me top and bottom 2p. Player checks, I shove and he folds. I scoop vs the all in player but dont see what he had.
Hand 3
There is a limp on my right and I raise it up with As Kh Kd 5c. The player on my direct left has been playing tight and reraises pot. There is a cold caller, the original limper calls and its on me. I have AKK5 rainbow and am deciding between call or reraise. I decide that its too likely he has AA so I call and try set mine with my KK. I start the hand around 300 and he has me covered.
Flop is 4c 3d 2s giving me second nuts. Check, I check, guy on my left checks and IP player bets all in for 100, fold, I call and the player on my left calls.
Turn is 8d I have Ad. Check Check
River is Th I bet all in and he folds. IP player just mucks and I scoop.
I like this hand because I think too many people 4b here holding AKK thinking the A they hold reduces AA too much. Although I would have won more if I 4b, I like my play better.
Close
I booked a smallish win in a short session. It's just good to break the losing streak and try again next time where hopefully I can get in the game without having to wait for so long. Two months to go until the end of the year where my goal was to win $10k. I knew the goal was a stretch but I'm not even going to get close because I'm just not playing that many sessions. Even $5k would be a lot but I'll at least give that a go.
By the time I got on the 1/3 PLO I was already up a few hundred and ready to go home but put in a couple of hours of PLO anyway. The game was average, the positives were one guy splashing around preflop by juicing it up to 10 or 15 most of the time and a couple of players willing to punt off 100 here and there. But the negatives were three people playing a <$100 stack making it hard to play big pots.
I'm still working out what factors make a good PLO game but what I look for is something like:
1. multiple deep stacks (around 800 or more)
2. most pots raised or 3b
3. people playing trashy hands (bottom 20% of hands)
4. people calling >$100 bets or raises post flop that are clear losing
This game ticked 3 boxes but the multiple short stacks really hurt.
Hand 1
There is a blind raise to 6, UTG calls and I pot the LJ with Qs Qd Ts 2d, folds around to the BB (the 3) who calls, blind 6 folds and the original limper raises to 100. It's back on me and I'm not sure what the play is here. We start 400 effective so if I call and BU calls we have SPR 1 on the flop. My gut feel says fold pre-flop but I called thinking the hand was close enough. I completely missed the flop, had to fold and never saw his hand.
Running some equities now I see that my raw equity is ok but playing SPR 1 spot on the flop I will just have to fold too much making the pre-flop call a loser. It doesn't look close either.
Hand 2
Blind raise to 6, blind raise to 10, call 10, I pot with As Kh Js 5h, BU shoves for 91, guy who makes it 10 blind calls, limper folds and its on me. I have a decision whether to reopen the action. I started hand about 350 and the blind 10 covers me. In game, I decided to see a flop in position with dry side pot. I thought that if I shoved pre, the guy isnt folding and I'd only be pushing a very small edge (if any). Then as I thought later about the hand I changed my mind and thought shoving was better.
This is a hard one to check by running sims because have to make a lot of assumptions when entering a range in for each player, then there is the different stack size set ups for side pots. Now that I've ran some equities I again like just calling and playing post flop. I think taking it post flop allows for greater edges.
The flop came Qc Jd 5c giving me top and bottom 2p. Player checks, I shove and he folds. I scoop vs the all in player but dont see what he had.
Hand 3
There is a limp on my right and I raise it up with As Kh Kd 5c. The player on my direct left has been playing tight and reraises pot. There is a cold caller, the original limper calls and its on me. I have AKK5 rainbow and am deciding between call or reraise. I decide that its too likely he has AA so I call and try set mine with my KK. I start the hand around 300 and he has me covered.
Flop is 4c 3d 2s giving me second nuts. Check, I check, guy on my left checks and IP player bets all in for 100, fold, I call and the player on my left calls.
Turn is 8d I have Ad. Check Check
River is Th I bet all in and he folds. IP player just mucks and I scoop.
I like this hand because I think too many people 4b here holding AKK thinking the A they hold reduces AA too much. Although I would have won more if I 4b, I like my play better.
Close
I booked a smallish win in a short session. It's just good to break the losing streak and try again next time where hopefully I can get in the game without having to wait for so long. Two months to go until the end of the year where my goal was to win $10k. I knew the goal was a stretch but I'm not even going to get close because I'm just not playing that many sessions. Even $5k would be a lot but I'll at least give that a go.
I only play holdem,Idont know how to play plo.I think 2/5 is good and I reach the level so I move to 2/5
It's been about 3 weeks since I have been to crown.
I have been playing on a poker app that runs both regular PLO and 5-card PLO. I haven't had good experiences on apps in the past as I have never been able to trust the games but this one seems ok so far. I am going to put my 1/3 PLO blog on hold and start covering my poker journey on this poker app.
I don't like starting a 1/3 blog and pausing it so soon, but this app just presents a better opportunity: I don't have to leave the house, the stakes are higher and its USD (so higher stakes again).
Hand 1
This hand I misread the action and 3b thinking I was BB vs BU. If I had have realised it was SB vs BB I would have just called preflop. But no big deal, I have a nice hand.
Flop is interesting because he leads pot on SPR of 1.3. At the time, gut feeling thought the spot was a bit borderline but ultimately I went with it because "I have flush draw lol". Running some equities a bit later and my hand has 33% equity vs a likely donking range. Given I need 36%, this hand should have been folded on the flop. Vs his actual hand, I was completely crushed with only 12.5% equity :/
So this hand me not following the preflop action properly cost me big.
Hand 2
This hand is a nice punt.
Flop has option to call or check raise, I chose the latter.
People generally continue pretty tight vs a flop check raise in these spots so I check turn but proceed vs a small bet.
River I bet to try bluff off an 8. Pretty ambitious but I went for it.
A note for next time is that this guy likely has some bet sizing tells, and player pool read is that I was right in that people do continue flop too narrow. There was an exploit opportunity to fold vs tight range but I fell for small sizing.
I have been playing on a poker app that runs both regular PLO and 5-card PLO. I haven't had good experiences on apps in the past as I have never been able to trust the games but this one seems ok so far. I am going to put my 1/3 PLO blog on hold and start covering my poker journey on this poker app.
I don't like starting a 1/3 blog and pausing it so soon, but this app just presents a better opportunity: I don't have to leave the house, the stakes are higher and its USD (so higher stakes again).
Hand 1
This hand I misread the action and 3b thinking I was BB vs BU. If I had have realised it was SB vs BB I would have just called preflop. But no big deal, I have a nice hand.
Flop is interesting because he leads pot on SPR of 1.3. At the time, gut feeling thought the spot was a bit borderline but ultimately I went with it because "I have flush draw lol". Running some equities a bit later and my hand has 33% equity vs a likely donking range. Given I need 36%, this hand should have been folded on the flop. Vs his actual hand, I was completely crushed with only 12.5% equity :/
So this hand me not following the preflop action properly cost me big.
Hand 2
This hand is a nice punt.
Flop has option to call or check raise, I chose the latter.
People generally continue pretty tight vs a flop check raise in these spots so I check turn but proceed vs a small bet.
River I bet to try bluff off an 8. Pretty ambitious but I went for it.
A note for next time is that this guy likely has some bet sizing tells, and player pool read is that I was right in that people do continue flop too narrow. There was an exploit opportunity to fold vs tight range but I fell for small sizing.
I have never properly studied 5-card PLO. I have never watched training videos and have never received coaching. The only study I have done for 5-card PLO is some quick pre-flop hand checks and look at some equities post flop when all in. For this variant, I am relying on my regular (4 card) PLO knowledge (and poker knowledge in general) and am hoping I can improv the same concepts. Fundamentally, even though poker variants can be quite different, all the concepts always apply: value-betting, pot odds, hand selection, equity denial etc.
Reciprocality is a concept explain in an old poker book by Tommy Angelo. The concept is that your edge is the difference between the actions you take vs those of your opponents. For example, finding a value bet in a spot where the player pool doesn't is an edge for you. Being able to exploit fold and avoid a 'cooler' where other people dont is an edge for you. You get the idea. For the 5-card PLO on this app, while my technical game would not be to an objective high standard, I do believe I have an edge in this player pool at these low stakes. I believe my edge in 5-card is around preflop hand selection, thinner value betting and equity denial.
As I play more volume in this variant I will continue to analyse my hands and build a better technical game.
Hand 1
OK so I've given a big spiel on edges and here I am posting the BB (in this case, the middle blind) to be dealt in. But I'm in the CO and just cbf waiting to the blinds come around. Then I get dealt a real piece of **** hand (like bottom 10%) but with antes I'm getting 4.5-1 so I complete and thankfully its a soft game and no-one isolates me.
Flop gives me the current nuts but no re-draw and barely any blockers to texture shifts. At this stack depth I just call to draw to a brick.
Turn gives me my brick, he continues betting and at this point I now feel comfortable enough to raise it up.
River brings a texture shifts and he leads all in which is about a 1/3 pot sized bet. At this point feel like its probably a fold but given the pot odds and the fact that diamonds missed (giving him a conceivable bluff) I sigh call. Sure enough he had improved and I lose.
I later ran some river ranges to see how many full houses he had on the river. His range is made up of full houses (around 60%) and missed flush draws (40%). If he bets his entire range on the river I have a +EV call. However, he wont be betting his entire range so if I give him >77 and some bluffs centered around holding a (T,7) then my equity is 20% which is the price I'm getting. So in this scenario I find myself indifferent, however, he probably isn't bluffing enough so in this spot I should just fold.
A final point I want to note to myself is that my gut reaction was right and all the analysis is just unnecessary.
Reciprocality is a concept explain in an old poker book by Tommy Angelo. The concept is that your edge is the difference between the actions you take vs those of your opponents. For example, finding a value bet in a spot where the player pool doesn't is an edge for you. Being able to exploit fold and avoid a 'cooler' where other people dont is an edge for you. You get the idea. For the 5-card PLO on this app, while my technical game would not be to an objective high standard, I do believe I have an edge in this player pool at these low stakes. I believe my edge in 5-card is around preflop hand selection, thinner value betting and equity denial.
As I play more volume in this variant I will continue to analyse my hands and build a better technical game.
Hand 1
OK so I've given a big spiel on edges and here I am posting the BB (in this case, the middle blind) to be dealt in. But I'm in the CO and just cbf waiting to the blinds come around. Then I get dealt a real piece of **** hand (like bottom 10%) but with antes I'm getting 4.5-1 so I complete and thankfully its a soft game and no-one isolates me.
Flop gives me the current nuts but no re-draw and barely any blockers to texture shifts. At this stack depth I just call to draw to a brick.
Turn gives me my brick, he continues betting and at this point I now feel comfortable enough to raise it up.
River brings a texture shifts and he leads all in which is about a 1/3 pot sized bet. At this point feel like its probably a fold but given the pot odds and the fact that diamonds missed (giving him a conceivable bluff) I sigh call. Sure enough he had improved and I lose.
I later ran some river ranges to see how many full houses he had on the river. His range is made up of full houses (around 60%) and missed flush draws (40%). If he bets his entire range on the river I have a +EV call. However, he wont be betting his entire range so if I give him >77 and some bluffs centered around holding a (T,7) then my equity is 20% which is the price I'm getting. So in this scenario I find myself indifferent, however, he probably isn't bluffing enough so in this spot I should just fold.
A final point I want to note to myself is that my gut reaction was right and all the analysis is just unnecessary.
More app hands
Hand 1
This hand is a little crazy on all streets.
Preflop I think the initial limp is ok with antes in the pot and hoping to exploit people's tendencies to not raise enough out of the blinds. Someone does raise and I can call in position but this is probably a losing play vs anyone competent.
Flop I have perfect spot to take a stab.
Turn I have the option to check back and realise some equity but I take the more aggressive option.
River his AA floats now become nuts though it makes his KK more likely. He can also have some Ahh that now have top pair that wont call a third barrel. I discount some 9*** due to his check call on the turn. All in all I think my third barrel is profitable.
Overall, I think post flop is played very well its just preflop that is real dicey.
Hand 2
Flop is always tricky when this multiway. OoP in a 4 way pot I choose to bet as protection - my hand should have some good equity and I don't think anyone can bluff raise me.
Turn I think is not a good spot to continue barrelling. I do have As but its not as good here on paired board.
River I just have to bluff if I want to win the hand. I think hand is excellent bluff with As and 7 in hand.
Hand 1
This hand is a little crazy on all streets.
Preflop I think the initial limp is ok with antes in the pot and hoping to exploit people's tendencies to not raise enough out of the blinds. Someone does raise and I can call in position but this is probably a losing play vs anyone competent.
Flop I have perfect spot to take a stab.
Turn I have the option to check back and realise some equity but I take the more aggressive option.
River his AA floats now become nuts though it makes his KK more likely. He can also have some Ahh that now have top pair that wont call a third barrel. I discount some 9*** due to his check call on the turn. All in all I think my third barrel is profitable.
Overall, I think post flop is played very well its just preflop that is real dicey.
Hand 2
Flop is always tricky when this multiway. OoP in a 4 way pot I choose to bet as protection - my hand should have some good equity and I don't think anyone can bluff raise me.
Turn I think is not a good spot to continue barrelling. I do have As but its not as good here on paired board.
River I just have to bluff if I want to win the hand. I think hand is excellent bluff with As and 7 in hand.
Have been playing very little volume because I'm not enjoying the game as much as I used to. With the edge that I think I have, I really should be grinding a lot more and running it up.
But recently a friend of mine has starting playing on the app also and has been putting in a lot more volume. He has been sharing hands and it has given me the itch to play again. Hoping I can use this motivation to get some more volume in.
Now for some hands.
Hand 1
This is a nice hand and nothing really to talk about strat wise except for maybe the river sizing. I was contemplating multiple sizes but in the end just went full pot and hoped he had a 2p+ hand that can call if he puts me on a missed flush.
Hand 2
On the turn I have an option to continue betting with the plan to barrel off, or, check turn and play for free card to hit flush. I think if I bet turn the intention will be to follow through with a big bet on the river. My only problem with the betting option is I have to count on villian folding an A*** hand. The good thing about checking turn is that I expect it to go check/check a high percentage of the time which lets me realise my equity.
After running some equities, I see that he has top pair or better around 78% of the time on the turn. Confirmation that a bet is not going to get through often and a big river bet is required.
It might have worked.
But recently a friend of mine has starting playing on the app also and has been putting in a lot more volume. He has been sharing hands and it has given me the itch to play again. Hoping I can use this motivation to get some more volume in.
Now for some hands.
Hand 1
This is a nice hand and nothing really to talk about strat wise except for maybe the river sizing. I was contemplating multiple sizes but in the end just went full pot and hoped he had a 2p+ hand that can call if he puts me on a missed flush.
Hand 2
On the turn I have an option to continue betting with the plan to barrel off, or, check turn and play for free card to hit flush. I think if I bet turn the intention will be to follow through with a big bet on the river. My only problem with the betting option is I have to count on villian folding an A*** hand. The good thing about checking turn is that I expect it to go check/check a high percentage of the time which lets me realise my equity.
After running some equities, I see that he has top pair or better around 78% of the time on the turn. Confirmation that a bet is not going to get through often and a big river bet is required.
It might have worked.
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