Hey, thx for the kind words, appreciation and 5 star vote!, it means a lot. I wish I could go back and work on my first few posts, for they are not concise enough, need more love and polishing as well. Oh well, back then, I was not aware of the 30 minute edit limits and was new to blogging in general... But now I do try to put the necessary effort in my longer posts...

Yeah, I will be posting Omaha hi/lo hands in the near future and would love to get some feedback. Have you watched a few videos of MTT Omaha08? I am asking because, unlike holdem, I have never studied hi/lo (outside of very basic books) and want to deepen my game. I do well in the mid buy-ins MTTs and somehow seem to have a distinct edge, but even if yes my hand reading abilities and fundamentals are sound, I feel I am missing out on some deeper aspects of the game... Anyhow, would be nice to get some feedback and tools to study. Take care friend!

Loopholes

I guess it all started eons ago... at the age of 14... trying to find an edge... or maybe just a way to transgress the system, to leave an imprint of self...

If you showed up late for your class, the principle would nail you with a detention, no questions asked. Nevertheless, the detention only lasted 15 minutes and you could use this time to jumpstart your homework... Easy game! Can you say gangsta!!! So I would show up late for class, on average 2-5 times/week, oftentimes more than once in a day, taking the liberty of puffing on a smoke, staying in the sun, copying my homework from a buddy, hell, live on my own time combined with the fact that I daily challenged the establishment... this was the first time that I found a glitch in the system, but certainly not the last.

Party Poker, summer 2012, Dawson City. My schedule is split in between live poker on the juicy weekends and the online grind of MTTs during the weekdays.

So here I am, playing a few tables, as I notice the announcement for the 70$ satelite for the million guarantee on PartyPoker and decide to jump into the action. Curiously though, only 6 players are registered for the 1 seat guaranteed to the 640$ buy-in and no one else seems to want to join the party... OK. As we are down to 5 players, I check the lobby and notice that registration is inexplicably closed, even though it still ought to be open for an extra 40 minutes... A curious situation indeed, but I think no more of it, bink the tournament and claim my seat into the next million.

It is only the next time that I play the same satty that I notice the same strange phenomenon happen... there are only 6 players registered, leaving a ton of dead money up for grabs... What!?! It does not take long for me to realize that somehow, somewhere, the system reads the tournament as being a 6 handed one and automatically closes registration once the first hand is being dealt (given 6 or less players are registered). WOW!

Think about it, 6 x 70$ = 420$ while a 640$ seat is guaranteed (and converted in tournament $ if the winner owns a seat to the million already), that is a profit of 220$ split evenly in between 6 players Easy game!

Now, back in the golden days of 2003-2006 when people were printing money playing online , I was playing live and was taking expensive lessons at being a fish When I finally beat live poker, not only would it take me some time to have my way with the virtual felt, but the games had gotten much less lucrative and tougher to beat.

Yet here I am, post Black Friday, with the games being even dryer then ever, and I can simply show up and play this specific tournament 3 times/day, 6 days/week, 12 months/year, break even vs the other players, and still make just over 31k with these tourneys alone! What Now, that is printing money! That is almost the Canadian yearly salary average on just a single tournament... Let the good times roll!!!

Things to consider though :

- If 7 or more players are registered once the first cards hit the felt, registration stays open.

Solution : If a player(s) gets eliminated and brings the number of participants back down to 6, registration will also automatically close.

- A number of players know about this glitch, so we all line up to play this tournament, which can be counterproductive.

Solution : Playing at the wee hours in the morning based on eastern time reduces the traffic and almost guarantees a low turn out.

So we had this non-verbal agreement that if 6 players were already registered to the satellite, YOU WOULD NOT JOIN and let the others get a go at the dead money. But this guy, THIS GUY, that I will not mention his avatar name here out of discretition (or probably more because I forgot it), would always register as the 7th entry when there was about 5 seconds left before registration closed... WHAT That is worst then hitting that 1 outer, BUDDY

We tried and tried to reason with the fellow, but nothing could be done : he still jinked us numerous times... Sigh But then we found a solution : since there was no way of stopping our mischievous villain from joining, we agreed that a couple of us would randomly take turns going all-in preflop on the first hand, therefore busting out 1 player and bringing the participants back down to 6. It worked, for the most part, and since I would often be 1 of the kamikaze volunteer, I would have a double stack size (assuming I won the flip) and have a clear edge to win the 640$ entry. Oh, life was easy...

Times were good, and since most of us were regs, if we happened to finish HU with a similar amount of chips, we would agree that one would get the guaranteed 640$ seat and transfer 320$ to the other that dumped the chips. Ohhhh the good ole times!!! We were rolling and thought that nothing would ever change...


.......
.......
.......


May 2013. Shortly after the BWIN and Party merger, **** hit the fan. The tournament leaderboard got cancelled (and subsequently took away 10-15% rakeback from me). The great promotions that Party offered, like Gladiator, which would offer a good 30% rakeback, never returned. The Loyalty programs were changed for the worse. And the Million was cancelled. Sigh and a thousand times sigh!!! This is like Black Friday all over again!!!



As a small time poker pro, it is hard to survive in this game. We go through the swings. The stress of variance. The uncertainty of our AA holding up vs 22 when all the money goes in, deep in a tournament, and we remain there, hopeless in front of ladyluck, just an observer as destiny unfolds, card by card. And then there is the outside elements :

- Losing our connection.
- The UIGEA affecting American players and therefore influencing the poker ecology.
- Black Friday.
- Getting scammed (UB anyone... Lock...).
- Paying rake, tips, taxes (in Canada).
- Life Tilt.

There are so many factors that influence us outside of our 82% holding up, that makes this job, this lifestyle stressful. But we choose this life for the freedom it provides and therefore accept the swingy consequences... and then there is a poker site like party, trying to get rid of the regs.

We all know that it is a matter of time before the American virtual market once again opens its doors. But us, players, are not the only ones waiting for the poker ecology to get rejuvenated : BIGGER SHARKS like Stars, Partygaming and Cassava beat us to the action, jaws open, to bite into this new share of American economy.

It started with Ultimate Poker in Nevada, but that was just the raw beginning. The next test was New Jersey, where both Party and 888 split the market. So what will happen next? While we, international online players are standing on the outside looking in, the American market will have its ultimate say on how the future of online poker will be shaped. Once again, we are helpless and simple observers...

As far as Party goes, it has done everything in its power to depart us, winning regs, from its tables. Not only has the rakeback hit an all time low, but they dubiously installed segregation at the cash tables, and replaced 90% of mid level MTTs by lower turbo structures. Simply put : it is nowadays hard/impossible to solely make a living playing at Party. So once again, I had to readjust to a new poker software and join 888.

Like many people, I continue to make a decent living grinding a few sites, while waiting passively to see how the new landscape will shape itself.

Will fish be joining soon...

Will Zynga Poker create a new poker boom...

Will I still be in this game, a few years down the road...

So many unanswered questions as we persist in sitting there, trying our best to look unfazed while our future is being scripted by others...

Needless to say, but those that have survived in this game until this day, have grown not only resilient, but have roamed different settings, realms, shaping them into deadly predators hence, the new fish have no chance to make it. So what will happen when sites like Party are trying to separate the tough sharks from the innocent new found Zynga fish? Only time will tell. In the meanwhile, I will go open some virtual tables and continue the grind, unknowingly.

Run good all!

Some interesting thoughts in there about the possibility of the American market opening up again but you are more optimistic than me. I think the US player pool will remain segregated for the foreseeable future but I hope I am wrong. Maybe in 2-3 years we may see some progress I hope.

As far as Omaha H/L that you mentioned earlier, I haven't really done much studying myself. That's one of the things I like about this game is that unlike NLH or PLO there isn't that much info out there.

The info that is out there tends to contradict each other but I find it useful to study hands in my database. I also spend some time in the Omaha /8 forum here to get some different perspectives on things.

Happiness factor

It is hot in here... Stuffy as ****! Stuck in between these 4 walls, with the sole liberation being the literature Professor's digression centered around the spiritual quests of Jack Kerouac and Henry Miller... His words are naturally inviting, opening up a new poetic and engaging realm, but all I nevertheless want is to leap out the window and reach out for the endless horizon...

The thoughts of my teacher encouraging me to pursue a Master's degree leave me as I stick up my thumb and engage on the 6109km journey that separates me from the Yukon, on this 8th cross-country hitchhiking trip, this time with 60$ in my pocket.



The always insightful Phil Galfond was the one to introduce us to the notion of the happiness factor.

http://www.philgalfond.com/quick-upd...-poker-player/

Leave it to Phil to deepen not only our understanding of poker, but bring wisdom (at such a young age) into life's issues as well.

As poker players, we take pleasure in calculating meticulously the occurrence of certain events and, consequently, their possible outcomes. While this applies mainly to cards, we at times naturally transpose the same philosophical outlooks into life's problems :

- Having a Plan B and oftentimes a Plan C if our initial intention fails.

- Brushing off life downswings as being simple variance.

- Enjoying the mood swings but remaining somewhat unbiased by them (or trying to).

- Measuring adequately the pros and cons of a certain decision.

Etc. We could easily think of a few other ways that poker has tainted our life, but none is more interesting, IMO, then the said happiness factor.

Numerous times I have made say 1000$ in 2h, was somewhat satisfied with this short term outcome yet not fully content, but still decided to cut my session short, dismissing a clearly +EV situation. But as Galfond would put it, say I would of made...

- an extra 1000$ in 6 hours (my normal goal)

- or lose 500$ in the same period of time (an appropriate approximation, for I am more likely to win then lose).

If the extra 1000$ would only slightly increase my already happy state of mind (or simply maintain it), while a loss would clearly make a dent in my mood, the decision can be measured in mathematical terms : the +happiness EV outweighs the winnings EV. CASE CLOSED : I would, without hesitation, shut my computer and engage in the nocturnal world! Sure, but what happens when the happiness level cannot be simply quantified...

I enjoy Asia. A lot. Sitting here, writing these words, while, on my left, the sea calmly sits there, unassuming ; on my right, the Filipino family that provides me with a room, are split in between playing cards at the kitchen table and watching the basketball game on tv. This is the peaceful setting from which I pop open my laptop and tile a few virtual tables : online poker simply brings me more happiness EV than live poker does. Nevertheless, my hourly is higher in casinos then it is by the remote beaches. Solution : I alternate in between one and the other, going into cities when I want to play live poker, and leaving the urban area when the latter starts to leave a negative imprint on me. Solution solved.

As far as what the future holds, I give myself maybe 3 years of playing fulltime before switching to something new, most likely openining a business over here with my savings. Once again, the money will definitely not be that enticing ; yet a quiet, peaceful life over here cannot be measured in quantity, but in quality. And in this case, my Happiness EV would be to focus on creating a business, and consequently sacrificing a big chunk of winnings altogether.

Conclusion :

If our time here on earth is meticulously accounted for, then our time in the game is an hourglass countdown. Sure, but poker will always be a few clicks away...


Random Story

- Dawson, 2013. A mid-age jolly and stocky dude shows up from Ontario, on vacation to visit his daughter for a few days. He joins the table, plays more than your average number of hands, but mainly entertains the table by his great sense of humor. Here is one of his stories : "So I was back in Ontario and like many casinos, there was a phone number to a gambling-problem call center. So in between 2 hands, I pick up a phone and give them a shout and say to the guy "yes, hello. I have a problem here... How do I play pocket 88s UTG?"". Haha, the fellow did go on to entertain for a couple of hours ; unfortunately for him, his 3BIs were donated around the table by his bluff-happy style...

Poker Hand

The 55$ Typhoon reentry on 888, down to 25 players, pays top 18 (min cash is 135.45$). I am 13th in chips with 44bb when I get dealt J4 of clubs in the Big Blind. Button min opens and I am about to fold, when SB makes the call, giving me enticing odds of 6.5 to 1 to make the call. Not a great hand to defend, but with this inviting price and the intention of donk betting a few dry boards and XR some flops to add fold equity to my direct equity, I decide to take a flop.

Flop comes the interesting 910Q, giving me about a zillion outs and 200 cards in the deck to hit SB checks as do I, but button bets 75% pot. Yikes! He has reg stats, so this seems to be a clear indication that he wants to go with it, as oppose to just being his normal sizing... I do not like it (villain has me covered), for the fold equity seems to be infinitesimal at best... maybe AQ finds a fold... or an overpair... after all, we are 44bb effective... I XR 2.6x and our friend takes no time in shoving... Sigh... Caaalllll as I hesitantly hit my mouse and QQ is flashed in my face ; sigh!

Not only did my 38%+ equity not hold up, but now I am troubled by 2 questions :

- What do we do preflop? Fold? Call? Or 3bet?

Call : Last year, I would of folded in this situation. Tagging along with the latest BB tendencies, I also defend more frequently then I use to and to better results, me thinks. In this specific situation, I only called because of the added participation of the SB. Hence, I do not mind defending here, as we have 44bb and room to donk-bluff or XR bluff without damaging heavily our stack.

Fold : Mucking would be an obvious low-variance-slip-into-the-money safe route. But while a cash is decent in this situation, 888 does pay top heavy (1.5k 1st, 1k 2nd), so gunning for top 3 - in a safe fashion - is definitely worth it.

3bet : I like a raise as well to steal the initiative away from the button or to punish the SB in position (assuming only one of them calls). The added preflop fold equity never hurts neither.

And what do you do on the flop? I guess a case can be made for folding, but really, is it a liable option at this point?

Run good all!

Hey, good blog it is a great read! as for the hand I think you played it fine being priced in pre flop and obv never getting away from the hand post flop its just one of those sigh get it in and hope for the best hands.

Bohol

Juin, 1996. 4 of us are hitching up the Californian coast, pacing ourselves along the old beatnick route that once followed Kerouac and friends. Big Sur, San Francisco, Berkeley... these destinations mainly serving as guidance, thus preventing us from sinking too deeply into our self induced haze of herb and mushrooms...

40 years have past since Jack Kerouac, acting as a sort of black sheep of modern times, was seeking answers that the material society could not provide him with... Nothing has changed since : here we are, 19 and naturally unriped, seeking some sort of spiritual meaning to our lives.

When I get back home to Canada, something has changed : I feel restless and cannot dive into my old routine... The travelling bug has bit me while the only remedy I find capable of taming it, resides in the indulgence of psychedelic journeys...



Bohol has the perfect match of ingredients that I was seeking : a strong internet connection, beautiful and single Filipinas, a nice white sand beach, ample choices of massage parlors and a decent selection of restaurants. Obviously, this combo of desired items is counterfeited by your strong dose of tourism and jacked up prices which, all things considered, cannot be avoided and is fine for now.

Things escalated quickly upon arrival here : first hour in town, I meet up with a girl (we had met on DIA) ; we chat, hold hands, and in between caresses, find ourselves entangled in my bed. Easy game! Not a girl that I want to spend an extended amount of time with, mind you, but nevertheless a good friend with benefits. Being the French romantic that I am, the quest for that special one has not been put aside : the one that will trigger strong emotions in me, tilt (positively) my world and shake the ground on which I stand! (told you all I was romantic!).

Also, it only took 3 days to find an apartment located close to the beach, with a solid connection, a modern kitchen, and a cozy living room.









The lease for this flat did not come without certain commitment though... 3 months of it, that is! So I will be grinding it here for the foreseeable future, until probably June, at which point I will be going on a cruise in the Caribbeans.


Random Notes


- Was walking the streets of downtown Dumaguette when I noticed an old woman playing the harmonica and some shakers (the latter made out of a simple plastic glass with coins inside). Being thoroughly impressed with her courage, I backtrack my steps, and drop a bill in her cup. That is when I noticed that she was also blind! What an inspiration to be playing music instead of passively begging (like her disability would naturally call for).

- It is common in Asia to provide blind people with work as masseur (euse) in spas. As I was walking along the beach today, a blind woman calmly haled me over "sir, massage". I politely declined, but then it struck me : how did she know I was A) male, B) a foreigner? Scent? Footsteps? A very curious situation...

- After being on the wrong side of a bad beat on 888, I found myself tilting at first when people would through a tomato/egg etc. at me... Haha, what a ridiculous reaction!

- I am happy to say that my brain - while writing these lines - thinks 100% in the language of Shakespeare : it does not dig into its natural French source seeking for poetic images, metaphors, translations... it relaxes in its second language where my spirit, alas, can casually call this written dialect home.

- My poker game has improved in various ways this winter, but more noticeably in these areas :

Changing a showdown hand into a bluff : too often I found myself in an ill advised situation after an unlucky rundown of cards changed my value hand into a bluff catcher and I would, alas!, close my eyes and make the hero call. While some situations still warrant a call - or fold -, oftentimes I will simply change my hand into a buff to surprising + EV results.

Developing reads on bet sizing : It has become more natural for me to make hero folds or hero calls, depending on the sizing of villain's bet. It is surprising to what extent not only fishes, but regs have tells with their sizing. As long as the regs do not become too balance anytime soon...

Run good all!

Thx for reading/posting! Wasn't sure if the call was borderline spewy at first, so it is good to get feedback in order to confirm that it is a fairly standard spot...

Hey,

Great thread, just read through it all

Subed

Thx friend, it is good to see more people reading it lately! I remember back in October, in the midst of the longest downswing of my life and with this thread dropping considerably low in numbers , I thought about abandoning this little blog of mine... Happy I didn't, for I have a new found love for writing in English - something I would of thought unconceivable just last year. And it is good to get feedback like yours, for without it, this blog would lose its purpose.

Example of hand played 30 min ago illustrating changing a showdown value hand into a bluff : I open KQo in CO and BB, a loose passif fish, defends. Flop comes a decent 1092 rainbow. BB checks, I check behind, not wanting to get X/R and thus losing my equity... turn is a harmless looking 6... Check, check. River brings the A... Villain checks and I bet 75% pot.

Now, against a reg, I check back on river almost 100% of the time, having the nut-no-pair, while he has a substantial amount of A that will check to induce a bluff. I also feel a reg will donk turn with a 9 or a 10 (and rarely has a 2 in his range)... while a player with a VP and PR of 45/10 - like villain -, will most likely check a 2 and 9 on the turn (and even possibly a 10...). I feel that fish often overrate a pair of aces and would have donked river... so in reverse psychology thinking, a 75% bet here folds out 9s and deuces so often, and at times 10s.

This is a spot that I would of checked back 3 months ago. But if we assign a paired range to villain of say 30% (let us not forget combos like 33-55, 77-88), I believe it is quite a +EV play to bet in this spot.

As far as turning a value hand into a bluff vs a solid reg, that is a different story all together, and one that I do not want to get into here. Thoughts? I have no one with whom to discuss poker here (yet...), so feedback would be truly appreciated!

Hand #2 : changing a showdown hand into a bluff vs reg

While we are at it, here is a spot that just popped up vs a reg (stats of 21/17). 55$ FO Twister on 888, antes have kicked in. We have about 40bb and sit in the BB with 89o. My standard is to defend mid connectors vs late openers (depending on there stats), but would of probably done so here even if both the button and SB (both fishes) hadn't called the CO's min open.

Flop comes 679dd. Pretty good flop for us, but vs 3 foes, I will not get out of hand and bloat uselessly the pot, especially with our strong draw, thus having plenty of turn cards that are good for us. The original raiser bets 70%... Fold, fold and when it comes back to us, we make the call. Huuummmmm... scary sizing, especially on this wet board, for it feels that our top pair has little show down value... Turn is a 2 and we are quite happy to see villain check behind us... Sweet! Free card! But as far as our hand is concerned, it still might be behing his range... After all, I see him opening any 9s better than us from cutoff preflop... River is an A of diamonds, completing the possible flush and putting that scare over card out there... I check, and he goes for a smallish bet, 40%, which is a good sizing, IMO, but a little transparent... I feel that while A9, A8 and A7 are definitely possible, he has more often a 910, J9, Q9 or K9, all of them beating my hand, obviously. So I go for the perfect 5x shove, which I would do with all my flushes... He tank-folded! Easy game! Comments? It also helps that we have blockers to the flop top set and the straight as well...

Because I switched most of my action from Party to 888, I was mainly focusing on the latter for the past 2 months, trying to work out a schedule and, well, simply beating the site. Mission accomplished : my ROI on 888 is pretty BIG - and frankly, not sustainable -, but am enjoying this upswing rollercoaster ride! That said, I have been wanting to add some Stars Omaha hi/lo to my Party and 888 Mtts, and decided today was the day.

As I am about to make a deposit on Stars, I find a mere 40$ left on my account and decide to put these last pennies to work. Besides, having not played Hi/lo since September, I feel rusty and could use some practice at lower stakes. So I register in the 5.50$ Potlimit hi/lo, beat the 75 man field and bink the tourney. Sweet, but really, it is a mere 80$, yet still feels pretty good. I then register for the 16.50$ Omania, navigate my way through the field of 336 players and bink that one as well! Nice! A great way to build my Hi/lo confidence, once again! (and meanwhile also binking the 55$ 6k Twister on 888). SWEET!!!

Anyhow, I just wanted to brag a little, for I am pretty happy about this result. I will be back this week with a longer post on Bohol that I have been working on.

Run good all!

congrats dubn! keep running and playing well.

Lust called Life

May 2013, Sihounkville, Cambodia. She is pretty. Her tentative-shy smile. Her demeanor. The sadness in her eyes. Big, obscure, hypnotizing eyes.

Attentively lost in her gaze, I am taken on her life journey by her soft spoken words : the combined influence of the herb and the alcohol have made her an open book as the story naturally unfolds...

She use to own both a guesthouse and a car in Snooky, a clear indication of wealth in this part of the world. Alas!, they unfortunately vaporized through the form of roulette.

1500$ (or almost 2 years salary in Cambodia) was how much she struck gold the first night : she simply couldn't miss. Call it beginner's luck or the sucka's way into the gambling world, but the thrill of the game is exuberating when you are riding that high...

This story is all too familiar to me, but I listen as if these words reach me for the first time ; for her, they bring back suffering that the alcohol can barely dissimilate... But even with this overflowing pain, I feel that she misses the thrill of the ride.

At 3 am, our caresses speak a thousand words, as we find solace in each other... the love making preceding the lust... the sex remains ephemeral, sure, yet in this moment, we are eternal.



Many different aspects of SE Asia attract us to this part of the world. For some, it can be the cultural experience : Buddhism, great food to sample, friendly and welcoming people etc. For others, it can be the freedom of playing online poker in a country where their $$$ carries more value. Whatever it is that brings us, foreigners, in this far away land, it is hard not to be seduced by Asian women.

Maybe it is their shy smile, their softness, those romantic eyes... Maybe it is a gene that they carry in them, shaping them into these beautiful, compassionate creatures... Whatever it is, it is hard not to be cursed by the spell.

As far as I am concerned, I find myself in a curious situation... Being in my mid 30s, still quite handsome, while seeing some 70 something old and ugly foreigners walking hand in hand with some gorgeous 19 year old, always leaves a certain bad taste in my mouth. I mean, the girl would be too young for me, let alone this guy! I obviously do not want to duplicate this scenario and also am weary of women gunning for my money.

Then you have travelers similar to myself, having roamed around the world for a decade and some and finally have found the right partner/place to settle down. The complicity in these couples is palpable, as you can witness through their acts, speech and way they carry daily activities together.

One of these scenarios repulses me while the other makes me envious. As I walk through the streets of Bohol - this place I have learned to appreciate - and notice the scrutiny that I get from the women, I realize I can get most women I fancy here (I have been blessed with good looks and while it is easier in this part of the world, I also ran good in Canada as well, at least in my 20s anyways... End of brag). But something stops me. Call it ethics. Or overthinking. Or being too sober, but I do not want to fall into this sexpat pitfall yet, here I am, 9pm, by the beach, and after I will be done writing these words, I will go for a walk hoping to provoke an interesting encounter... Will she return my smile... Will she be just after my wallet, and me her slim, sensual body... Lust or love? Who knows.

Perhaps I am overthinking and should preserve my brain power for analyzing specific subjects as to which board textures are optimal for bluff X/raising river...

Peace

Edit : Since writing the above lines, have renewed my friends-with-favors-relationship, have met an interesting Filipina and will also receive a 1 month visit from a Canadian friend, so the female action will not be lacking in the next little while...

Yeah, I discovered that really quickly - if you're white and even average looking by western standards, you are a prime catch for filipinas and can pull anything you want without trying.

Your writing style is exceptional, I always look forward to your posts. Keep it up and good luck.

Yo dubn, quick question, I am going back to Canada in the next couple of months, I want to live in a place where there is lots of construction work that pays good $$$$ for in the day and also has soft live cash games for in the night.

Any suggestions for places that fit there requirements ?

I am thinking of Calgary but I have heard you mention Carson City for pokers and am wondering if you have any good suggestions for me to consider ????

Don't know how much I can help you with this one... Calgary or Edmonton sounds about right for both have soft poker games and seem to have lots of work.

I have spent a few winters grinding it in Vancouver and have heard mixed comments about construction work found there (some have even come up to the Yukon to find better paying jobs). And as far as the games, they are differently harder then the Albertan ones, but I would personally still choose Vancouver if I had to grind it in a Canadian city, simply because I have grown to like this place (the rake in Montreal is simply uninviting).

By Carson City, I presume you mean Dawson City? Well, there is definitely some work to be found in construction (20-30$/hour without a problem). But it is a small northern town of 1500 people, so a completely different lifestyle than found in Canadian cities. As far as the game goes, it remains the softest I have played in.

Well, hoped this helped a little... So I take it you are Canadian... where are you from originally? Are you in SE Asia right now? And what stakes are you trying to find?

Good luck

Poker Hand

I really appreciate the fact that not only does Stars offer a decent amount of Omaha hi/lo tournaments, but also in various formats. Limit remains my preferred structure for H/L (especially with rebuys), albeit the next example is taken from the NL 51$ Hyper-Turbo.

The rake is mighty friendly (1$ for the enticing 2% ; can you ever picture 888 or Party offering this reg friendly rake, ) which is a direct consequence of the speedy blind structure : a stunning 3 min. These rapid escalating blinds make it a push/fold fest, yet this next hand was played during the first blind level with starting stacks of 60bb.

After an EP limper, Hero looks down at A927 in MP and pops the action up to 3bb, wanting to bloat significantly the pot in position, sure, but not to the extent of losing villain's action. The button calls, as does the big blind and the original limper. Flop comes the juicy 56K. EP donks 3bb (25% pot) leaving us with an interesting decision here... Let's pause for a second and look into it.

As oppose to PL and FL, NL Omaha can benefit from an increased amount of fold equity, as we are not strapped by the bet sizing ; ok, fair enough, but do we want a fold here?

We have the nut flush draw, the nut low draw as well as the nut gutshot draw : 12 outs give us the nut high, 21 outs the nut low while 5 outs give us the nut hi/lo (so 33 outs, or 68% to at least half the pot). Given such titanic odds, do we want a fold? I would think not (but I do think I am going nuts).

I decide to raise 3.3x, up to 10bb. This sizing might be a bit off, IMO, as we are left with an awkward 47bb and a 1.5x pot bet on the turn if only the donk better calls.. I guess it could be decent, since we would prefer to have greater fold equity with only 1 card to come if we miss our draws, while also having the manoeuvre of betting small and jamming river given an alternate friendly turn... Thoughts?

Also, on the flop, should the hand be played the same way if we are heads-up as opposed to 4 way? Me thinks that given we have such a powerful nutted draw, we want to entice more calls multi-way while focusing on fold equity HU, right?

Run good all

Thanks for the reply pal, I figured that Calgary is probably the best place but wasn't sure. Yeah I meant Dawson City, not sure where I got Carson City from ?? I think maybe 1500 people is a bit small for my liking and I should be able to make similar money in Calgary so I think I will start there and then see what happens.

I am English but I was living in Toronto for the past year which is why I said back to Canada so I can see why you thought I was Canadian. Back in England now for the past few months but heading back over in May for another year. Goal is to just work like a maniac and then play poker online after work and then grind the live games on the weekend.

Just looking to play 1/2 and 2/5 maybe some 5/10 if the games are really soft but will wait and see what is running. Have you spent much time in Calgary yourself ?

Never lived in Asia only visited but if everything goes to plan I will be moving there after I finish my year in Canada. No more easy working holiday visas for me anymore as I have done 2 years in Australia and New Zealand and this will be 2 years in Canada and I feel its time for a non western country anyway.

As for the hand you posted I don't mind flatting but I much prefer to just jam it in this spot. If it was reg speed then I probably flat and re-evaluate the turn but in a hyper we need to gamble and this is a very good spot to get it in.

Villain who donk bets here is probably going to call it off with something like a worse flush draw, a set or a wrap plus if we jam we can also get people to fold naked A2xx hands a decent % of the time although to be fair I see people calling it off with A2xx fairly often in this spot which is no bad result for us either way.

Ok, best of luck with your travelling/saving money plans. If you want more details on Canadian poker rooms, rockchucker8 (that posted above) has a sweet thread detailing over 100 rooms that he has been to (in Canada, Vegas and Europe). You should check it out to see the different options in the Alberta area (and their softness).

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/17...-time-1284817/

(hope you don't mind that I linked your thread here friend...).

I have spent some time in Alberta, but mainly working in the ski resorts some years ago as a chef (in Lake Louise and Jasper). As far as the games, I have played just a few times in Calgary and Edmonton, but they were definitely soft, especially during tournament events (which happens frequently in both cities). I might be at the BC Championship in October, but probably not on the Albertan side of the border... Well best of luck in Canada and let me know how it goes (here or pm).

Cheers for the reply man, just booked my flight to Calgary now for next month so time to start planning. Just skimmed through that thread you linked and seems like there is plenty of useful in there so thanks a bunch for that.

For sure I will let you know how I get on over there and perhaps I will see you at the BC Championships, going to be over for at least a year and doubt I will spend all my time in Alberta and I hear Vancouver is a very nice place to live.

Nice, hope you run good in Canada... Will you have access to a vehicle over there? Hope you do in order to hit the road and visit areas like Jasper, Fernie, Lake Louise and the likes, for the Rocky Mountains are quite astonishing and offer some sweet road trips!

In this part of the world, things have been decent in Bohol, but am slightly restless and will be travelling for a few days this coming week. I will be hitting Cebu and Cagayan de Oro to meet a couple of girls and to get some live action at the tables. This mighty big online upswing has been welcoming

BRAG , but I do miss the live action. The games in Cebu don't play as big as in Manila, but I will be there on the weekend, so the 2-5 will most likely be running.

Anyhow, I will be back soon with a small TR and pics sometime this week. And oh yeah, does anybody play on IPoker? Would be nice to get some feedback on the rake, softness, promotions (is there any rakeback) for it would be sweet to add a fourth site to my MTT grind...

Run good all!

Yeah I will look into getting a vehicle when I get there. I actually got to spend a day at Lake Louise last year and I agree that the Rocky Mountains are quite astonishing. Coincidentally I went with some French Canadian friends of mine who were living there at the time.

Glad that you are crushing 888 I used to play on ipoker a while ago and the games were pretty soft from what I can remember. I had a rakeback account with William Hilll from before they moved to ipoker that got grandfathered in but I don't think its possible to get rakeback on new accounts at ipoker although I may be wrong.

Brick and Mortar vs dotcom

Hero looks down at 83s in the SB. Even with titanic odds of 11 to 1 - given the herd of limpers -, he still mechanically tosses his hand in the muck before his mind can intervene and say "hey buddy, you can play with any 2 in this game and get away with murder!". Yes, it is that soft of a game.

Why is it that while I am playing my smallest ever casino poker game (25-50 pesos, or 0.60-1.25$), I am still taking notes, observing every gesture made by the players, thinking about hands to post in this thread, as if these live situations hold more bearing than the online ones... or perhaps they are simply more tangible here then on the virtual felt... played at a slower pace... accompanied by human reactions, interactions...

This game is marked by all your standard signs of smaller live stakes : numerous limping attempts (that usually fail once it reaches my turn to act, haha), flashing cards, regs soft playing each other, obvious physical tells etc.


Hero limps in the CO with 36. Normally a dubious move, yes, but since he suspects button to fold, he will be holding the nut position throughout the hand. Besides, considering his lagish table image, a squeeze attempt would be met by the resistance of a gazillion callers... but BB probably had similar thoughts as he puts in the 4x squeeze to 400.

4 players see the flop of AKJ hitting dead center into the squeezer's range ; can you say bonsai!!! He bets 675 into 1700. Fold, fold. Hero obviously makes the call, getting a juicy 3.5 to 1, but tanks for 30 seconds to not only disguise the nature of his drawing hand, but to think about villain's seemingly polarized range... The pretty Filipina dealer turns over the A ; villain can barely dissimilate his joy through his bad Hollywood hesitation, then shoves 2100 on the turn. Hummmmmmm... Hero is about to fold, believing that his flush is not good 40% of the time in this spot... But he still replays the hand, if not to go through the slow motions of relentlessly folding...

Villain is a straight forward player, and like most bad local regs, has HUGE betting tells... What hands squeeze a minuscule 4x preflop OOP vs 3 players and does not shove on a fairly wet flop... any AA, KK or JJ obviously, and possibly AK, AJ... leaving a few combos of AQ and sometimes A10s as hands hero can beat... while these thoughts cross his mind, gradually convincing him to hero fold, villain suddenly becomes very exuberant, forcing a conversation upon a fellow player, projecting what can only be false confidence... "I call" says hero, as villain's horrible Hollywood skills have convinced him that a flush just might be good... our Hollywood friend smirks, not sure what to make of the situation, then flips over A9o. His 10 outs miss as the flush holds up in this bizarre situation... If only villain had kept quiet, this pot would had been pushed in his direction, yet here he is, frowning and in a much less talkative mood (and has apparently lost all acting ambitions...).


Waterfront casino is located in a sweet little of area of Cebu : the few streets leading up to the casino are populated with 24h cafes, restaurants and a few green spaces, providing the area with a nice relaxing vibe.




The hotel is surrounded by peaceful gardens while inside, one can happily indulge in the restaurant's buffet, which coincidentally has been my best meal in the Philippines (there was an ample choice of seafoods - including oysters -, pasta, salads, desserts, all for the great value of 8$).


Hero has been very active. Getting premium cards as well. So while it would be +EV to squeeze/isolate in position some of the fishes at this new 25-50-100 table (mandatory straddle and min buy in of 10k, so a .60-1.25-2.5$ game with min buy in of 250$), he has not abused the situation, being quite aware of his aggro table image.

He looks down at 99 on the button, grabs a handful of chips, 600 of them to be precise, and puts in the raise (40 pesos = 1$). As expected, he get 5 callers. Flop comes the safe 448. Checked to hero who sizes a bet of 1700 in a pot of roughly 3000. Only BB calls. Before we go on, a few notes on villain.

Villain is a Filipino, seems financial comfortable, confident, Tagish on the passif side. But mostly our opponent is out to get hero, for like most people at the table, he is rebelling - in a passif way - against hero's seemingly unrelentless aggression...

Villain is the one in the suit



The turn brings the undesirable 2. Villain checks. Hero goes in the tank, trying to gage if his opponent got there or not... Then checks behind. River is the irrelevant 6, making our opponent check once again.

Hummm, interesting situation... a flush would of probably made some noise by now, yet he might of checked trips... he most likely has an 8 here, and when you mix in combos of 77 or 55, it clearly calls for a small value bet, especially knowing that villain will simply call with his inferior holdings and not change them into a X/raise bluff (it is a soft game, after all)... Yet, something is holding our hero back... After 40 seconds of tanking, he checks back, flips over the 99 fully expecting the pot to be pushed his way, as the laws of the universe warrant it... but somehow, somewhere, villain shows 1010, laughs whole heartedly, as he cannot contain his joy of finally beating the agro foreigner!


Cebu has been quite pleasant this time around. Maybe it is the Holy weekend that have left the heart of the city into a peaceful, more quiet state, making those evening strolls more enjoyable... Maybe it is this Filipina that I met that has a calming effect on me, changing my hotel room into a love nest that we have barely left, except to catch a meal, get a massage or watch a movie... Yes, maybe it is her rubbing effect...

Nevertheless, I have enjoyed Cebu this time around. It does have a pleasant atmosphere to offer to any grinder that would want to spend a significant amount of time here. Sure, the games are not so big, but the 25-50-100 is easily beatable, the rake friendly (10% capped at 300), the staff welcoming, the food and beverages are free, and both the city and the beaches on Cebu island have a lot to offer.



After the usual limpers, hero looks down at A4 in MP. Maybe this hand would play better from the CO or button, but he still grabs 600 in chips, puts in the raise, and unpleasantly watches as he gets 3 callers. Flop comes 873. A very good flop, sure, but he is hesitant as how to proceed, as he does not want to be left with an awkward situation on the turn... He opts to bet 1700 into 2400. Call, call, call. Yikes! Turn is a 4. Even with the added equity of the pair, he is left in that awkward spot that he was desperately trying to avoid... There are 2 opponents to act after him, both of them holding roughly 3k in chips, which would easily price him in if they happen to shove... Check. Button shoves for 3100, while SB takes not time in overshoving 6100.

This is when things go awry : he hears 9100 and not 6100, puts villain on a 2 pair sort of hand (not realizing that that still does not counterfeit the 5 outs that the turn provided him with), and instantly mucks his pair/nut flush draw. He does not take into account the pot odds, neither does he reassess the situation. We all make mistakes, and while seeing that pot being pushed in the wrong direction on the river is painful, what remains important is the lesson learned.


What will happen with this Filipina chick? Who knows... I do know that she brings out the best in me, makes me see the world through different eyes. That she makes me wonder. Wonder about a life lived in a shared minuscule bedroom, at the age of 27, while daily teaching 12h to Korean students in order to support her mom, as well as the studies of her sister and brother... She makes me wonder how it is justifiable for an employer to deduct 600 pesos of salary to an employee (a days salary is 400) that arrives a single minute late... She makes me stop in the footsteps of my habits, revisit my philosophy of not giving to beggar children, purchase ice cream and hand it over to them as they smile, gratefully. She makes want to better myself, I think...



Back to Alona tomorrow and the online grind until Friday, when she will be visiting for the weekend.

Run good all

nice blog dude, really enjoy reading it
but I have to ask you, do you have Parkinson disease ?

Parkinson disease? Really don't get where the question is coming from...