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Registration code: 383311

6 months since i last checked in, but unlike poker professionals, I care more about finishing my education and working then poker, but I have been doing some reading and analyzing over the past few months. My friends tend to play on the weekends and sometimes during the week in a 25/50 cent cash game that I have tagged along in, but they play only holdem and I have tried to expand my game selection, so I haven't played that game in awhile. School and work have taken up most of my time, but I have grinded out about 3-4 sessions a month. However, now that my work schedule is consistent, I can finally begin to start playing more. I was recently checking out stars and they have these new 990 man 1 cent sngs or something like that, which just seems crazy to me, so I never play them. I need to improve my sng play before I tackle 1.10 45 mans, also known as the "shove" zones. I don't like turbos, I never have but thats probably because I don't have the moxie to commit to 88 with a raise and an all in front only to find 66 vs. aq when they flip them over. I have done well in the 1.10 NL holdem and 1.20 NL omaha h/l recently, because I am a patient player for the most part ("timed" aggression), but I think I like cash games better. Besides, until i get a decent roll, I don't want to over to sngs just yet.

I played 4 hours of 1/2 cent omaha and holdem yesterday. I haven't had a session that long since january and it felt good to see similar players that i had some stats on. My new favourite hand in omaha is A910J double, because it just seems to win more. Although I must admit, people who tell you that they are holdem players and are just starting out are not usually kidding. This guy was talking alot for the first hour i was sat down at the table, telling me how great holdem is and blah blah blah. I didn't want to hear his life story, but then this hand came up.
Table 'Kalypso IV' 6-max Seat #5 is the button
Seat 1: calf1roper ($1.66 in chips)
Seat 2: MWON1 ($2.95 in chips)
Seat 3: Reel Smooth ($1 in chips)
Seat 4: cprucha1 ($1.32 in chips)
Seat 5: iluvromeovil ($2.76 in chips)
Seat 6: renatto1975 ($0.31 in chips)
renatto1975: posts small blind $0.01
calf1roper: posts big blind $0.02
Reel Smooth: posts big blind $0.02
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to iluvromeovil [Ah 7s Th 7d]
MWON1 said, "THIS IS THE HOOD"
MWON1: calls $0.02
Reel Smooth: checks
cprucha1: calls $0.02
iluvromeovil: calls $0.02
renatto1975: calls $0.01
calf1roper: checks
*** FLOP *** [8s 4h 7h]

Coulda raised obviously here, but the table was playing very agro. so I was anticipating a repop back and was willing to call anything in position. Pretty good flop, still a potential straight flopped but with huge redraws, I wasn't going anywhere.

*** FLOP *** [8s 4h 7h]
MWON1 said, "THE HOOD"
renatto1975: checks
calf1roper: checks
MWON1 said, "DVD GALOR COUNTRY"
MWON1: bets $0.06
Reel Smooth: calls $0.06
MWON1 said, "LOL"
cprucha1: folds
iluvromeovil: calls $0.06
renatto1975: folds
calf1roper: folds

I question my play here somewhat, if I raise here i get the information of his straight here, but he has been 3 barrelling alot of the time (like 35%) so i figure a call here disguises the strength of my hand and allows me to re-evaluate on the turn. I mean, the overcall may look suspicious here but I do not think the players at this table are looking too much into it.

*** TURN *** [8s 4h 7h] [4s]
MWON1: checks
Reel Smooth: checks
iluvromeovil: checks

Bad check on the turn here in my opinion, I mean, what am I afraid of...8s full or quads, thats it. I mean, they might check and then bet for value on the river if a heart hits, but I don't think my play here was right...shoulda bet for value.

*** RIVER *** [8s 4h 7h 4s] [5h]
MWON1: bets $0.20
Reel Smooth: folds
iluvromeovil: raises $0.30 to $0.50
MWON: raises $0.75 to $1.25

I only min raise here to see where he's at, I probably shoulda potted it when i first bet out, but his raise was weird. I mean, pot was like 90 cents and he bets like 5/6th of the pot. Most players in his spot would shove with the nuts. It somewhat goes back to his play on the turn, would he check a fh or quads there or was he drawing at a flush the whole time and got scared on the turn when the board paired. My extreme range is 88 or 44, cause 36h is too weird to comprehend. This is where my check on the turn cost me, because if he repoped, I was going to assume I was dead. But at the same time, this guy had been playing so agro. and he said he didnt know how to play omaha that well, so it was more likely that he was overvaluing any flush as the nuts in this case. With all the info, I dived into the water.

iluvromeovil: raises $0.93 to $2.18 and is all-in
MWON: calls $0.93
iluvromeovil: shows [Ah 7s Th 7d] (a full house, Sevens full of Fours)
MWON1: shows [6h Ad 2h Kh] (a flush, King high)

Guy goes on agro. tilt after i scooped nearly his whole roll and tells me how stupid this game is. It was pretty funny to sit back and just laugh, watching someone overvalue a hand so poorly. But thats why its pretty essential to play 1/2 cent or low limits when your starting a new game, to test out your ability...someone needs to tell that guy to read a book cause that's just poker, and I am just a 1/2 cent grinder.

Bankroll: 92.17
Hands Played (total): 33700 approx.

Poker is a unique game, in both the way people play it and the way it makes even the world's worst players get lucky, when they shouldn't even be in the pot. When i sit down for a grind session on stars, its maybe 2-4 tables of 1/2 cent PLO/NL hold em but I have learned that deception can both be rewarded and penalized in this game. Tonight, I decided to share one hand with you that has taught me a valuable lesson in poker, slow playing in Omaha never works unless you flop an unbeatable hand. Now, I am not one of these people who believe you need a full buy in to enter a table. Granted, you get paid off more when your hands hit but at 1/2 cent, a dollar still gets you 50 bbs, which is a lot more than you can say about most minimum buy ins at higher levels. Anyways, so I'm playing PLO and had flopped top set earlier in the night on a q73 rainbow board, and was able to double up when 2 low drawers missed. I keep wondering why people chase a low draw if they are only going to get half the pot, but that's just my opinion. So then, this situation comes up...
PokerStars Game #23788181117: Omaha Pot Limit ($0.01/$0.02) - 2009/01/11 5:33:14 ET
Table 'Santana' 6-max Seat #1 is the button
Seat 1: haribo67 ($3.08 in chips)
Seat 2: HospitalFood ($3.30 in chips)
Seat 3: iluvromeovil ($2.70 in chips)
Seat 4: Saarländer70 ($1.78 in chips)
Seat 5: allyfan ($5.95 in chips)
Seat 6: charg25 ($2.92 in chips)
HospitalFood: posts small blind $0.01
iluvromeovil: posts big blind $0.02
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to iluvromeovil [Th Ks Qs 2d]...

An innocent looking hand to say the least, straight and 2nd nut flush potential only, the 2 is a dead card but still, I get to see it cheap 5 ways. The table had been very loose preflop but tightened as the streets went on.

*** FLOP *** [Ts 3d As]

SB bets out 3/5ths of the pot, I got a potential of 13 outs (9 spades and 4 jacks) plus maybe 3 more if a 10 hits. HospitalFood to this point had been playing very loose, he was one of the people who had earlier called me down with just a2 off, so I put him on a range of maybe a straight draw or 2 pair, cause a set will jam at these stages unless they are being tricky, which i cannot honestly expect. Another thing I have noticed is that the table was willing to call anything on the flop when the pot was this small, because with each call around the table, pot odds alone means you can draw at a lower flush or bottom 2. So not surprisingly, everyone called behind me except one. The pot now stands at 34 cents with 4 opponents still left.

*** TURN *** [Ts 3d As] [Tc]

One of the worst turn cards i could see, even though i had a 10. I mean, with people in the pot, someone has to have a full house. But the fact that its a 10 intrigues me, could it be a cooler situation or not. Hospital bets about half the pot (18 cents) to make it 52 cents. I have to call 18 to win 70, so about 3.3 to 1 but I may have better odds if both players behind me call, putting 36 more cents into the middle giving me potential odds of 5.3 to 1. With only one pure win out, the Jack of Spades, it seems not a good situation to call, but if my opponent bet out with 103 on the flop, or a straight draw, i may be able to freeze the action with a call. As well, if its 103 she has, i still have a K or a Q to beat her, possibly tie. As well, if shes just firing a second bullet, which from my limited omaha experience, people at these stakes like to do, I still have my 9 spades or a 2 for a fullhouse. Therefore, given the way in which my opponent played in previous hands, and the potential for all of those outs, I make the call. Unfortunately, everyone behind me folded leaving me heads up in position to the river.

*** RIVER *** [Ts 3d As Tc] [Js]

Like I said before, poker is an interesting game, because anyone can win. You could be the greatest professional in the world, and yet, you could play against a rank amateur who gets hit by the deck and calls everything because you cannot bluff him, making it the ultimate equalizing tool. The old one-outer, some of us need to get lucky somedays, don't we? Standard play follows, half pot bet by Hospital is repotted by me, who repots me all in and i call instantly.

*** SHOW DOWN ***
HospitalFood: shows [2h Jh Ac Td] (a full house, Tens full of Aces)
iluvromeovil: shows [Th Ks Qs 2d] (a Royal Flush)
iluvromeovil collected $5.33 from pot

Now what can i say, my read was wrong...but everyone cannot always be right, that is what makes us human and that is what allows others to win at poker. I said sorry to this person, but if I have to be honest with myself, I didn't really mean it....lol. This was my first royal flush ever, so it was a moment I will not soon forget.

When I first joined Pocket Fives, I didn't have any money, I was more interested in reading other peoples experiences. After all, play money can still drain you, although, never as much as real money can. Anyways, I had just a question for the general public...should I risk more than 6.5% of my bankroll and play in my first 5.50 in a while, this Tammypoker classic or whatever or should I keep to my current ways. I mean, I am feeling comfortable with my game but at the same time, this challenges the very element of bankroll management, and limiting myself to tournies and sitngos that make financial sense. Any feedback would be appreciated, cause that's just poker, and I am just a 1/2 cent grinder.

Bankroll 80.21
Hands played (total): 32000 approx.