I've been playing poker for around one and a half years now. I have the blessing, that after paying the "learning money", I'm now a solid winner, and I'm planning a serious future in poker. One thing, however, that keeps me from becoming even better is bad beats, tilting, and anything related.

Now 99% of poker players would say they hate listening to bad beat stories, but like to tell them, just to get out of their system. Still, after we calm down, we realize how stupid that is, and its all part of the game, it happens the other way around etc.

But what I realized recently, that, specifically in tournament, how much bad beats, or swings can change. I was playing in a Stars 5$ cubed tourney, where i marched into the money easily, with almost twice the avarage stack, and managed to maintain about 1,5 times the average, when we got down to about 60 players. As the money jumps get more and more serious in that period, I started looking my opponents stats on OPR. There were only a few great players left, with a bunch of fishes still left. I felt comfortable, but bluffed away half my stack when a guy made a herocall/fishcall, and then showed lightly on a flop with a NFD/overcard, to see my dreams go away on a coinflip.

Now I played bad in the latter stages, and I only blamed myself, but when I went back to OPR the next day, to check the results, I saw that one of the biggest fishes won the tourney. Before the event, the guy was a $5000 loser in 1,5 years playing a $12 average buy-in. I have no way of knowing how bad he should have played to get there. And then, he donks in $6000 in one day, that turns things around, and makes him a winner. Is that right? I doubt it. Did he deserve it? Definietly not.

I managed to win $1000 in about 6 months, with blood and sweat, grinding and all-night plays, without having a bigger than $215 score. I can get over A8 beating AA, or 2 pair making a boat on the river against my straight...those are not bad beats.

A Bad beat is when you see a fish walking away with your dream...

As the title suggests, I'm running red hot like Joe Hachem!

Since the end of my exams, everything seems to have clicked into place regarding poker. I've been getting lucky in some situations, but I also found the perfect types of poker to play. It started a couple weeks ago, when I discovered the $8.80 double shootout satellites to the sunday million. You only have to win two 6-max satellites in a row to qualify. Something we do all the time. And the fun part is that 2nd to 5th also get paid some money, so there wont be angry mouse-cracking after finishing 2nd for no money. Actually, the first time i played it, i started thinking, and afterwards i did some interesting calculation.

Lets imagine that youre a player who playes $8.80 6-max SnG's (I know they actually dont exist, but lets make the theory). You're a better than average player, but far from world class. You finish first and second 20-20% of time, and 3rd to 6th in an equal 15-15%. If you do the math: 0,2*32+0,2*16=9,6 --> 9,6/8,8=1,09
That means you result in a 9% ROI.

However, if you convert these results to the double shootout, you will win the ticket in 0,2*0,2=4% of the time. 2nd to 4th pays $20, you will finish here in every tenth try (4+3+3%), and 3% will be the chance for you to finish in 5th for $13.

0,04*215+0,1*20+0,03*13=10,99 --> 10,99/8,8=1,25

You turned your tiny 9% ROI into 25% without even getting better results, just choosing the game wisely!!! With that in mind, i was able to win the ticket in just 5 tries, resulting in a much-needed bankroll boost.

The next days I spent with cheering for Belabacsi shipping the first (and certainly not last) bracelet for Hungary! The FT ended at 5AM European time, but I didnt feel a tiny bit of sleepiness :) (When the Giants won the Super Bowl against my hated Patriots, it was the same deal, it ended at 3.45AM and i was so pumped up that i went to school the next day with 0 minutes of sleep :))

Then on June 30th i played one of those love/hate MTT sessions on pokerstars. It started at 7PM and lasted until 2.30AM. What did I win? about $80 in profits.... i finished 3rd in a 90-player Hungary-only tour for $50 (first place $100, elimination hand A9 vs KQ) ; 13/2400ish in a $2 six-max for $35 (final table $100-$800; elimination hand AQ vs TT coinflip for above average stack) and micro-cashed a $5 slugfest for $13 (elimination hand AA vs A9 making an ugly flush, equity if I win ~$50).
Obviously I'm happy to finish the day in a profit but it would be much better, if i only won one of those hands...

I wish everyone ggod luck, see you soon
Peter

This will be a quicky, but I need some answers. Couple of days ago, I was looking around on Full Tilt to rail some high-stakes games. With no durrrr/Ziigmund/Hansen/Ivey/Antonius around, it wasn't that much fun, but I cought attention on the mixed PLH/PLO games. I sat down at a 0.02/0.05 table, which is way below my BR, so I felt comfortable. We started out 5 handed, but players eliminated and left, and I found myself playing heads-up. On the first hand of HU, the first strange hand:

Me: AK9x with the K9 suited

I raise pot, but the opponent quickly re-pots it. I call, although an all-in wouldn't be that stupid here, but I just dont feel comfortable 4-betting in omaha, as basically every comfrontation is a coinflip.

Flop: KT9 rainbow. He bets pot, and I move all-in. He calls, showing KTxx, for a hand that (in my opinion) is clearly not a 3-bet preflop hand. OBV no help, and I'm forced to reload.

We play the 10 hands of PLO, the 10 hands of PLH, and he 3-bets about 80% of my raises. He's clearly an agressor. On the next PLO part, I find JJA5 on button. He OBV 3-bets me and I 4-bet, and we're allin. He shows QQxx. Flop is 238, and it turns out 9 outs are just not enough for me. With this I drop 2 buyins, I left the game.

So my question would be:

Did I overplay these hands proving to be a fish in omaha OR
Are these just coolers OR
Is omaha just simply the game with the most luck factor?

TY all!