Mind Games

I was recently asked "What would be an open shoving range for NL 5-Card Draw cash?"
I replied that I didn't have one, since only rarely would worse call, and even more rarely would better fold.
In 5-Card draw, all hands are drawing hands, except Straight Flush, Full House, Flush and Straight -- the "Pat hands"
Quads are a special case, because you always draw 1 to disguise your hand.

If you hold a pat hand, you don't want anyone to fold, so an open shove is foolish.
If you hold something else, then you want worse to call.
You also don't mind if better hands call, but you hope to improve to the best hand on the draw.

Today I had a player on my right who in 16 hands had open shoved 9 times.
So I thought I would look him up.
It is entirely possible that he had had 9 pat hands, or 8 bluffs and finally hit a pat hand.

Feral Cow Poker
PokerStars No Limit 5 Card Draw $0.10/$0.25 - 6 players

BB: $22.12
UTG: $25.00 (Hero)
UTG+1: $4.10
CO: $15.87
Button: $16.91
SB: $9.59

Dealing Hands: ($0.35) J♥:9♣:J♦:9♠:7♣: (6 players)
Hero raises to $0.75, 4 folds, BB raises to $22.12 and is all-in, Hero calls $21.37

First Draw: ($44.34) (2 players)
BB stands, Hero discards 1

BB showed J♣:5♣:5♥:8♦:7♥:, a pair of Fives
Hero showed J♥:9♣:J♦:9♠:7♦:, two pair, Jacks and Nines
Hero won $42.34
(Rake: $2)

Nope Just a pair.
He risked his stack repeatedly to win the blinds.
Worse, he denied himself the opportunity to draw to his pair of 5s.
He has a 7:1 odds against making trip 5s -- which would have nailed me to the floor.

Standing pat on a worthless hand is known as "snowing" and is meant to set up a shove post-draw.
Shoving then standing is pointless because without chips, you are with fold equity.

Interestingly, I had just been beaten by BTN who drew quads vs my two pair.
I thought -- I had better reload, just in case I get a pat hand vs the maniac.

Here's how it looked on stream

WooHoo!
VS

OK I'm a sucker for min-raises near-min-raises and other tiny bets.
You can enter the pot, and take the money by:
 Flopping the world, or close to it then hitting the world before the river
 Missing completely, and taking the pot away when a scary board appears
 Missing totally and rivering 5th pair with no kicker and winning at showdown

That was going to be hand of the day since it was more-or-less a joke hand but then the real HotD came along.

Yes, Vorpal played NL 5 cash!
I lost 4 BI in a thousand hand -- down six at one point but clawed my way back two.

The idea was to get a level on 888 and to get used to the idea of Hold'em again.
They also have a promo going where if you win a hand with AQ you win some kind of prize.

I might even play some NL 5 on stream tomorrow.

is good 3bet spot

But this one is nearly the best possible stud hi/lo hand

This is phoenix poker at its best.
What is phoenix poker? That is where you rise from the ashes of your own funeral pyre to live again.

This hand occurred just after the money bubble burst, and I was mentally prepared to bust out here with a mincash
But my hole cards were decent so...

Converted by the cows of Feral Cow Poker
PokerStars Limit Stud Hi/Lo ($0.98+$0.12) t1600/t3200 ante t320 - 6 players

Seat 1: t4,724 [X] [X] K♦:
Seat 2: t10,607 [X] [X] 6♣:4♦:Q♥:
Seat 3: t68,809 [X] [X] A♥:
Seat 4: t4,008 9♦:5♠:2♦:3♦:4♥:A♣:3♠: (Hero)
Seat 5: t32,900 [9♠: ] [T♥: ] J♣:8♠:T♣:3♥: [K♠: ]
Seat 6: t30,280 [X] [X] Q♣:

3rd Street: (t1,920) (6 players)
Hero brings, Seat 5 calls t480, 2 folds, Seat 2 calls t480, Seat 3 folds

4th Street: (t2,880) (3 players)
Seat 5 bets t1600, Seat 2 calls t1600, Hero calls t1600

5th Street: (t7,680) (3 players)
Seat 2 checks, Hero checks, Seat 5 bets t3200, Seat 2 folds, Hero calls t1608 and is all-in

6th Street: (t10,896) (2 players)

River: (t10,896) (2 players)

Hero showed, HI: a straight, Ace to Five; LO: 5,4,3,2,A
Seat 5 showed, HI: a pair of Tens
Hero won t11376

I thus went from near bustout to finishing 14th -- not bad.

Here it is on stream...
https://clips.twitch.tv/ObeseMistyChamoisFunRun

In NL 2-7 Single-Draw I have a rather poor record calling shoves when drawing 1.
Not only did I succeed on this occasion, it was near the bubble, so my tournament was severely at risk.
Not such a risk though, since I was already holding $3.75 in bounties in a $3.30 buy-in tournament.

This converter is going to be a cash cow...
PokerStars No Limit Single Draw ($1.44+$1.50) t200/t400 ante t100 - 6 players

CO: t5,833
Button: t8,553 (Hero)
SB: t26,504
BB: t4,508
UTG: t5,908
UTG+1: t7,608

Dealing Hands: (t1,200) 6♥:9♥:2♣:6♣:4♣: (6 players)
3 folds, Hero raises to t880, SB raises to t26404 and is all-in, BB folds, Hero calls t7573 and is all-in

First Draw: (t17,906) (2 players)
SB stands, Hero discards 1

Hero showed 6♥:9♥:2♣:4♣:8♦:, Lo: 9,8,6,4,2
SB showed 3♥:T♦:4♠:2♥:7♣:, Lo: T,7,4,3,2
Hero won t17906

How sweet it is!
VS

This hand was in an 888 SuperStorm freeroll. Top 50 get a $100 ticket to the SuperStorm Main Event
With <4 BB left, a shove was needed -- and rewarded (this time)
Later holding T♦:9♠: in the BB with 3BB left I was all set to torch it, but got a walk.
I finished well off the tickets -- 564 of 7550.

Overall though, 888 has been good to me this week...

Pacific Poker - 800/1600 Ante 320 NL - Holdem - 9 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

MP+1: 19,790
MP+2: 1,350
CO: 560
BTN: 8,415
SB: 10,205
BB: 28,690
UTG: 7,790
Hero (UTG+1): 5,985
MP: 16,600

9 players post ante of 320, SB posts SB 800, BB posts BB 1,600

Pre Flop: (pot: 5,280) Hero has 4♠:4♦:

fold, Hero raises to 5,665 and is all-in, fold, fold, fold, fold, fold, SB raises to 9,885 and is all-in, BB calls 8,285

Flop: (28,315, 3 players) 4♣:4♥:9♣:

Turn: (28,315, 3 players) 6♠:

River: (28,315, 3 players) T♣:

SB shows A♦:A♠: (Two Pair, Aces and Fours)

Main Pot [19,875]: (Pre 66%, Flop 0.1%, Turn 0%)
Side Pot#1 [8,440]: (Pre 80%, Flop 91%, Turn 95%)

BB shows 8♠:8♦: (Two Pair, Eights and Fours)

Main Pot [19,875]: (Pre 19%, Flop 0.1%, Turn 0%)
Side Pot#1 [8,440]: (Pre 19%, Flop 9%, Turn 5%)

Hero shows 4♠:4♦: (Four of a Kind, Fours)

Main Pot [19,875]: (Pre 15%, Flop 99.8%, Turn 100%)

Hero wins 19,875
SB wins 8,440

pretty much exactly a month since my last post

I have a lot of excuses, but still ...

The truth is I've just not been feeling like playing that much.
Except for stream days, I have played almost no poker.

I've not done much else either, for that matter.

My Mum had to move into a nursing home, and that has taken most of my time and energy, but that has been done, and tomorrow we move her stuff into storage, so maybe my mind will be freed to play some serious fun poker again.

Next stream is Thursday Feb 20 at 18:05 UTC -- see you there at http://bit.ly/maugr1s

If seems like your playing a lot of different variants Vorpal.

I play only 6 Max cash games. Never 9 seat tables, i’d rather drop a stake. I don’t play HU tables, I can open tables but I won’t play HU tables because I’m not used to the fast paced meta.

I also switch my stakes as slowly as possible so that I’m sat with the same players for as long as possible.

It’s not that I can’t play other variants, it’s just, I’m not here to have fun. I get the feeling you try to enjoy your time at the tables but if you want to be a professional poker player you need to realise this is just a job. You need to do whatever makes the most money.

Sticking to one game, one site, one stake, is obviously going to make you way better in those games.

It looks to me like you want to be a cash game player. I’ve only read this page but you seem to have done well in cash games. If I were you I’d specialise in those.

As you have access to sites like 888 you could rinse any of the games you choose, but do be careful to choose one with a good rake structure. At 888 I think the cash game rake at low stakes is stupid.

I’ve looked through a few pages trying to find your stats so that I can point out any holes and show you how you’ll get exploited, but I can’t find any.

If you post an image of your cash game stats I could assess them for you if you like? The more stats the better. I have around 100 specific stats on my hud. I like to see how the villain reacts to pretty much everything.

Originally posted by yadijavadi
I’ve looked through a few pages trying to find your stats so that I can point out any holes and show you how you’ll get exploited, but I can’t find any.

If you post an image of your cash game stats I could assess them for you if you like? The more stats the better. I have around 100 specific stats on my hud. I like to see how the villain reacts to pretty much everything.

Thanks for the offer!

My database for mixed games (fpdb) does very poorly at displaying stats. It is useful mainly only as a HUD
I have two $1,000-plus cashes playing tournaments, one in 2-7 triple draw, and one in HORSE, but as for cash games, I openly admin I suck at hold'em

Most of the non-flop games can be beaten just by knowing the pot odds and drawing odds, and "may the odds be ever in your favour".

My biggest problem is very easily identified: I call too wide post-draw/post-flop.
That is not a poker problem, it is a mental problem.

thanks for stopping by!
.

Ah yes, I remember your real issue from one of your hands... You lose sight of the villains range in the late game.

I’m sure you agree that this could lead to the problem you mentioned. Is it a surprise that I have only ever mentioned one flaw with your game and it happens to lead to the exact problem you are struggling with?

No way is that a coincidence dude!

Buddha said that if a problem is understood it’s no longer a problem. If you could see the villains range clearly postflop, you wouldn’t just call when you know it loses you money.

Let’s imagine you were chasing a girl instead of a pot. What your saying is that you should get the girl out of your head. What I’m saying is that you should assess your approach so that you walk away with the lady.

You want me to help you do that, address your failing thought-process so that you’re the one who walks home with the pot?

I’m just offering an olive branch man. I made hundreds of thousands playing poker but I’m a FAR better teacher than I am a player.

Originally posted by yadijavadi
Let’s imagine you were chasing a girl instead of a pot. What your saying is that you should get the girl out of your head. What I’m saying is that you should assess your approach so that you walk away with the lady.

When I try to imagine I'm chasing a girl my wife usually halts the game pre-flop
Definitely pre-flop!

Buddha was half-right. A problem understood is no longer a problem -- it becomes a challenge, but it may still negatively affect a person.
I didn't solve mine yet -- but for the most part I work around it.

Yesterday for amusement, I entered a badeucy tournament.
A lowball game, badeucy pots are split between the best 2-7 hand, and the best badugi hand.

Scoopage!

Hopefully I'll be able to play one on stream this Thursday

Well, good luck!

hey just checking in your blog because I like your activity on the forum and your thoughts on things, I am sure that I will be able to learn a lot from such an "experienced" person like you

Originally posted by stevegold87
hey just checking in your blog because I like your activity on the forum and your thoughts on things, I am sure that I will be able to learn a lot from such an "experienced" person like you

Thanks!
Well a lot of what can be learned is "how not to do things"

Great to have you stop by!

Well, it actually didn't need saving, -- cashed 2 tournaments, and freerolled a PKO so I was already in profit, but I was playing PLO8 cash on PokerStars and it took me a bit of time to identify the people who had had the goods and the people who were full of $hit

So when these two hads occurred, I was down 1 BI, and had been going up and down a few cents at a time.

Then this:
PokerStars - $0.05 PL Hi/Lo (6 max) - Omaha Hi/Lo - 5 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

UTG: $3.84
CO: $5.38
Hero (BTN): $6.14
SB: $6.25
BB: $5.00

SB posts SB $0.02, BB posts BB $0.05

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.07) Hero has 4♦:Q♦:4♠:Q♣:

UTG calls $0.05, fold, Hero calls $0.05, SB raises to $0.25, BB calls $0.20, UTG calls $0.20, Hero calls $0.20

Flop: ($1.00, 4 players) Q♥:4♥:2♠:
SB checks, BB bets $0.96, UTG calls $0.96, Hero raises to $4.80, fold, BB calls $3.79 and is all-in, UTG calls $2.63 and is all-in

Turn: ($14.09, 3 players) Q♠:

River: ($14.09, 3 players) J♥:

BB shows J♦:T♥:A♥:9♠: (Flush, Ace High)

Main Pot [$11.77]: (Pre 28%, Flop 19%, Turn 0%)
Side Pot#1 [$2.32]: (Pre 42%, Flop 33%, Turn 0%)

Hero shows 4♦:Q♦:4♠:Q♣: (Four of a Kind, Queens)

Main Pot [$11.77]: (Pre 33%, Flop 27%, Turn 72%)
Side Pot#1 [$2.32]: (Pre 57%, Flop 67%, Turn 100%)

UTG shows A♦:5♠:3♥:T♣: (One Pair, Queens)

Main Pot [$11.77]: (Pre 39%, Flop 54%, Turn 28%)

Hero wins $13.54
Rake paid $0.55

Folded the next hand, then
PokerStars - $0.05 PL Hi/Lo (6 max) - Omaha Hi/Lo - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: $4.73
SB: $5.31
BB: $3.00
Hero (UTG): $14.68
MP: $5.92
CO: $5.00

SB posts SB $0.02, BB posts BB $0.05, CO posts penalty blind $0.02

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.09) Hero has 8♣:A♦:3♠:9♣:

Hero raises to $0.10, fold, CO calls $0.10, BTN raises to $0.49, fold, fold, Hero calls $0.39, CO calls $0.39

Flop: ($1.56, 3 players) 2♦:4♣:K♣:
Hero checks, CO bets $1.50, BTN raises to $4.24 and is all-in, Hero calls $4.24, fold

Turn: ($11.54, 2 players) J♣:

River: ($11.54, 2 players) J♦:

Hero shows 8♣:A♦:3♠:9♣: (Flush, King High)
(Pre 38%, Flop 48%, Turn 91%)
BTN shows Q♠:3♥:A♠:Q♥: (Two Pair, Queens and Jacks)
(Pre 62%, Flop 52%, Turn 9%)
Hero wins $11.09
Rake paid $0.45

One more small pot won and up 3BI after being down 1

Easy Game

Well, I wasn't really expecting any...

A couple of firsts:
 1:  I played Pineapple poker for the first time: It is hold'em but you get to discard one card on the flop. First hand, I flopped two pair, threw the third. Had I kept it, the turn would have given me a straight, instead of giving villain the straight. A couple of hands later I was gone.
 2:  I played live $1/$3 poker at a local casino. I played only a few orbits, because it was really hard to sit there with nothing to do between hands. I played a couple of orbits, won one big pot, and a few little ones, and lost a few little ones, ending up ahead by $12.00 Did I mention it cost $15 to park?

Real Life settles down
My brother from Germany has gone back home, my Mum has settled into her new place.

Cheers,
VS

Hi, for me, Pineapple is OFC Pineapple
https://tonybetpoker.com/rules/ofc-games/ofc-pineapple
that I played a lot

Hi Anykey444,
Thanks for stopping by!

I have not ever played any OFC games.

This "pineapple" is just hold'em with three cards and you get to decide which two to keep after you see the flop.
There is also a "crazy pineapple" version where you decide after you see the turn.
I've heard also of "lazy pineapple" where you decide only after the river, but I've never seen it.

On my stream we watch an eagles nest during breaks.
Both eagles are back for another year -- last year they successfully fledged two eaglets.

On Feb 28 I was watching the two of them as I was getting the stream ready, and saw this:

Whatever they were up to, it doesn't look like they accomplished much, but there are now two eggs in the nest, and they'll hatch some time in April.

It is fascinating to watch the two adults care for the eggs -- and for each other