Some Wins on Full Tilt, Headed to Hard Rock Hollywood Florida

I have had a pretty decent week online winning 3 tournaments, albeit small one, a razz, horse and PLO. Maybe it was the little bit of help Mike McDonald gave me in Montreal, or I just got a little lucky, either way I’ll take it.

Also I now have my own table on Full Tilt, a $5-10, 10 game mixed, which is what I really enjoy playing. I welcome any and all to drop by and play, or at least chat. I have not really decided on my upcoming playing schedule for the first part of the year, and may travel less and play online more. I will however be at Hard Rock in South Florida this Tuesday for a few nights. I am really looking forward to checking out there poker room now that the new laws enable higher stakes gaming. If you are there this Tuesday or Wednesday night come by and say hello.

I am getting together with my usual group of friends, this time for New Year’s in Florida. The three of us use to work together at Emory University back in the 90’s and have maintained a close friendship since. One friend stayed in Atlanta, the other went to Palm Beach and me, well I am not really sure where I am on any given day.

I have kind of a fun upcoming event on February 12th, I am going to be the fight doctor and corner person for a professional Muay Thai fight in Las Vegas. On of the instructors where I train, asked me and I am excited to be working with her, that’s right her. Her name is Emily Bearden, and you can check out one of her fights on you tube.

I have been playing the 10 game mix on pretty much a daily basis and have made most of my money where I would least expect it. Razz and Stud H/L seem to be the games that provide me the largest EV with 2-7 single and triple draw along with Badugi not far behind. What really surprises me is how badly some players are with what I consider pretty straight forward games. I had a hand the other day where I am dealt 234 with the 4 exposed and I complete and am raised by a player showing a 7. Well okay I think maybe he has some tell on me and thinks I have a face card or two in the hole. I of course re-raise and he caps it. I grab a 6 and he a 5 and I bet, he raises I re-raise and he caps. Then I get a J and he a 9, and he bets and I just call. Next comes an ace for me and a 6 for him. So now I know I can’t lose with the best he could have being a 65321 and me with a 64321, so I bet and again it goes to cap both here on 6th and on 7th. He actually had a 65432, and that’s with catching on of the three small cards on 7th. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining, but I just see this kind of thing again and again.

The common Stud 8 or better situation which I love is when someone decide to play something like split 9’s and calls all the way with one mid pair and you make the low and are free rolling for the high, I love that. What’s really fun is when you have a 3 or 4 way pot with a low that cant be beat and free rolling for the straight against a couple of donkey’s with 2 pair.

You also see it in Omaha 8 when players pick starting hands with no low potential that are only fair for the high. Now if you have a strong high only hand, have at it, but something like 79JK, it’s hard to make the nuts except of a couple of straights. If at all possible you want to give yourself a chance at the high and low halves of the pot and not be playing for only have the pot. The other day I played an interesting high hand with KKJ10 double suited and the flop came K 3 4, 8 on the turn and 4 on the river. I had three opponents who all were holding A,2 and they kept raising the turn and river until they were capped four ways and they seemed surprised when each of them received 1/6th of the pot.