Busy week

I have been putting alot of hours in on the Omaha tables since i last posted. Luckily my form has continued to be good and after posting that i couldn't string three decent sessions on the trot, i have now won eight of the last nine times that i have played. Long may that sort of form continue.

In a way its been a very strange week. Twice i have been over £4000 down in sessions and feeling slightly tilty. Only to recover and book decent wins both times. Looking at my Omaha play in general, i think i have learned more in the last six months than in the previous fifteen years i have played the game. When i was primarily a live player i could categorise players into a few categories.....

- Very good/good player
- Rock
- Maniac
- Easy money

On the net though i encounter styles that i have never seen live. Players who raise a huge number of hands preflop even when the game isn't shorthanded and more often than not there extreme gambling seems to reap dividends for them. I still find the ultra aggressive opponents short handed the most tricky. Its scenarious like this that i struggle to make the correct decision.

Say i hold AQ45 double suited. My opponent like he will with every hand raises preflop to £60 to play on the button. I call. It flops AT5. I think the check raise is the correct play here as he is more likely to have nothing and he will always bet the flop if he raises preflop. I check. He bets £120. I reraise to £360 and he moves over the top of me for another £1000. I pass. Should i? I am losing too many of these kind of hands for my liking.

I've probably played 25 hours + this week. Some of the significant hands that i remember.

Hands played badly:

Five handed. Middle position makes it £100 to play. I call on the button with AQK9. Four of see a flop of 7TJ with two clubs. Original raiser bets £400. I call. Turn a Q clubs. he checks. I check. River a blank. He checks. I bet £500. He reraises and i pass. I hate my bet here there was just no need for it.

This one really annoyed me. I had just won a couple of pots over a £1000 and thought i would call a raise with 9422 double suited from the small blind. Flop 952. I ended up losing £1200 against 99xx in this hand. I hate losing money on hands that i should never have been involved with in the first place.

Hands i got lucky:

Very lucky in this one. I call raise in late position with KQ89 double suited and there is £500 in the middle when the flop comes Q82 to give me two pair and a King flush draw. Late postion player bets £300. I reraise it to £1000 and he goes all in for £1700. I call. He shows 88A5 for trips and the aces flush draw. Yikes. River a Queen to save me.

I did win one huge multiway pot on the $10/$20 table. I held 789T double suited and somehow ended up putting $800 in preflop along with 5 others. Three were all in preflop. Flop 89J rainbow. Everyone who is left has less than $2000 so i bet $2000 on the flop. One caller all in for $1500 with a Gutshot draw to beat me. The cards turn over and i am in great shape. No higher straight, no trips. Turn an Ace to give someone a set of Aces and now there is a diamond flush draw. River a low diamond. I quickly scan my opponents cards and realise my T high diamond flush is good. Nice $6300 pot there.

Hands i got gifts:

I call £80 to play with A567. Flop A49 with two hearts giving me the nut flush draw. I bet £150 and pick up one caller who is severely on tilt. Turn a J. I check. He bets £400. I may pass here alot of the time but i think if i hit i get paid. River a 2 hearts. I check. he bets £1200. I put him all in for another £1100 fully expecting him to pass. He calls with a straight.

I hold AKxx. Flop TJQ. £3000 pot by the turn. He shows K9xx and no out to even split it.

Hands i liked my play in:

I love the deception of raising in the small blind at the moment. Players put me on Aces which is exactly what i want them to think. I raise to £100 with 3456... four callers. Flop A29 rainbow. I bet £250. One caller. Turn 5. I check. Opponent bets £800. I call. River a K. I bet £1600. My opponent goes all in for £600 more. I call. He shows AAxx.

I call a raise preflop with 9TJ4. Flop 8T2 with two hearts. I check. Opponent bets £250. I call. Turn a 4. I check. He bets £750. I am pretty sure that this player is on a draw and my two pair is good. I call. The river is a 3. I check. He bets £1750. Errrgh time to close my eyes and press the call button. He shows AAKQ and my two pair is good.

I noticed that the schedule for EPT Season Two has been released. I am looking forward to a busy couple of months in September and October playing in events in Barcelona, Baden, London and Ireland.