blonde poker forum

Long time lurker, occasional RSQ participant. With a hatred of 2+2 and the slow death of The Hendon Mob forum I'm left with just APAT. And just one forum isn't enough. Everyone says 'sign up and post' to the guests - point taken :)

Please feel to ask me any reasonable (and some unreasonable) questions, this is my third attempt at a blog, but never knowing whether anyone even gives the slightest shit makes me forget about it. Interactivity makes it fun! Hopefully get to know some new people to challenge me and spur me to up my game, be it in life or poker.

Me:

I'm Dave Howard (http://blondepoker.com/forum/index.php?topic=63250.0). The UK poker world is relatively small, so I guess I may have rubbed shoulders with a few of you - especially via The Hendon Mob and APAT. Originally from Essex, but moved to Southampton for university (Economics) in 2003 and been there ever since. Love learning new things, quizzes, especially Pointless and RSQs which is what first brought me here (thanks John Murray).

Poker:

Self-appointed poker hero naturally - hamstrung by life busto and lack of volume. On a serious note, I tried the full time route one time and just did not enjoy it, so happily recreational though I do still have the belief and ambition that I can achieve more than I have done. I've cleared around £20k profit lifetime from MTTs live and online so poker's been good to me - biggest bink of £7.6k at Brighton's 25/25 in December - really hope I have some bigger binks in me sometime! Had a couple of shots online, three at the WSOP and a couple of EPT sides, none to fruition. Boooo.

Life and job busto has caused a few problems, what was a healthy roll has been decimated and I'm starting from below scratch again. I do believe that online NLHE cash is fast approaching unbeatable for rec players out there as it's moving so quickly - I came across some old HHs from 2008 where I had a few shots at $2/$4; man, the gifts I was getting - you wouldn't see it at 0.25/0.50 these day. Anyway, enjoyment is key for me, and that is linked to non-NLHE games (also feel my relative edge is biggest here) - though of course that pretty much rules out live poker and split-pot cash games online. Left with the feeble non-NLHE tournament schedule on Stars, PLO cash online and some live MTTs.

I'll probably do all three, though the title of the blog gives a clue as to where I think I should go. So the bulk of this should hopefully be me playing PLO, posting some hands etc. I'm confident in my base PLO game (certainly in tournaments), but feel I need to work on some of the maths/statistics nuances within. My maths/stats/mental arithmetic ability is ridic good and something I can apply at the tables to a greater extent than most people - just not fully clued up with the PLO side of it and lack deep PLO experience.

Anyone in a similar position, or looking for a PLO/mixed games sounding board, I'd be more than happy to share learning experiences.

Aim: Get to Vegas and play a WSOP event. Be able to have a dedicated poker bankroll again by the end of 2014 (suspect I'll need £5-6k profit this year to make that). Actually play something decent at DTD. Improve my PLO game.

Non-Poker

I love sport. Have dabbled in karate, cricket, rugby, darts, golf, pool and football, also coaching the latter until I screwed up my ankle (lateral collateral ligament, I think) one time too many. Now it's more watching and the occasional sports/fantasy bets over playing - though that'll be another part of the blog as I try and get into better shape before I turn 30. I hate photos of myself, but hoping to go to Vegas for the WSOP this summer with one of my best mates and want some pictorial references to (hopefully) good times! Also been inspired by another good friend of mine, Dwayne Stacey, who's training for the London Marathon - he was pretty much the same build and size as me before he started training.

Just started getting a better diet in - going toward the Paleo route thanks to a previous personal trainer who was awesome and from whom I learnt a lot. Going to combine it with a tilt at the Couch to 5k training plan. I haven't done any running since being forced to do cross country at school. It might be tough as my ankle issues mean I can barely do 9-12 holes of golf without serious pain - but won't know unless I try. Hopefully things get better with less baggage to haul around!

Aim: To reach 16st prior to a planned Vegas jaunt in June. By that time I'm hoping to be able to have run at least two 5k's.

Here's to good luck, for me and you all. Happy hunting.

good luck

glgl get the lot.

I have to say NLHE is no where near dead!

Gl with getting it going playing PLO I have to reccomend you starting with 50/50 sngs and the $8r $3kgtd 6max PLO @ 23:45 ish is not to be missed!

Also stud8 is a fun game to play, I hope to see some 8 game hh's cus there's so much more than just Holdem and Omaha to play!

gl Dave will read with interest

BOL with it all man :)

Only online cash for NLHE at levels where you can make some reasonable money (qualifier: for rec players). So much information out there, GTO, hardcore grinders - it's a tough game and kudos to anyone who makes a living from it - so tough to catch up and keep up. I wish I did enjoy it or could stomach it, and have the utmost respect for people who get serious volume in. Can grind online MTTs if you're decent, and live is still really soft - all imho ofc!

I definitely embrace 8 game, however barely competent at 2-7. I really enjoy Stud 8 (one of my biggest live wins was in that in LV) and other limit games, so there'll be a few of those for sure.

I'm going to play the APAT WCOAP Festival @ Aspers, Stratford in April - the huge draw for me being the schedule of Stud/Razz/HORSE/PLO8 etc. There'll only be a few tables, and 'only' £50 BI - but screw that for the chance to play a live comp in the UK in these games!

Welcome to Blonde and good luck with the games

good to see that the RSQs have tempted you here and I know that you've already entered the current one set by yours truly.
Perhaps other readers will be inspired to join you

http://blondepoker.com/forum/index.php?topic=63225.0

Thanks for the positive vibes all. Inspired me to play a short session. Ran hilariously brutally and busted 4 MTTs in 20 minutes. Had (very) late regged two of those so was relatively short, but still. This blog won't be full of bad beat posts unless I give them or they're uber disgusting, so I'll post the one vaguely interesting hand from the $27 PLO.

My general opinion of the average standard is that it's pretty poor, so I don't like my PFR from EP especially without a suited Ace. Flop and turn seem standard. River's probably a chk/fold, especially if I have time to OPR main villain.

Now feels like a really narrow opponent range where a b/f is right - felt right at the time. So, so rusty.

PokerStars Hand #111750915108: Tournament #862396553, $25.00+$2.50 USD Omaha Pot Limit - Level I (10/20) - 2014/02/13 12:05:11 WET [2014/02/13 7:05:11 ET]
Table '862396553 4' 9-max Seat #1 is the button
Seat 1: j240585 (3000 in chips)
Seat 2: Dimon001 (3000 in chips)
Seat 4: Luckyaces421 (3000 in chips)
Seat 5: Danijelinho (3000 in chips)
Seat 6: dwh103 (3000 in chips)
Seat 7: brooks90 (3000 in chips)
Seat 8: niclas237 (3000 in chips)
Seat 9: frankmatos8 (3000 in chips)
Dimon001: posts small blind 10
Luckyaces421: posts big blind 20
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to dwh103 [Kc Kh 3h Ad]
Danijelinho: calls 20
dwh103: raises 70 to 90
brooks90: folds
niclas237: folds
frankmatos8: calls 90
j240585: folds
Dimon001: folds
Luckyaces421: calls 70
Danijelinho: calls 70
*** FLOP *** [3s 7s Ks]
Luckyaces421: checks
Danijelinho: checks
dwh103: checks
frankmatos8: bets 180
Luckyaces421: calls 180
Danijelinho: folds
dwh103: calls 180
*** TURN *** [3s 7s Ks] [Ts]
Luckyaces421: checks
dwh103: checks
frankmatos8: checks
*** RIVER *** [3s 7s Ks Ts] [6c]
Luckyaces421: checks
dwh103: bets 260
frankmatos8: calls 260
Luckyaces421: calls 260
*** SHOW DOWN ***
dwh103: shows [Kc Kh 3h Ad] (three of a kind, Kings)
frankmatos8: shows [9s 7d 2d Js] (a flush, King high)
Luckyaces421: mucks hand
frankmatos8 collected 1690 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 1690 | Rake 0
Board [3s 7s Ks Ts 6c]
Seat 1: j240585 (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 2: Dimon001 (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 4: Luckyaces421 (big blind) mucked [4h Kd 7c Ah]
Seat 5: Danijelinho folded on the Flop
Seat 6: dwh103 showed [Kc Kh 3h Ad] and lost with three of a kind, Kings
Seat 7: brooks90 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 8: niclas237 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 9: frankmatos8 showed [9s 7d 2d Js] and won (1690) with a flush, King high

Ty David :)

Hello David

Regards to your Mum, live update railer of repute for many years I seem to recall!

Haha, I'll pass it on Tighty - she misses you on the APAT updates!

lol, I miss them too. Fun times, updates as they should be

Rich, wherever you go there are updates as they should be

I look forwards to reading this. My pick for prose from a poshboy2

With regards to crunching plo numbers, make sure lil dave reads the thread and I'm sure  he'll have plenty to give :-)

Is there no value in Zoom/Rush NLHE cash still? Pretty sure there will be at the the lower levels 25c/50c and below???

What games are you planning to play at WCOAP?

Thanks, did you see I'm from Essex? ;)

Can't claim poshness, the dressing gown I'm still in isn't monogrammed.

Glad to see a decent PLO diary, just recently got into the game lately & I find it really hard to fold pre-flop, I would play most hands if not £000's pre, in fact I only folded one hand in 3 hours when playing at Genting the other week! Looking foward to the updates and PLO hands!

Ah for sure, I expect there's still value at those stakes and below.

I guess what I'm getting at is that I don't really see a route for me to be successful at online NLHE cash and getting to the level I'd want to be, whereas I can see a route in PLO. Combine that with the greater complexity in PLO I think there's more of an opportunity long term.

As for the WCOAP, am in for the Stud, Mixed, Antes Only, Shootout, Razz, Main, PLO8 and Heads Up. May sack one or two off as got the full 6 days in an apartment so would be nice to do something other than sit in a cardroom for the entire time. Depends how well it's going and whether I pick up any early traction for Player of the Year - with Warren binking the cash in Stoke I'm more than a main event behind him so pretty unlikely.

Hey! No promises!

At low stakes PLO comps, just having good pre-flop hand selection is enough to put you massively ahead of the curve. It can be frustrating playing 10/2 when everyone else around the table is at 70/0 (not uncommon) but you'll pick up loads of value from having dominating draws and redraws, let alone just flopping the nuts and getting it all from 2p.

But if you do play most hands pre...which Genting are you at? ;)

Ha - I go to Genting Sheffield, but a PLO game only gets started on a very rare occasion.

I got it in with the bare nuts on a 5-6-7 board a few weeks ago, with no re-draw and chopped it, didn't have any idea about re-draws, just knew I had the nuts, so bad :D

I guess it depends how deep you are but in most games getting it in with the nuts can't be that bad can it? Especially live or in 100BB deep online PLO games?

Your equity with the bare straight can drop off a cliff even against mediocre holdings, as an example:

• T987 vs 9832 on 765r is around 61% favourite - that's just a straight redraw with one backdoor flush.
• Same flop, add in AK77 and 9832 now has just 23.5% equity with the nuts in a 3 way pot. Put a flush draw out there too and it's 15%.

The more competent the opponents, the worse shape you'll be in - nut straight on a flushing board is pretty much worthless on the flop if deep or playing 5+PLO.

Can obviously mitigate this by playing the right starting hands, so even if you don't have a big redraw you can at least add a couple of boat outs, or blockers etc which all go toward swinging a few % back your way.

We all know the score. A return to the game fueled by anticipation and hope - only to be rudely awoken by running as well as Stephen Hawking.

Weekend's are a bit of an issue too. Am such a mahoosive sports fan I end up doing nothing outside sport watching. Shouldn't have bothered as the Fury and Chisora fights were f awful - and I knew Johnson wouldn't come to fight.

Still, better get back on the saddle, trying to amuse myself by sitting on four simultaneous trains to bustville in the MTOPS Stud 8 - trying to find Freeroll City but keep getting diverted. FML.

As on apat good luck with this Dave

awesome, I'll look forward to seeing some hands!!! I love talking about PLO it makes me very happy

you just in tournaments or cash games as well?

In that hand with the KK I think the river is a pretty clear chk/back - I know you wanna nick a couple of quid of 777 and if it was HU i'd be right behind a value bet but when 2 players call the flop it's just so so likely one has a flush (speshly when we consider we have 3/4 of the kings accounted for) even with the 4th spade hitting the turn I still think it's unlikely that a 9 or J high flush would Value bet itself and the way the hand has played no-one is folding any flush.

GL mate, will be following :)

this.

Thanks Chris, think a blog here will have a bit more traction than on APAT :)

Thanks Lil Dave :)

My main grounding is in tournaments, mainly PLO and PLO8 (makes me even more moist than PLO), but the Stud games too. Even enjoy the limit variety. However I dislike uber long online sessions so (to fit better with a job I'll hopefully have shortly) I'll probably switch to shorter, sharper bursts of cash alongside the odd tournie schedule.

Ty for the PHA, pretty much agreed with that somewhere in the depths of my mind when I was playing the hand. I'll try and find suitably interesting spots :)

A pretty busy few days.

I'd finished a short project as an Analyst on a strategy project at my last place of work in December. Applied for three jobs internally before I left. For job A the senior management of the department AND HR wanted me to go for it - didn't even get to a first interview. Job B I had the backing of one of the extended board, that didn't help me either, though I did at least get an interview out of that one. Job C was the one I wanted, and was successful - happy days after two years out of permanent employment. Unfortunately for me the job was in the green energy sector, and with ridiculous party politics in play the goalposts have been moved and the job disappeared after a review, leaving me high and dry.

Anywho, met my ex-manager and some of the PAs for lunch (not many people better to be friendly with than a PA!) and have managed to wangle some temp work. Which means...

Vegas (and Florida) is go this year! WSOP, NASCAR and DisneyWorld await, and I can get to wear my cowboy hat.

Should be good for my online volume too - always find I enjoy poker a lot more when I have a job.

Spent Saturday playing board games inappropriately, and played a few comps on Sunday. Managed 47/723 for $73.74 in the $33 Omania to not quite cover my small session. Not too much interesting, but will find a hand or two to post.

Nope, there really isn't anything particularly interesting. But let's try.

***** Hand History for Game 1111111111 ***** (Poker Stars)
Tourney Hand PL Omaha - Sunday, February 23, 02:47:15 ET 2014
Table 866162772 16 (Real Money)
Seat 1 is the button
Seat 1: Hero ( 2850 ) - VPIP: 29, PFR: 15, 3B: 6, AF: 2.3, Hands: 6665
Seat 2: Player2 ( 3350 ) - VPIP: 24, PFR: 12, 3B: 0, AF: 2.3, Hands: 34
Seat 3: Player3 ( 5410 ) - VPIP: 61, PFR: 26, 3B: 0, AF: 3.4, Hands: 38
Seat 4: Player4 ( 9990 ) - VPIP: 21, PFR: 15, 3B: 6, AF: 2.5, Hands: 34
Seat 5: Player5 ( 3000 ) - VPIP: 9, PFR: 4, 3B: 0, AF: 0.0, Hands: 23
Seat 6: Player6 ( 2410 ) - VPIP: 20, PFR: 0, 3B: 0, AF: 1.0, Hands: 30
Seat 7: Player7 ( 13380 ) - VPIP: 70, PFR: 0, 3B: 0, AF: 0.5, Hands: 33
Seat 8: Player8 ( 2820 ) - VPIP: 12, PFR: 0, 3B: 0, AF: 0.0, Hands: 34
Seat 9: Player9 ( 205 ) - VPIP: 29, PFR: 18, 3B: 0, AF: 2.0, Hands: 17
Player2 posts small blind [30].
Player3 posts big blind [60].
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to Hero [  Tc Qh Jd 7c ]
Player4 raises [210]
Player5 folds
Player6 folds
Player7 calls [210]
Player8 folds
Player9 calls [205]
Hero calls [210]
Player2 folds
Player3 folds
** Dealing Flop ** [ 6d, 4d, Qs ]
Player4 checks
Player7 checks
Hero...?

I 'm of the view that people play far too wide early, and far too tight late in PLO MTTs. To counter I play position, nutty hands with discipline - so you won't find me in pots with AJ95as or KK72r out of position. I do however, sometimes feel I'm not playing enough hands and can get tempted with very marginal hands on the button.

There are worse hands to call with than the above, but some questions:

 - Does the dry side pot help us in position here? Given that most will be reticent to bet mediocre hands and we can take free cards fairly often, either on flop or possibly to engineer a free card on the turn. Or are we just in a situation where we're not in good shape against a Player 9 who'll see all five, and with possibly nothing to win against the poor players in the pot?
 - It feels this hand is a tiny bit too weak to call here, but at what point does a similar hand become playable? QJT8 with a higher flush draw? Double suited?
 - Can we ever stab flop small to pot control (or possibly rep) turn in the event of improving, plus the outside chance to get heads up with good equity? This is the only occasion we've seen where Player 4 hasn't c-bet.
 - Further to being nitty, my general approach is along the lines of: "I had a plan pre-flop for the conditions under which I'd continue on the flop" - which this flop doesn't meet. Is check/give up in position here ever massively wrong - and does that then mean I should fold pre?

I'm pretty much always checking back here.

We will get check raised sometimes and only called by hands that are beating us or have very good equity against us. I think it's better to check back and take off a turn.

Yeah, I do agree (and did check back which is my standard) - just fired a probing bet when checked to on a 9s turn, which is pretty bad - worse than flop imo - and definitely not my standard approach.

Like I said, was a dull session in terms of interesting hands - perhaps trying to find strategy where there isn't any! But then again, if I get challenged on something that's a sure thing, that'll be the best advice I ever get :)

yeh +1greeky.

in fact folding PF might be better in a tourney

I promised I wouldn't moan, but the reason I have posted in 2 weeks is that it's been nothing bar moanworthy.

Definitely no bad beats though.

Diet going averagely. Could certainly be better but also be a lot worse. Have lost between 1-8lbs (uncertainly due to my scales 7lb margin of error). Not started the whole running bit yet, think I'm going to have to to see some results - but at least I've started measuring/tracking progress. I get there in the end.

Phone interview today. Went averagely, hope it's good enough to get me through to the next stage where I should excel.

Poker. Well I got some backing into Fri/Sat/Sun of the Stars.fr PLO series. Played the Low/Med 6max bounty, the High/Med/Low heads up tournament and the Med/Low 6max main event. Less said about performances and run bad, the better.

Anyway, in the Medium €30 Heads Up, playing the same guy in the €100.

Previous hands of note, both times eff stacks >100BB:

Hand 20:
Hero 3x, Villain calls 3x with Ks Qc Qd 5c
Villain check-calls half pot flop/turn and checks river on Kc 6c 6h 9d Jd.
Is good against my ATT2

Hand 25:
Hero limps, Villain 3x with Kh Ts 9h 6h.
Hero calls
Villain leads 2/3 pot flop 9s 2h 8c
Hero calls
Turn 9s 2h 8c 8h
Villain 400
Hero 1050
Villain all-in for 2.5k effective
Hero AK22

***** Hand History for Game 1111111111 ***** (Poker Stars)
Tourney Hand PL Omaha - Saturday, March 08, 03:39:53 ET 2014
Table 865994559 48 (Real Money)
Seat 2 is the button
Seat 1: Hero ( 6470 ) - VPIP: 60, PFR: 23, 3B: 14, AF: 2.4, Hands: 89
Seat 2: Player2 ( 3530 ) - VPIP: 80, PFR: 66, 3B: 8, AF: 4.8, Hands: 89
Player2 posts small blind [50].
Hero posts big blind [100].
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to Hero [    Ahrt  Aspades Qs 9c ]
Player2 raises [150]
Hero raises [500]
Player2 calls [400]
** Dealing Flop ** [ Js, Ks, Th ]
Hero bets [600]
Player2 calls [600]
** Dealing Turn ** [ Kh ]
Hero ??

I have 66% turn bet (3 hands) when bet flop and been called. One of those was the ATT2 airball above, and the other I bet/folded when river paired on flushing board. The only one I checked was with AQTx on KJ5dd when turn was Jack of diamonds.

raise AK22 rather than limp it imo

I'd prefer to raise my SB heads up as a default, but this particular opponent was at least peeling >90% of opens, and having the lead really didn't seem to matter. Didn't see the point of inflating the pot with little fold equity with a hand that's going to flop pretty bad the majority of the time.

A non-poker post in the main. I've barely played the last few weeks - I started full of hope and anticipation when I begun the blog, but quite frankly I've run like shit and I just don't have the desire to play. Get's pretty dull when you're playing bad and running worse.

One of my best friends who has played poker as long as I've known him (a good 8 years or so) is on the brink of giving up the game. We're both hitting the APAT WCOAP in a fortnight, and I've literally just got off the phone to Virgin to book my WSOP trip. I'm hoping the trip with another really close friend of mine will rekindle my love for poker.

To be honest, what isn't helping is my personal situation regarding employment. I'm on a 6 year streak of job run bad and it's just f depressing. Shit bosses, promises of development and promotions broken with added getting-strung-along, getting an awesome job only for the government to move the goalposts and the offer to disappear, turning up to job interviews only to discover that the company hasn't got a clue what they want to hire - which is no good when it isn't the job and specialism they've put on the job description. That particular occurrence has happened twice this year already.

And today, fuming.

Had a phone interview. It went alright, the manager went through the key aspects of the job and what they do on a day to day basis. It's a financial services based job, and whilst I have some good varied experience, backed up by recent analyst positions and good academics - I hadn't worked in that particular area before. I didn't even need to point that out on the phone, they already knew and it wasn't even a core requirement, just a desirable (and I ticked the other two desirable boxes as well as all the core).

Wasn't particularly happy with my performance, but got a second interview up in London. Was informed on the phone there would be a presentation to bring along, then a competency based interview (CBI - the type that's filled with "Give me an example when you managed conflict/faced a challenge/failed/etc"). That was changed a week later to an on the day data analysis exercise, followed by the CBI. Still fine - prepared hard for the inevitable probing into my work background.

What eventually happened was two exericses to be done in an hour followed by a chat about my approach and what conclusions I'd drawn. After the hour is up they then tell me they want my paperwork, which is covered in scrawls because I was planning a verbal presentation. Bearable, what I'd scribbled was legible, well sourced and very thorough. What wasn't was the critique of my conclusions about a dataset - effectively I was asked how a certain product worked. One of the few product types I've never worked with, a product type not on their own website, and by questions the answers to which are not researchable, as you need to have professional experience about the product type in question so example data isn't publicly available.

And there was no CBI at all, got pretty much shooed out of the building as 'another interview was due' - I could barely get a question about when I'd get feedback in. So it seems what they actually wanted was a product specialist, so they've asked someone who's not a product specialist to give up a days pay and then incur the expense of travel to London, when they already know that person is not a product specialist - and they've intimated that not being a product specialist doesn't actually matter.

A friend says I'm better off out, but the sad thing is that in my situation, if the unthinkable happens and I get a job offer, I basically have to accept.

I am just so sick and fed up of all the bullshit. I'm a bright guy (if I do say so myself), work f hard, got great references and I'd have awesome academics (I still have very good qualifications) if it wasn't for ill health - but it seems like none of that matters unless you know the right people.