Time off

I had taken a couple days off away from the virtual felt. The pain of losing a hand to Q 9 off on Sunday where the guy called 2 bets preflop left a bad taste in my mouth. With appointments on Monday and Tuesday, being away had to help.

I jumped back to the 5/10 game on Absolute. Pretty fishy, though the game may be too loose for my taste (see Q 9 off). Patience pays off here. Play your best hands hard and you will get paid. Chasing rarely pays off. In just under half an hour, I walked away up 3 bb. Would have played longer but it froze up on me.

The Omaha game is still fun. I waffle between chasing and reading my opponents. For example, last night I had two pair and folded to the turn bet. I knew one of the guys was chasing a low. But I felt my two pair wasn't going to hold up. Of course I would have filled up on the river, which also gave the flush. Sure enough, one guy had a bad low, while the other was chasing the flush. Later, I would make a call where I had the second nut low. Should have known better.

I would also be curious to know if other players view me as the fish at the table. My play probably looks erratic to most seasoned players.

Overall, I have been losing playing Omaha 8, but it isn't much. I am not concerned about that though. I am still in learning mode and do not expect to be walking over a table. There are times I make some great reads and lay down a hand. Other times I get very impatient and play hands I shouldn't. But I am still enjoying the game. Just need to find my groove and truly settle in.

Still need to get some good reading as well. Won some points on Full Tilt for participating in their WSOP fantasy poker game. I was disappointed that the books they offered didn't include an Omaha strategy book. Do any sites offer an Omaha book in their rewards program? Same thing over at PokerShare. I had a bunch of points there from earlier in the year to use (or lose) in their rewards program and couldn't find an Omaha strategy book there either. I had to settle for One of a Kind and Barry Greenstein's book. Yeah, poor me, I know.

As for Full Tilt, I don't know whether to get Phil Gordon's Little Blue Book or wait until I amass more points for something else. Phil's little Green Book has been very informative and entertaining. Just like the DVD. If you don't own any of them, you are missing out on some good reading/viewing.