To the virtual felt

I just finished my best PLO8 session. Ended up two buy ins. But it wasn't the money that made it so good. Sure that is part of it, but when all was said and done, I was very happy with the way I played. And I had fun doing so.

It was like the perfect storm. A little patience, a little luck, and the right cards that would have me felting a guy twice a couple hands apart.

I really enjoy playing PLO8. It keeps you thinking. I have been playing the 6 handed tables as of late as it helps me focus on my opponents. Today I really was in the zone. I noticed the tendencies of the other players. I noticed how one guy only would raise UTG and he usually had nothing. I knew another would only bet with the nuts or the nut draw. Another guy wanted to play any four cards acting like it was a bingo game. And for once, I was able to sit back, be patient and let it unfold.

It is the bingo players that can tilt me. I see them play these crappy hands and I begin to lose my discipline. My patience wears thin and I am no longer waiting for quality hands. I want to press any cards, call bets thinking I can hit the low or my gutter card, yelling at the monitor 2! 2! 2! thinking it will come. I did none of that today. I folded when I had nothing, I made some good bets, some good laydowns, and stole some orphan pots.

Of course it helps to get lucky too. I define luck here as not just getting the cards but getting the opportunity to get an opponent to pay you off. That may be the frustrating part of PLO8 to me. I don't recall any monster hands getting paid off. Until today. I got paid off twice and two nice sized pots were slid my way. Once with A A 3 x where I flopped a set. Board was A K 2. Rag on the turn and another deuce on the river gave me the nuts. My opponent called each of my pot sized bets. He held K K x x. Couple hands later I would be on the other side of the betting pattern. I called his raise from the BB with A 2 9 K, with 2 diamonds. Flopped the nut low and check called his pot size bet. Turn gave me a second diamond and this time I decided to bet into him. He called and we saw the third diamond hit the river. Perfect. Little chance he is expecting be up against a flush. I bet pot and he calls after some thought. I leave with my chip stack three times the size as when I started just over 90 minutes ago.

Now that was fun.