Hella Hold'em

Full Tilt Poker is being very nice to me! I just played for another couple hours - 330 hands or so - double-tabling at $.50/1.00 limit, and finished the session up +60BB. Yup. I'm up $86 between last night and tonight - almost doubled my $100 deposit. Managed to clear a total of almost $6 of my bonus LOL! Good thing they give ya a few months to do it. I'm gonna have to octo-table it to clear this thing!

So I'm tickled pink over at FTP. Like I said last night, I like the sound effects much better than Party or PS. They are almost soothing. And with no tools for heads-up display of opponents' statistics, I find that I have no trouble staying focused on the game, as I'm busy observing each hand and taking notes.

Between last night and tonight, I've had about a 25% VP$IP, but only a 10%-ish went-to-showdown percentage (and a won-$-at-showdown of 75% or so). I've been trying to play some more of the drawing hands against the soft tables when there are a handful of people in the pot, particularly when I'm in late position. I've been playing as low as 67 suited, as well as some of the Ax suited (9 or higher), and am having some great luck. I'll play some of these marginal hands for a cheap flop, and if I don't hit, I get out. So I'm seeing more flops, but when I hit, I'm taking down very nice pots. I think that might explain my higher-than-usual VP$IP but low WtSD%. The tough part is with those baby Aces, when an Ace comes on the flop. I'm definitely in the mindset to proceed with caution with those baby kickers, and laid down a couple that ended up being good laydowns.

It can be tricky to play those marginal hands, but I'm trying to be very cognizant of each move I make when playing those hands. It has been a +EV experience for me thus far. When I get in a jam and am unsure of what to do, if I have no data on my opponent, I'll let pot odds dictate my actions. The math is a great fallback.

Speaking of math - I'm really enjoying Dan Harrington's book. He not only gives you the basics of calculating pot odds, but takes it a step further. He has a sort of formula for giving weight to all different factors of a decision and coming to a mathematical conclusion that is not just statistically based but also rooted in your observations and previous knowledge of your opponent. He lays it all out in plain English, and then repeats the train of thought over and over in various examples. He doesn't just cover it once and move on. The book really is a text on developing a strategy and mindset and way of thinking in a no limit hold'em tournament. I'm almost half way through the book and will probably read it again immediately upon completion. Lots of good stuff.

And as dry as he seems in person, he really is a funny guy (at least from my sense of humor!)

Alrighty... time to go make some dinner. Good cards, everybody!