Drunken Poker

After the fine weekend I've had I spent Sunday evening in the pub quaffing cider and generally having a good time. We returned home at about 10pm and I decided that I really wanted to play for a bit despite the negative effects which alcohol will undoubtably have on my game. I wouldn't do this at NL holdem because it's far more likely that I'll do something stupid and lose a huge pot.

I seem to be less prone to this at omaha, probably because it is quite easy to lay down none-nut hands. Also omaha is more fun to play, pots are bigger and it is easy to either double up or get stacked at any time. Played a solid session and was still level after 30 minutes only because of a suck out in a pot which would have put me $1200 up!

I ended up ending my session all in pre flop with 889T double suited in a five way all in (I felt like gambling) and turned $333 into $1200 as I rivered the nut straight. I wouldn't normally get involved in abig flop with this hand but I was going to bed and decided to go for it - not exactly optimum stategy but the hand winning feels damn good.

Although I'm winning my understanding of the game still has a long long way to go and I've invested in a couple of omaha books to see what tips on strategy I can pick up, I don't think there will be that much but some confirmation of odds, win percentages and things will be very helpful. I've always learnt most through playing as you define your own strategy and create a way of playing which you are comfortable with. That said it is extremely useful to get an insight into how others may play and the reasons behind them and then the trick is to adjust my game accordingly.

I feel really positive at the moment and am enjoying this new challenge a lot, I had felt like my NL game had become uninspired and I wasn't enjoying it as much as I usually do. If i concentrate on omaha for a bit hopefuly that will also fuel my desire to play holdem more and worry less about losses when they happen. I also think my decision to go back to cashing out every week regardless of results is a good one as I seem to focus better with a smaller bankroll and it also means that if i do take a series of beat I can drop stakes happy in the knowledge that I'm £xxxx up and have already cashed.



Steve