Moving On
Effective March 1 I will no longer be making videos for PokerSavvy. I am very grateful to the site for the opportunity they gave me over a year ago, have enjoyed working with everyone here and am proud to have been part of a strong team of pros, but after serious consideration of other opportunities it is clear to me that it is time to move on. The main video series people have been asking about over the past few months is PLO Fundamentals. It has been on the shelf for a while, mostly because I have been very busy and theory videos are more work than live play videos, but I will be returning to it in my final days here. This blog announcement will be followed shortly by the release of Part 3 of that series, on PLO Combinatorics. Part 4: Equity and Part 5: Board Texture will also be released before I leave.
Together these five parts represent a tour of much of the key material in Volume 1: Theory Foundations of my book Advanced PLO Theory. There is also a free 50-page preview of Volume 1 (~270 pages total) at the bottom of my webpage, plotheory.com, which is also where you can go for further information on my book and future plans over the next few weeks. This is not the right forum to announce what I'll be doing next, but I have a few exciting projects planned for the rest of 2010.
Tom
Happy New Year
Happy New Year everyone! It's been quite a while since I've written a blog or made a video. I'm not great at posting blog entries anyway but even if I did want to give a day-to-day on my life for the past few months it'd be extremely monotonous, just grinding out writing, playing some, and doing the standard social stuff that old (almost 30!) married people do. Had some success both at PLO and mixed games in the past three months, not much volume though. Did have one fun, expensive weekend in Vegas in early December - lost money at poker, table games, sports betting (****ing Nebraska-Texas game was brutal, had Nebraska straight-up), Pure, and a few other places I can't quite remember. Did holidays with the family and now I'm heading to PCA for a couple weeks.
I've been incredibly busy trying to finish my book, Advanced PLO Theory ($2500, see plotheory.com for details). Originally I wanted to release it in September but to the dismay of all the people who have already purchased it I am still working and expect to finally be done by the end of January. I am releasing the final version of Volume 1 in the next day or two and have released three chapters from Volume 2 (all via e-book) but still have some serious work to do before the final product is done. Volume 1: Theory Foundations is ~300 pages, is very math/detail intensive, and includes a lot of raw data. It includes material on combinatorics, equity, board texture categories, expected value calculations, and game theory.
Volume 2: 6-max Strategy is ~400 pages and is intended to be a comprehensive guide to using the material in Volume 1 to construct strategies for all of the common scenarios. The meat of Volume 2 is the four-chapter sequence from 9-12, each of which covers one street. The Preflop chapter includes 100+ starting hand categories and category-by-category, position-by-position recommendations for preflop actions. Chapter 10: Flop Theory covers c-betting frequencies, floating ranges, stack-off ranges, etc. over ~20 situation classes (e.g. "heads-up, OOP as preflop raiser, SPR = 9-12") and several board texture categories introduced in Chapters 2 and 8. Chapter 11: Turn Theory includes analysis of all of the common turn scenarios structured by board texture shifts, which means that each section covers some combination of flop texture + turn card (such as "wet boards where the turn pairs"). Chapter12: River Theory covers a structured approach to analyzing all the information gathered on earlier streets along with several hand-reading and game-theory case studies.
Overall, I'm very pleased with the sales so far, especially given the delays and lack of reviews to this point. There are a few respected mid-high NLHE and PLO players who have bought it including a couple who received a slight discount in exchange for promising to write a review, so once I finally get the full product out there should be reviews on most of the major training sites. I also am planning to release a 60-70 page free preview version sometime in January which should help people on the fence get a better idea of what it is and why it might be worth the cost. Volume 3: Other PLO Variants (HU/full-ring/mtt/cap/etc.) and Volume 4: Additional Topics (HoldemManager/Transitioning from NLHE/Variance and Bankroll Management/etc) are also planned and I am looking into the possibility of working with a coauthor or two for a second edition (all four volumes + extra commentary/dialogue) to be released in June-July.
On the videofront, I am committed to making a video a week for Pokersavvy for the next two months. I plan to put out Parts 3 and 4 of the PLO Theory Fundamentals series, as well as making videos on a few different forms of PLO (Full-ring, ante games, cap games, headsup, and concluding the plo mtt series begun a couple months ago).
Could add some things about my goals for 2010 and thoughts on the Isildur spectacle (which turned me into a railbird for the first time in years) but for now I'll sign off and get back to work. Will try to make a post after the PCA - looking forward to some sun and an awesome schedule of side events.
WCOOP PLO Video Series on the way
Hey all, there's been some interest in a plo MTT video and I just recorded a session that will be made into a 3-4 part series. I went deep in both the main wcoop 3001r1a and the second chance, and got four good hours. Finished 30blechth in the main one for ~3k. I also recorded a couple hours from the 320 8 game and will do the 2100s next week for sure.
My book Advanced PLO Theory is almost done. I recently posted a detailed summary of the contents on my website (plotheory.com), with brief descriptions of each chapter - Volume 1 and 2 are about 400 pages together. I'm trying to get early orders out as soon as next week, new orders should expect end of month/beginning of october.
As soon as that is done I'll be going full speed into studying holdem manager, capgames, and hu play, in order to improve my overall PLO game and prepare for Volumes 3 and 4, which I'll be writing in November/December.
Tom
Untitled
As usual, it has been a few weeks since I posted a blog. Most of the time since I got back from WSOP has been spent working on my PLO book (Advanced PLO Theory), which will be done early September (quick plug - plotheory.com). I finally finished most of the technical work I had left, and am left with more interesting pieces of writing to do, plus some editing/cleanup. I've pre-sold a decent number of books and my schedule is near full for the next round of coaching, so I'm satisfied for now with the project.
When I've played, it's been a mix of grinding PLO and playing mid-high mixed games. I've done well in the 20/40, 30/60, and 40/80 games on Stars and Full Tilt, mostly just playing the mixes or stud 8, but some triple draw and o8 too. It's been fun to analyze hands in the games I suck at (Limit holdem and Stud High particularly) and once I get more free time I plan on trying to get better at them.
Also have played some 100/200 Stud 8 on Stars and run really good, something like +$10k in a 3-5 sessions, which pretty much made up for a brutal PLO session I played last weekend. ADZ124, who plays HSNL and has been in the HSPLO games quite a bit lately, was apeshit drunk, playing ~60/50 w/ 40% 3bet on ~10 5/10 tables. Long story short, I hope he buys something nice with my money.
I'm really excited about the WCOOP, it's easily the best series of the year and is so much better than FTOPSs for non-NLHE games. It's still a few weeks away, but I don't plan to play much poker until then, and the schedule looks great. There are $2k PLO and 8-game events, a 300r PLO, along with $500s in most of the mixed games, a handful of supersoft weekend NL events, and there's a decent chance I'll play the $10k horse. I haven't binked a big one online yet, and no reason to think I'll start now, but it'll still be fun to try.
Main Event Day 2
Day 2 was pretty irritating. I had a real good table, started well and had 135k at dinner but everything went wrong in the last four hours. I made two pretty dumb plays (once paying a guy off who I shouldn't have for like 20k over two streets and once failing to follow up on a bluff and basically handing a 40k pot to a guy who would have folded). Then I got KK outflopped for a big pot where the flop was terrible (J98ss) but I don't think I could have folded. He had T7ss. And then right when I got some momentum back and was back to 60k I lost JJ to 99 allin pre for 45k or so. So I finished with 36300.
The nice thing about the main event is that the structure is so good that I still have 30bb. It's not the 100+ I thought I was going to have, but still very playable. I'm going for my first cash in four years in this thing. I'm not sure if we'll make the money Friday - the extra starting chips might mean it takes until Day 4. Either way I need some double ups, though at least I can be patient, especially in the first level tomorrow which is one of the lightest ante % rounds (6/12/1).
Main Event Day 1
I played Day 1d at a fairly soft table with the exception of Ryan Daut, a winning online MSNL-HSNL full-ring NLHE player who also won the PCA a couple years ago. I finished with 64k chips, mostly from the same guy (two coolers - flush over flush and set over set, once where he bluffed into my KK, and then I busted him last hand of the night AQ>KJ allin pre for about 20BB). I wrote up a detailed report with a bunch of hands but decided to hold off until after the event to post it, just in case someone I play with later sees this. That probably means I'm posting it tomorrow night.
Day 2b tomorrow looks like a tough table, with three good players on my left and a EPT winner two to my right. stacks are fairly evenly balanced, with most of us in the 50k-70k range.
plotheory.com/WSOP
As some of you know, I've been working for the past few months on a PLO theory book and accompanying coaching packages. The book should be done in a month or two, and I recently set up a website with all of the info and several samples. The book and coaching is expensive - book costs $2500, hourly rate is $250-$300, and the main combo package costs $5k, but regardless of whether you can spend that much I recommend checking it out if you're interested in PLO. I've posted 15-20 pages of sample material from a few different chapters so there's plenty of free stuff to look at.
In other news, WSOP events went badly, though I have managed to win a bunch online and in live cash games while here. But despite good starts in all, I whiffed 4 10ks (8 game, plo, stud 8, and o8) and overall have 1 mincash in 12 events.
A few hands worth recounting from the 10ks:
In the 8-game I had 40k (30k starting stack) after grinding the limit games for a while and then all hell broke loose in (of course) a PLO pot where 4 people got in 3k each pre at 100/200 and I ended up losing with 8765 on 964r to 6543 for ~90k. As we rolled the hands over one kind sir told me he folded 887x preflop, but it turns out I'm still a solid favorite even with the cards dead (straight up it's 63/37, if 887 is really dead it's still upper-50s, but turn and river were different broadway cards and I was done)
In the PLO I was down to 15k in level 6 or so and called a raise w Jh9c8h7c, 4 way pot, I flop the world Tc8c5x, get it in versus JT97 no clubs, turn T which is the worst card in the deck, river Jc for the straight flush > boat. But later I get it in in an 8-way limped pot with T986 v Sammy Farha's JJ77hh on T76 - the two pair blockers/redraws makes me a very slight favorite but he made both a flush and a better boat than me on a heart turn and 6 river.
In the Stud 8 I started Day 2 with 40k and was up to 80 pretty quick but then went card dead and anted down before getting scooped by Doyle in a huge pot at 3k/6k.. I had (AhQh)8h and opened in the effective CO, he flatted behind me with a 7 and the bringin called with 2h, which was the only dead heart. Doyle caught A, 2h caught 9h and I caught 3h, Doyle bet, 2h9h called (which sucks because he really should have hearts to peel here) and I call. Fifth street Doyle cataches a 4 and I catch a 7, he bets, other guy folds which makes me feel better a little about my flush draw, and I call again.
Even though his board is bad as big as the pot is getting and with the fact that on top of the flush draw either my low draw is live or my AQ-high is good I just have too much equity to fold. 6th street he catches a 2 and I catch a 9 which is really ugly. I might be able to fold here but the pot is huge and it's still pretty likely I have tons of outs for high even if my low is as dead as it looks (his board is now 7A42 and I'm drawing to an 87). I catch a black 4 to make an 87, call again and get scooped by a 7 and a rivered pair of 2s. A few hands later Doyle finished me off, so I guess that's a good enough story to tell the kids one day. Not worth 10k though.
I play the main event on Monday (day 1d), gonna play a couple of the megas the next few days and work some on the book. I just recorded a 2 hour 2/4 PLO session which we'll make into two videos, and plan to get back to the theory series when I get home.
WSOP
Not a lot to say but I am settled in Vegas and getting ready for the grind. I got off to a decent start by mincashing the 1500 PLO today. I cruised through Day 1 yesterday, had a lot of chips early, only got allin once and that was with the nuts (although I had to fade a 15-out river) and finished with 65k which was above average.
Then today fifteen minutes in I played a huge pot against Jason Mercier (treysfull), who crushed the bubble on Day 1 to finish with a big chiplead. The hand was really standard, I had AJT7ds with nut hearts and raised, he defended the BB, I checked behind a Tc5c4h flop planning to raise a lot of turns (any that improved me + was going to bluff clubs). And the turn was my nut card, the Jh. He bet, I raised, we got it in and I lost to his 555. I haven't followed it since I busted but I wouldn't be surprised to see him win, he's a good spewy LAG which is pretty much ideal against this field.
I'm playing the 10k mixed next (Thursday), which is the event I am most looking forward to. Total I'll play ~15, ~5 nlhe, 3 plo, and the rest different mixed games. I will try to post blogs once a week but don't be surprised if I forget.
Tom
Update
Clearly I'm really bad at making blog posts. I just never think about it. I have two new plo videos coming out in the next week or so, one is a hu match with SirWatts, the other is the introductory video in a PLO theory series that I'll be making over the next few months.
I've been grinding some PLO and playing a few SCOOPs, but mostly working on a lot coaching and writing lately. I'm putting together a PLO theory book which I'll release in a couple months. It'll be rather expensive and targeted toward good small-midstakes players looking to move up and MSNL+ players who are interested in moving to PLO. A lot of the value comes from some work I've done on structural details that I haven't really seen anywhere, stuff that will be useful even to really good players. I'll release a 15-20 page sample and more details at the end of April.
I had interesting preflop spot the other day, which doesn't happen too often in PLO.
PokerStars Game #26701545060: Omaha Pot Limit ($3/$6) - 2009/04/03 23:46:54 CT [2009/04/04 0:46:54 ET]
Table 'Galatea VIII' 6-max Seat #6 is the button
Seat 1: Hero($1449.30 in chips)
Seat 2: BB ($167.20 in chips)
Seat 3: UTG ($1812.55 in chips)
Seat 6: BN ($1255.85 in chips)
Hero: posts small blind $3
BB: posts big blind $6
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Hero [Ad Td Qc Js]
UTG: calls $6
BN: raises $21 to $27
Hero: calls $24
BB: raises $87 to $114
UTG: folds
BN: raises $261 to $375
So BN is a good LAG, like 35/25 preflop and a bit crazy postflop, plus he may be tilting this night. The shortstack is shoving lots of random crap so he's not really important other than helping build the pot and creating this awesome spot. My first decision to flat instead of reraising could go either way, but flatting when OOP 200bb deep is certainly fine; if doublesuited i'd probably threebet more than flat but singlesuited I'm gonna have a few more dry one pair type flops that are ugly to play with <10% of stack in preflop against a hyper-aggro player OOP. So I flat.
But then the shortstack shoves and BN isolates, which I expect him to do with a ton of his range, so I cant possibly fold and I'm left to decide between shoving now or coldcalling and shoving a lot of flops (basically any flop I hit at all). Either one is some serious gambool, but there's overlay so I really have no choice - the question is whether having a slight equity edge pre-flop is worth trading the value of seeing the flop and knowing if I completely whiffed. But even when I whiff, having set myself up to checkfold in that big of a pot with likely some solid backdoors is kinda gross even if it's right. The side pot is somewhat protected because of the main pot, but if he shoves any piece I could easily make an incorrect check-fold on flops like 8d7s2c. In the actual hand I flatted and shoved when I flopped a pair+OE (J9x I think it was) but I'm still not sure if I like that better than shoving pre.
Finally getting some hands in
The few first weeks of '09 I didn't play as much as I normally do. I took a short break after getting back from PCA, and also spent a lot of time designing my PLO coaching program and getting into the routine of working with my new students. I spend most of the daytime on weekdays coaching, and for a while was finding it hard to put in hours playing. Seeing the new Pokerstars vip info, including that supernova elite status can be maintained through September, got me motivated again. I need another 20k hands or so this month to reach the monthly quota, and it'd be so dumb to grind hard to get elite last year and then lose it in two months. I'm back in a rhythm now and should at least comfortably do 50k hands/month for the next few months. I hope to also get some substantial nlhe and mixed game hands in - originally my '09 goal was 1 million hands, including 600k plo and 400k other. That's looking very unlikely now, and I doubt I'll have time to go for elite again, but I still plan to grind a lot.
As Andrew's post said, Stars recently announced the SCOOP schedule. It looks awesome and will be a nice change of pace in a few weeks. I plan to play several of the mid events and a handful of the big ones. I'm a pretty big br nit and I'll definitely sell some action for the big ones, but I also like to keep a decent piece of myself if I'm going to bother playing something so I'll have to weigh how good/large the fields look before I decide how much $ I want to risk. $2k stud 8 and so on would be awesome but if it's a tiny, tough field might as well just wait for WSOP.