Orion

Testing Chips theory

I remember an interview with the late Chip Reese where he described two of the biggest leaks that he sees in amateur players. Those are:
- banking a win when you're running good and;
- playing too long when you're stuck and trying to get even.

According to Chip, it should be the other way around. When you're stuck, just accept a loss and come back tomorrow. You should also consider the real possibility that you don't have the edge at this particular table that you think you have, and may in fact be the spot.

On the flip-side, is banking a win too early. He mentioned that when you're running good and you have a table with plenty of soft spots, you should stay however long it takes for the table to eventually break. These occasions can be rare and should be milked for every dollar possible.

The other night I was playing Omaha and i had two maniacs playing deep and donating to the table. After winning a few buyins and some hours later, it appeared they were going nowhere. Yet the clock approached midnight and i had to work the next day. As i reluctantly closed down the table (to the joy of the many waiting for a seat) i think i almost heard Chip's sigh.

The long term vision, or perhaps the tiny spot of light at the end of the tunnel - is being able to make a living from this hobby. I'm well aware that "its hard way to make an easy living" and it can be mental torture at times, but i do feel with each year I get more balanced and immune to the fluctuations.

And on that day, I'll be staying at a sweet, sweet table until it eventually breaks.




FG

Value betting not for value

But betting the river to not give away free information. I'm confident my opponent has a missed draw on the river. I don't expect my river bet to get called, but I'm betting to keep my image intact.

Just a little change to my game. Value betting the river has always been a weakness but this give any reason to fire out a bet.




Poker Stars $0.10/$0.25 No Limit Hold'em $0.05 Ante - 8 players

The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter



MP1: $69.45

MP2: $68.05

CO: $62.50

BTN: $56.80

SB: $130.85

Hero (BB): $142.35

UTG: $39.60

UTG+1: $44.75



Pre Flop: ($0.75) Hero is BB with 3 K

UTG calls $0.25, 1 fold, MP1 calls $0.25, 4 folds, Hero checks



Flop: ($1.25) 6 8 K (3 players)

Hero checks, UTG checks, MP1 checks



Turn: ($1.25) 9 (3 players)

Hero bets $1, UTG calls $1, MP1 folds



River: ($3.25) 2 (2 players)

Hero bets $1.50, UTG folds



Final Pot: $3.25

Hero mucks 3 K

Hero wins $3.10

(Rake: $0.15)

The Hurt Locker

I finally got around to watching The Hurt Locker over the weekend. I'm not Army savvy by any means, but nearly all the scenes (while entertaining) seemed just ridiculous in the extreme. I have to agree with the film almost being a parody.

The movie was criticized by some Iraq veterans and embedded reporters for inaccurately portraying wartime conditions.[31] Writing for The Huffington Post, Iraq veteran Kate Hoit said that The Hurt Locker is "Hollywood's version of the Iraq war and of the soldiers who fight it, and their version is inaccurate". She described the film as being more accurate than other recently released war movies, but expressed concerns that numerous errors in the portrayal of military conditions would prevent service members from enjoying the film.[32]

Author Brandon Friedman, also a combat veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, shared a similar view at VetVoice: "The Hurt Locker is a high-tension, well-made, action movie that will certainly keep most viewers on the edges of their seats. But if you know anything about the Army, or about operations or life in Iraq, you'll be so distracted by the nonsensical sequences and plot twists that it will ruin the movie for you. It certainly did for me." Friedman criticized the accuracy of the film's representation of combat, saying "in real life, EOD techs don't conduct dangerous missions as autonomous three-man teams without communications gear... Another thing you'll rarely hear in combat is an EOD E-7 suggesting to two or three of his guys that they leave the scene of an explosion in an Iraqi city by saying: 'C'mon, let's split up. We can cover more ground that way.'"[33]

At the blog Army of Dude, infantryman and Iraq veteran Alex Horton noted that "the way the team goes about their missions is completely absurd", though he went on to call the film "the best Iraq movie to date".[34]

Troy Steward, another combat veteran, wrote on the blog Bouhammer that while the film accurately depicted the scale of bomb violence and the relations between Iraqis and troops, "just about everything else wasn’t realistic". Steward went on to say: "I was amazed that a movie so bad could get any kind of accolades from anyone."[35]

A review published March 8, 2010 in the Air Force Times[36] cited overall negative reviews from bomb experts in Iraq attached to the 4th Brigade, 1st Armored Division, quoting a bomb disposal team leader who called the movie’s portrayal of a bomb expert "grossly exaggerated and not appropriate", and describing the lead character as "more of a run and gun cowboy type…exactly the kind of person that we're not looking for". Another bomb disposal team member said that the lead character's "swagger would put a whole team at risk. Our team leaders don't have that kind of invincibility complex, and if they do, they aren't allowed to operate. A team leader's first priority is getting his team home in one piece."

On the embedded side, former correspondent for The Politico and Military Times Christian Lowe (who embedded with U.S. military units each year from 2002 to 2005) explained at DefenseTech: "Some of the scenes are so disconnected with reality to be almost parody."[37]

On the other hand, Henry Engelhardt, an adjutant with the National Explosive Ordnance Disposal Association having 20 years' experience in bomb defusal, praised the film's atmosphere and depiction of the difficulties of the job, saying, "Of course, no film is realistic in all its details, but the important things were done very well."[38] Screenwriter Mark Boal noted that The Hurt Locker was produced independently, without US Army extras.[39]

A change of image

Literally that is - this one is the front runner. Love the TV show and this character is just brilliant. I also think this image may have some tilt-worthiness against anyone that loses decent pot to me.



FG

Further behind than I thought

I need to spend less time playing and more time studying the odds of these situations until its second nature:


Poker Stars $0.10/$0.25 Pot Limit Omaha Hi - 9 players

The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter



BTN: $10.45

SB: $3.80

Hero (BB): $13.35

UTG: $4.75

UTG+1: $15.55

UTG+2: $16.60

MP1: $20.65

MP2: $12.80

CO: $24.55



Pre Flop: ($0.35) Hero is BB with T 9 J K

2 folds, UTG+2 calls $0.25, 3 folds, BTN calls $0.25, SB calls $0.15, Hero checks



Flop: ($1.00) Q 6 J (4 players)

SB bets $0.25, Hero raises to $1.20, UTG+2 calls $1.20, BTN raises to $6, SB folds, Hero folds, UTG+2 calls $4.80



Turn: ($14.45) 9 (2 players)

UTG+2 bets $10.35 all in, BTN calls $4.20 all in



River: ($22.85) J (2 players - 2 are all in)



Final Pot: $22.85

BTN shows J 6 T K (a full house, Jacks full of Sixes)

UTG+2 shows A 5 K T (a straight, Nine to King)

BTN wins $21.75

(Rake: $1.10)




board: Qd 6s Js
Hand Equity
Th 9d Jd Kc 20.35%
Ac 5s Kh Tc 9.46%
Jh 6c Ts Ks 70.20%

Time to jam, how bad a shape can i be?

Poker Stars $0.05/$0.10 Pot Limit Omaha Hi $0.02 Ante - 7 players





CO: $20.00

BTN: $25.43

SB: $26.38

BB: $12.79

Hero (UTG): $24.06

UTG+1: $30.85

MP: $18.66



CO posts a big blind ($0.10)



Pre Flop: ($0.39) Hero is UTG with 3 J A K

Hero calls $0.10, 1 fold, MP raises to $0.30, 2 folds, SB calls $0.25, BB calls $0.20, Hero calls $0.20



Flop: ($1.44) T 3 A (4 players)

SB checks, BB checks, Hero bets $1, MP raises to $2, SB folds, BB folds, Hero raises to $7, MP raises to $18.34 all in, Hero calls $11.34



Turn: ($38.12) Q (2 players - 1 is all in)



River: ($38.12) K (2 players - 1 is all in)



Final Pot: $38.12

Hero shows 3 J A K (a straight, Ten to Ace)

MP shows A A K 5 (three of a kind, Aces)

Hero wins $36.22

(Rake: $1.90)



Odds

board: Ts 3d As
Hand Equity
3h Js Ah Ks 36.71%
Ad Ac Kd 5c 63.29%