No Play Today

Two weeks on I have grasped the fundamentals of the game and I have to admit I quite like the format. There are a lot more variables to think about in this game and I enjoy the extra challenge this provides. Usually I am able to stumble my way to the latter stages but when the game enters the ‘end-game’ my inexperience is shamefully exposed as the more experienced players take it in turns to help them selves to my chip stack.

I really need to study the game thoroughly, read a few books and maybe sit in on some small cash games before expecting any more than maybe, the odd final table finish.

I did watch the final table at the league game last night and man! I thought in NL the bubble position could be a long and drawn out fight, after all who wants to bubble? But sheesh it is a different story with Omaha Hi-LO PL.. There are such a variety of possible outs for every player, that even when the short stack (2-300 chips) just did the ‘I’m covering my eyes and clicking the all in button’ they usually hit something. The chips were moving from one side of the table to the other, for what seemed an eternity.

Did I learn anything from watching? Yup…

Learned that I do not know enough about starting hand strengths in Omaha Hi-Lo PL to hold my own heads up.

Learned that starting hands are not as umm trying to think of the right terminology.. not as dynamically vital as they are in NL hold’em.

Learned how Gopher® (a pokerchipsquad league member who detests the game and admits to not really knowing much about the game) can win a league tournament whilst totally smashed out of his jolly Scottish brains on “stiffy’s”. (Apparently some Scottish alco-pop come schnapps drink, more on this drink later.)

Dick, the league owner eventually won the game after almost an hour of 4 hand play, you need some extra endurance and patience to win these games. By this time it was the early hours of the morning and I flipped the off switch to head for bed. Wow, a whole evening of not playing poker, what a weird feeling.

Regarding Gopher’s® drunken victory a few weeks back. Last Friday I did a last minute run to the store, for some essential supplies before the evening game started. Whilst piling up my cans of beer on the checkout along with enough munchies to feed a commune of stoned perma-grinning hippies, I suddenly recalled Gopher’s drunken mumbling about this ‘stiffy’ drink. Not being up to speed with all the new drinks out there I casually asked the checkout girl “do you sell stiffy’s?”

Erk! Too late! The words were out of my mouth before realising the possible connotations of such a question. There were some muffled sniggers from the people in the line behind me and the check out girl just blinked her massively over mascara’d lashes at me and said “Wot?”.

“It’s a drink! A drink!” I tried to explain, “A stiffy!”, a look of suspicion had fallen over the girls face. “Honest, it is erm Scottish!” thinking this point might help calm things down enough for her to not call over security. “Never heard of it” she snapped back at me with a raised eyebrow, “That’ll be £17.90… next!” I grabbed my bag and strode out quickly, making sure not to catch the eye of anyone in the line behind me.

I reckon Gopher was setting us up when he merrily slurred in the chat room, the merits of this unusually and rather suspiciously named “Scottish” beverage. It’s probably pronounced Sty-fee or St. Fye a monks brew maybe? Whatever, I’ll pursue the matter and report back, if indeed it is a real drink or a wind up by a particular Scottish member of the league.

That’s about it for today, aside from the fact I joined a free roll tournament of 3000 entrants then closed the poker site program, just to see how far I would progress sitting out. I gave myself a head start in the opening game with a quick double up to 2000 chips then didn’t look in again till the game had finished. 86th out of 3000, just shows how ridiculous those free rolls are, you’ll never learn anything from them, complete waste of time. To learn anything you must join a private online league and play against seasoned players, so it costs you $2 a throw, cheap at 10 times the price for the experience you’ll pick up.

Till tomorrow………..

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