Round Up

What's been happening ....

- Sky Poker: I'm well and truly bored of it, despite the fact that I haven't even played that much. I suppose if they worked on the speed, and it remained equally fishy, then it would represent good "value". For the moment, however, I'm finding the frustration factor is overwhelming. I should just cash out my remaining balance, but I'm a little bit tempted to first try throwing it all-in in a last attempt to double-up-quick!

- Party Poker UK Open: this is a TV event that is filming at the moment. I mention it because I played in a one-table live satellite to win a seat (it's a $7,000 buy-in). It was fun. I busted one player by turning 2-pair (Jacks & Tens), which was good for the chip lead, but then went on a downward spiral after I got involved with AK-suited vs. pocket Kings. You can read about that hand on the gutshot forum, here.

Obviously I still had chips after losing the hand, but it marked a bit of a turning point and I never threatened after that. Good luck to Piers who won the seat, and will be in action tomorrow (3rd Feb). I am not sure when it airs on TV, but I'll try to catch it.

- Omaha: I can't remember whether it was a New Year's resolution of mine not to play Omaha, but it should have been. I probably lost more money playing the four-card game last year than at Hold'em, even though I played it hardly at all. At the Gutshot, there is usually a game on a Wednesday and I will often go for the £75 Freezeout on that day. So, there is always the temptation to get dragged into the Omaha game. There are many good things about it - the table is usually filled with familiar "faces", and it's generally played in a great spirit.

Well, one recent Wednesday, Derek Kelly was over from Dublin. He loves his Omaha and, of course, he was able to persuade me to play. The good thing is that I played much, much better than previously. I know this because I did not lose all my money in 20 minutes. Instead it took me hours to lose all my money. In fact, I didn't even lose it all which is a new experience for me where Omaha is concerned.

The bad news is that I have picked up a basic level of competency at the game now. That means I am not misreading my hand, or throwing away the nuts by mistake. It doesn't mean I'm actually any good! I fear, though, that I may have played enough now that I can't exist on 2-card poker alone.

Poker bunker: I've known about this venue on Canary Wharf for a while but never visited. Nik Persaud was hosting an "Academy" there on a recent Monday night, so I went along to congratulate him on his recent 6th place in GUKPT Brighton, and to soak up the wisdom. Sit-n-Go strategy was the topic, and after watching Nik play and commentate on a Pokerstars one-table SnG, I went home and won three out of three myself ..... the power of education !