FullTilt, PokerStars, PokerTracker and $2-4-4-8

Due to rising gas prices (and the cumbersome antennae on my car), I have been playing almost exclusively online poker this past month. I've been playing mostly SNGs with the occasional MTT (I'm loving that FT $3 + $0.30 Double Stack Turbo Knockout) and cash games (mostly HORSE, O, R, S, E, PLO and a little NLH).

So, first things first: I almost had to reload on FT trying that Chris Ferguson "Challenge" as I call it. Fortunately, the 1-Table SNGs brought me back to respectability.

In other news, I've recently put money on PokerStars. I'm not a fan of their layout selection as compared to FullTilt. Otherwise, it's good. I like the selection of games, especially that 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw... which I'm having an interesting time figuring out. I'm not sure if I rate the players better or worse. They seem more likely to call than fold at the limits I play, which means it's harder to bluff, but easier to trap.

I did see some very interesting play on a PS $5 + $0.50 I recently played. The player in question never preflop raised. NEVER. The player always called preflop, but would bet out on the following streets. I found it hard to play this person because I would have to constantly bet to see where my hand stood. Ultimately, this person busted out, but it was very noteworthy play. IMHO, though, it's bad play because you'd never know where your opponent stood if it was a limp pot and you had a premium hand. Nonetheless, I tried to stay away from that player as much as possible.

I have also acquired a license for the PokerTracker software. I find this software very useful, not so much in playing against other players, but more so for evaluating my own play. Over a sample of several thousand hands in the past month, I've been able to quantify, in real dollars, where the strengths and weaknesses of my game lie. It's great! I only wish that they would come out with a Mac version sooner rather than later. I'd definitely recommend it for your online play.

Lastly, limit hold'em. Ugh. On a recent trip to the new poker room at the Horseshoe, AA convinced me to only play $2-4-4-8 limit hold'em for the evening. If you follow my blog, you'll know about my profound love for limit poker *rolls eyes.* AA, however, was very persuasive, and the $600+ he made the previous evening helped sway my decision. His argument was, that, at the NLH tables, you have to play poker against people of your skill level. You have to make moves, read, evaluate, etc. If however, you play the lowest limit poker, you will, more than likely, be the most skilled player at the table.

So, I decided to try this theory. I got to the poker room and put my name on 2 lists, $1-2 PLO, and the $2-4-4-8. Fortunately, seats always seem to be open on the $2-4-4-8, so I got a table immediately. When I sat down, I kept telling myself what AA's mantra was: "Don't get creative, don't make moves. Just read them and play accordingly." I was actually taken aback by the straight-forwardness of the play. I always knew where I was in the hand when no one else bothered to pay attention. Unfortunately for me, variance took over and I was on the losing end of 1-outers and 4-outers all night long. I left being down a few dollars. In summary, it's a good gameplan if the cards are rolling well for you, though I missed having the ability to charge someone for bad play. It was also hard to keep paying attention to the game because you really couldn't bluff; either you had it or you didn't, and you weren't going to push someone out of the hand for another $8. Conclusion: I'd try it again, especially if I didn't have the time to get *into* a game properly.