Back In Action

by Gamekill, 04.07.2008

Sure, sometimes you might feel a little rusty after a layoff from poker, but it sure feels nice to be back in action.

I'm back in Vegas scoping out the action at the W.S.O.P. I haven't been playing much poker for the past 2 months and feel a little rusty. I thought I'd write a bit about what the experience of playing my first session was like, and discuss some of my strengths and weaknesses that became apparent.

I opted to play $20/40 limit holdem because it is usually the type of game I can consistently succeed in even given adverse circumstances. To put it another way, I find $20/40 limit players are generally easy to beat because they are a bunch of donkeys.

The game was good. Although I was surprised to notice a few sharks in the game, there was also a boisterous, Italian, action junkie who was straddling twice per round. They allow a Mississippi straddle at the W.S.O.P by the way, and it really makes for a better game. When someone is willing to gamble that much in limit game, I don't think a real pro can lose. All you have to do is sit back and wait for the right hand at the right time. You can't forget to be very aggressive with your biggish hands and play off your tight image to eliminate as many opponents as you can when you enter a pot. Those straddle bets are really, really juicy for two reasons: 1- It's dead money in the pot as it's not backed up by the value of a genuine hand like yours is, and 2- The guy posting the straddle is likely a loose player who will go too far with the hand, either paying you off or trying desperate bluffs. So, you have positive equity in the value of your hand plus better than average implied action.

I felt sharp when it came to realizing how to handle these situations. In other words my analytical poker mind was still intact and close to peak form. The weaknesses I noticed were in my focus. I wasn't dealing with all of the distractions of the W.S.O.P the way I usually can, I was having trouble buckling down and paying attention to my opponents. I'm usually a keen observer of all the little things going on during the game. I pride myself on being able to pick up on more of the subtle expressions and tells than my opponents. In this regard, I was definitely much weaker my first session back.

All in all the session went well, I played well, and I'm anxious to get back to the game. If I win a few bets at $20/40 I'll likely jump up to $50/100. Regardless of how it goes down, I'll recap the trip in my next blog.

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