New Year's Resolutions: Poker, part one

1) Break filthy habit. Have been threatened with violence and have taken it to heart. At least I don't smoke or drink (to excess), so that leaves me ample willpower to spare.

2) Achieve a proper online poker process -- hardware, software, personal rules re: stop losses etc. -- or simply abandon aspirations of building online poker bankroll into the five figures. New Year did not get off to roaring start as I bubbled this tourney.

2a) Continue experiments with low-stakes cash game play of all games offered on FTP.

After all, if I don't go fishing, others will be there to claim money that is being given away. Here are two examples of how not to play AAxx hands in PLO-hi games. Despite the results, I booked a solid winning session, which should tell you how soft these games truly are ...

Hand #1:

$0.25/$0.50 - Pot Limit Omaha Hi (full ring)
Seat 8: Villain ($36)
Seat 9: PirateLawyer ($56.30)
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to PirateLawyer [3c Tc 9s 9h]
Villain calls $0.50
PirateLawyer raises to $2.25
Villain calls $1.75
*** FLOP *** [9c 2d 3h]
Villain checks
PirateLawyer bets $5.25
Villain raises to $21
PirateLawyer raises to $54.05, and is all in
Villain calls $12.75, and is all in
PirateLawyer shows [3c Tc 9s 9h]
Villain shows [Ac 4h Ad 2h]
*** TURN *** [9c 2d 3h] [6s]
*** RIVER *** [9c 2d 3h 6s] [5d]
PirateLawyer shows three of a kind, Nines
Villain shows a straight, Six high
Villain wins the pot ($69.75) with a straight, Six high
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $72.75 | Rake $3
Board: [9c 2d 3h 6s 5d]
Seat 8: Villain showed [Ac 4h Ad 2h] and won ($69.75) with a straight, Six high
Seat 9: PirateLawyer showed [3c Tc 9s 9h] and lost with three of a kind, Nines

Notice how poorly villain played AAxx here. He didn't get money in preflop, and he check-raised for stacks holding overpair and a gutterball with only six clean outs vs. a top set hand on a dry board.

Hand #2:

$0.50/$1 - Pot Limit Omaha Hi (6-max)
Seat 1: PirateLawyer ($58.25)
Seat 2: Villain ($50.35)
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to PirateLawyer [Kh Ad Tc Js]
PirateLawyer raises to $2.25
Villain raises to $8.25
PirateLawyer calls $6
*** FLOP *** [Kc Jh 2s]
PirateLawyer checks
Villain bets $18
PirateLawyer raises to $50, and is all in
Villain calls $24.10, and is all in
PirateLawyer shows [Kh Ad Tc Js]
Villain shows [Ah Kd Ac 8d]
*** TURN *** [Kc Jh 2s] [2c]
*** RIVER *** [Kc Jh 2s 2c] [3d]
PirateLawyer shows two pair, Kings and Jacks
Villain shows two pair, Aces and Twos
Villain wins the pot ($99.20) with two pair, Aces and Twos
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $102.20 | Rake $3
Board: [Kc Jh 2s 2c 3d]
Seat 1: PirateLawyer showed [Kh Ad Tc Js] and lost with two pair, Kings and Jacks
Seat 2: Villain showed [Ah Kd Ac 8d] and won ($99.20) with two pair, Aces and Twos

Villain made similar mistake but at least raised preflop. With four Broadway cards and relatively deep stacks I can easily justify preflop call of re-raise. I hit flop hard with top two pair and a gutter and happily get the chips in middle vs. overpair who lucks into better 2pr hand.

2b) Budget time away from tables to study some poker math concepts and integrate into cash game play. At present I am too reactive to flop textures -- okay, let's admit it, I am too dependent on my actual holdings -- and am not making proper adjustments to maximize my EV with my hand ranges.