Limits

I played poker every night I was in Vegas. I had work to do in the daytime, but for 3 or 4 hours every night, I sat down and played poker. Limit poker.

On my last trip to Vegas in December, I lost a $100 buy-in twice at 1/2 NLHE within 10 minutes of sitting down. I only had $700 to start with, so $200 was a hefty chunk. It made me a little gun shy of NLHE.

So this trip, I played Limit hold'em at the Excalibur. I played the 2/4 Limit, and the 2-6 Spread Limit. I suck at poker. At least I suck badly at 2/4 and 2-6 Limit. I just bleed away my chips. I usually do OK though, at the 1-3 spread game. So this was my pattern, and it happened each night: Sit down at 2-6, chip up slightly, then bleed away 1/2 my stack. Move to 2-4 Limit, bleed away 1/2 of what is left. Move to 1-3 limit, make back most of my buy in, and cash out for a $10 loss. One night I was down $180 before the move to 1-3 and cashed out for a $45 loss, for an OK comeback, but still a loss.

I just have a problem with those games. I can't get the knack of them. I also NEVER get cards at those tables for some reason. Of course not getting cards doesn't stop me at the 1-3. There, I'm in my comfort zone, and play the table. I have fun with some hands with blind raises (they wouldn't let me live straddle at 1-3) or garbage hands. Then I tighten up for a few hands and look for a payoff. If I don't get one, I loosen up again. The payoff comes. I keep the table guessing, and feel like I'm in control of the pace.

I don't have any specific hands to speak of at the Excal, they were generally unremakable. I only got the hammer once the whole time, and I played it hard to the river. Of course, it was way behind the whole way and lost.

If I counted in all my tips, I'm close to even, or slightly up. If I count in free drinks and entertainment, I'm way up. I'm not upset with my play, but I'm not real happy about it either.

Why the hell is 1-3 so different from 2/4 or 2-6 for me??

More later . . . .