< > Been playing a ton of mixed games lately, the games on Pokerstars and Full Tilt have been fantastic. I’m also really looking forward to going down south for a couple days to work on Deepstacks University. It’s going to be a lot of fun working with the likes of Matusow and Binger analyzing poker situations. One of the best mixed game players in the world is staying with me for a couple weeks here in New York City, yuvee04. He is an absolute beast in any stud variation, and in exchange for a few omaha hi/lo tips, he’s been showing me the ropes for stud hi and stud hi/lo.

I feel like my prediction is turning into reality! I previously mentioned that mixed games and pot limit omaha are the games of the future, and that no limit holdem will die down a little bit. It appears that almost all the big name NL pros have made the switch to plo (or at least dabbled with it, and are working on their plo games). To be honest this is great news, because very few players are capable of playing seven or eight games “well”. I’ve encountered many different types of players lately at the mixed game tables, and even the good players appear to have at least ONE weak game. This one guy was super solid across the board in six games, a regular on the site, doesn’t get much action, etc. I decided to give him a shot, and even though I beat him for a couple buy ins, he played very well and I have no desire to play him heads up in the future. Going back to my previous point however, he was extremely weak in omaha hi/lo. A player like this isn’t really worth playing, but after that particular session I promised myself I’d take very good notes on all my opponents, making sure to address which games they are weaker in.

Unrelated to poker, I plan on riding some coasters at six flags tomorrow, possibly with a stop in Atlantic city on the way home… I always try to hit up the amusement park once a summer, its such a thrill. Speaking of the summer, its way too hot right now in NYC. The last few days have hands down been the hottest of the year, its like Vegas with humidity >< Good luck to everybody at the tables, especially Tibster24… You are the one-out wonder.

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5.30

A nice last day in the heat of New York City, I write this blog as I finish helping my good friend move out of our old apartment. Nearly twenty trips up and down two flights of stairs carrying both furniture and garbage, my legs feel like jelly and I’m ready to sit down and see some hands. Alas, there is no time, as I’ve got about four loads of laundry to do, and barely enough time to do it. I will miss the private poker games in new york while I’m out in Las Vegas but they aren’t going anywhere, and after the WSOP, I’ll be ready to dive back into cash games.

Speaking of cash games, I am starting to think there is just so much more skill in the big-bet games as opposed to the structured mixed games. Actually, let me rephrase that… Both variations of poker require a tremendous amount of skill to master, but no matter how good you are at a structured game, unless you’re playing complete fools (and sometimes even if you are), its only a limit game, and therefore requires less skill. This is an argument I’ve had with some colleagues of mine for a few years now, and I’m starting to see the light and stop playing devil’s advocate. In limit games, its simply only ’so much’ more to see another card, and in a game like omaha hi/lo I’ve seen people ‘peel’ the most incredible cards off the top of the deck. Its like where do these cards come from sometimes? But you have to remember that its limit, and its omaha, which means the percentages are never that far apart, no matter how dominated you think you have your opponent… and its only a one more bet for them to see another cards, its as if they ALWAYS have odds to call, even if their hand is as ugly as some of those baby pictures I see on pokerstars (just kidding… sorta… not really…). In the big-bet games like NL and PLO, if you have KQ and they have 1010 and the flop falls Q53, the 10’s are in lousy shape with two cards to go they’re gonna need something just short of a miracle to win the hand. In PLO, if the flop is Q105 and you’ve got AKJ9 with a flush draw, and your opponent flips over two pair, he’s in rough shape and basically needs to fill up to win. With so many outs in a game like pot-limit omaha, you’re actually a favorite against a made hand frequently and ‘bricking out’ is unlikely. You can lose a lot of money being far behind percentage-wise in a big-bet game while in a structured game, even if its KQ vs 1010 in limit holdem, its not going to cost you as much, and you’re never going to just fold on a Q53 flop after putting in two or three bets preflop. Ok enough poker rambling, I’m starting to get the itch to play, and I need to do my laundry! Ta ta for now…

6.14

6/14/09

Well its my birthday, and I’m flying home to New York instead of playing the pot limit omaha or horse tournaments today. Poker is wonderful, but family comes first, and despite being smack dab in the middle of the world series of poker, I need to spend a week or two in NYC to clear my mind in addition to family responsibilities.

On a positive poker-related note, MANY of my friends have made final tables so far this summer, with one of them even making two! (mad props tommyboy!) Also a hat-tip to Binger for getting deep in the 2-7 no-limit event. I’ve heard whispers that he’s been workin’ on his game, and it clearly shows. I really feel that the top top players who have shown the ability to play any game are the ‘real’ poker players out there. It might be harder to master a big bet game like no-limit holdem or pot-limit omaha, but there are many little intricacies to the structured mixed games that people are not privy to unless you have some experience under your belt. Furthermore, while poker-theory evolves with new strategies all the time (example: “utg is the new button” LOL), I don’t see much changing in the mixed games… All I see is a few people getting a little better, and the rest still playing terribly… If you don’t know by now, I give very few poker players any credit.

Strategy at the poker table is obviously important, but so is lifestyle and approach away from the felt, even if poker related… Everybody has their ‘thing’ that helps them focus on the task at hand, and we also have other ‘things’ that allow us to find some tranquility when we need clarity and peace. For years now I have attempted to figure out precisely what I need to do when I’m going through a rough patch to help me get back on track as quickly as possible, but I’ve come to the conclusion over the past year that for me, taking time off is the best solution. Anywhere between a few days and a week usually works for me. I encourage everyone to figure out exactly what works by trying different things when they are having trouble, and I’m sure you will all find the answer, within your own variation. No matter how down I am, there is another trick that I use to solve my frustration and always put a smile on my face… Nebraska, my dog… He is so cute, yet so ugly at the same time, but he’ll lick my cheek for hours if I am within reach, and that ALWAYS turns my frown upside down.

Initially I was very upset about having to go home for a week or two, but considering this HAS been a rough start to my world series (busting two tournaments on very rough beats, cashing none), I’m sitting here writing this blog thinking to myself that this is exactly what I need. A little therapy session with Nebraska at Central Park, and some time with the family… I’ll be back soon enough and I’m in no rush to win another bracelet, I’ve got another fifty years of playing poker in me. In the grand scheme of things, sacrificing one important week to ease my mind and relax my psyche is the best move. Figure out what your best move is, and go with it. Everybody has their ‘thing’…….

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The time has come… I’m giving in… I am starting a blog… Once upon a time there was a snake named Nate. Every morning Nate would wake at 7am to guard the “lever of the universe”. If this lever were to be pulled, chaos would ensue and the world would crumble… On his way to guard the lever, Nate would have to slither his way across a bridge… He would make his way ¼ the way over the bridge… ½ way… ¾… and out of nowhere, every morning a big Mac truck would appear and almost squish Nate. Finally Nate decided it would be wise to set his alarm fifteen minutes earlier to avoid the truck… At 6:45am the next morning Nate woke up, went ¼ of the way across the bridge, ½ the way, ¾… and again out of nowhere came the Mac truck but this time Nate was lucky to get out of the way! Not interested in dealing with the truck anymore, Nate sets his alarm to 6am, wakes up the next morning, slithers ¼ of the way across the bridge… ½ the way… ¾ of the way… and bam, out of nowhere that big Mac truck is coming right at him! The driver swerves left and sees the lever of the universe, swerves right and sees Nate… Left, lever of the universe, right, Nate… Left, lever, right Nate… Lever, Nate, lever, Nate, lever, Nate, lever…….. Splat, Nate gets run over by the truck… Moral of the story? Better Nate than Lever… So here is my blog, I hope you enjoy it…

My name is Andrew Brown, and I’ve been playing poker for a living for nearly six years now. I have always been more of a cash game player than a tournament player, but I enjoy both. I was fortunate enough to win a WSOP bracelet last summer in omaha hi/lo, which was one of the most exciting moments of my life. Not because I won a tournament, as I had won other tournaments (although not as large) before, but because I faced off against Ted Forrest for nearly two hours, being out-chipped approximately 4.5:1, and took down the poker legend. My other most notable tournament score was about a month ago in the SCOOP tournaments on Pokerstars, winning the $2100 rebuy PLO event. Other than those two nice takedowns, I am just a regular guy living in New York City, enjoying life.

I always thought I would love writing a blog, and don’t really know why it took me so long to cave into the requests of others and actually do it. However, I feel like going into any more depth as to who I am would be silly, as I hope everybody gets to know me better simply through my random daily thoughts.

I leave for Vegas today, excited to get started with this year’s WSOP events, but I’m definitely going to miss my dog, Nebraska (he’s a french bulldog, looks like a cross between a gremlin and some sort of alien with fur). The other thing I am going to miss dearly is the ability to order anything I want in the wee hours of the night while I’m sitting at my computer playing online poker or video game, depending on my mood. Video game is not plural because besides poker (ha ha) there is only one that I play… World of Warcraft… I am such a competitive person, and there is little more satisfying than knowing that there is somebody out there, sitting at their computer, screaming in frustration at their defeat. Poker players just grimace, whine, and steam… No need to control your emotions when you’re hiding behind a computer screen and playing a video game (unless you’re practicing for poker!).

Upon my arrival tonight, I’ll get prepared for the first event I plan on playing, the $1500 pot limit omaha tournament. Being my first tourney of the summer, I will probably be taking it “extra” seriously, making sure to outlast one of my best friends, PLO legend Harrington10. That’s right Harri, I’m comin’ for you and that ugly ass brown hat that you wear in that hideous excuse of a pokerstars picture, lol.

With so many friends out in Vegas that I don’t get to see regularly enough, I’m really looking forward to a wonderful summer and WSOP. See you at the final table!

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