The downswings are part of the life of poker players. It's going from when we understand that poker is a game of variance. "For more information on the latter, you can read the article:"what is variance'. "
For some time, Phil Galfond knows the biggest downswing of his career. So far, the new is nothing extraordinary. But I would like to stress this news with a somewhat larger question; is it worth to invest his time and his money in other variations of poker learning when it is already specialized in one or two variants?
First, if you want more details, I invite you to listen to the interview of Phil Galfond on PokerStatic - In the hot seat.
To read his Twitter, I thought that its downswing came from parts of Hold'em no-limit or Pot Limit Omaha parts. But by reading his blog on BlueFire Poker, I understood that lost money was the parties to 1500/3000 2-7 Triple Draw, variant in which he is not a specialist.
Phil, like all people who Excel in a displine, seeks to surpass themselves and get out of his comfort zone. His big blind per 100 hands to Hold'em no-limit is 7.54 at Full Tilt Poker only at the high stakes tables. In Omaha, it is 2, 08bb/100 on more than 62,000 hands. Impressive when you know that Omaha is a game with a lot more variance than the Hold'em without limits. He could continue to play in these parts and pocketing thousands of dollars every day. But its purpose is to learn some new variants of poker. As we guess, at high prices.
In his last blog, Phil explains that he does not learn as others. Other pros who wanted to learn a new variant (here 2-7 Triple Draw), would have taken a long time to study the game prior to launch. They would also begin to smaller limits. Phil immediately wanted to learn about the highest possible limits to be in action. Second, it could review its hands and rethink how best to play each hand.
It has conviction playing directly taught him much more than to read and analyze hands to other players. These methods (read and analyze hands) do not fit his personality and he tells us that he loses concentration too quickly this way.
In his blog, he also quotes Patrick Antonius (complete with Antonius granted to CardPlayer interview) to tell us that it joined.
Antonius says that he loves the competition and that, even though he knows that it is in a part where he does not have the advantage, he likes to know that he is going to learn. He likes the challenge and considers that playing against better players that either help to become better. It seems a bit despise players fleeing the solid regular or players who don't play in areas where they have a huge advantage. In short, he loves players who come out of their comfort zone.
The reason why Galfond wishes to become better in 2-7 Triple Draw, is that several live parts are very beneficial to this variant and the player who does master not this variant passes a great opportunity. The fact to master the most possible variants gives you obviously a great advantage over other players. The new tables on Full Tilt Poker also offer different variants highstakes. A good opportunity to learn the most of possible variants. 2-7 TD highstakes tables are also less populated by sharks.
When you're players pro highstakes, you will see that your city's casino does not offer lots of tables to Hold'em no-limit highstakes and that when these tables are rolling, they are filled with very good players on which you won't have that a small advantage. If you want to join a fairly easy highstakes table, you might have to join a table of HORSE (Hold'em, Omaha eight or better, Razz, Seven card Stud and Seven card stud Eight or better). The fact of not fully master one of these variants you will be necessarily expensive. Then it is only hypothetical, but if, tomorrow morning, the Hold'em OUT became and Razz became the game the most popular and most played, you would be happy to already have a solid base to not be chicken tables on which you play.
I believe that several players underestimate the importance of learning and mastering several variants of poker. Understanding the Omaha can learn you about the Hold'em, Razz can help you better understand your parts of Omaha. In short, become a better player, to get out of its zone of confidence!
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