After getting back from Barca I have five recollection – beautiful fish market restaurant near Sagrada, my exit on the brink of bubble, softest field of Unibet Open ever, heavy rollercoaster and what else – oh yes, that beautiful fish market restaurant

It was like rollercoaster I have never experienced before. Down to 9K in the firsthour, double up with A5 v KK, down again losing with AK v AQ on the AQQ board, double up with AA v QQ, down with unsuccesful 4bet bluff, almost triple up with J9 v 88 after flop came 87T. Up to 57K and down to 25 again after TT v AA and after flopping flush only oponent to spike his fill house on the turn. Up to 40K and down again after losing with AJ v KK on the JJK flop. Finished first day with average on continued rolling on the next day. Again double up, again down, again double up with JJ against Alex Rousso AK, and down. And last hand finished my woes – KQ on the good looking QT3 flop but unfortunately against QQ. Finished in the touching matter of the money but no cigar this time.

Well, despite that setback and despite Alex finishing higher than me again (again, damn it) it was nice time in nice city with nice people. Lithuania had another FT player and though he busted out in the 9th we are getting closer and closer to beating my own all time UO best 4th place finish.

Now it is time for me to relax a little bit in sports poker tournament held in spa town Druskininkai and afterwards it is that time of the year when Vegas starts calling. Calling louder and louder. And cannot resist that call.

Quite for a long time I have watched evolution of No Limit Holdem being fervious proponent of this poker game but during last months I have come to the conclusion that if you want to consider yourself at least decent poker player you must have at least rudimentary knowledge of our poker games and I am talking not only Omaha but other more arcane forms of poker. Why is it? I can put four arguments:

- It is good for your mental state. Playing limit or draw poker expands your thoughts range and then you are back at NLHE you might have better understanding of poker theory on the whole which can do you world of good.

- It is good to help fight tilt. Limit poker is great tool to help you control your tilt. You cannot win everything back in one hand, you know that from the very beginning and you experience far less tilt at least in my experience. Again this state is of great help when you transit back to NLHE.

- Internet resources on this poker are quite scarce which means that a lot of players do not really know what they are doing.

- It is good to find edge. NLHE are consistently becoming more and more difficult, in other poker games like Triple Draw or Stud Hi/Lo you can find players who barely know rules what to think of deeper strategy. It sound like illogical given amount of players who play Triple Draw, Razz or Mixed games but it is true and on e of the arguments is that people flock to play games megastars are playing even without having rudimentary knowledge of hand selection. Mixed games are even more lucrative because absolute majority of even good players are stron in one, max 3 disciplines and tend to avoid playing others which can be usefully explioted by even all-around avareage player especially in such games as 8-game.

- It gives you freedom of choice and table selection. Again you need just basic knowledge of table selection to understand where and which game most notable fishes are playing.

-   It can be excellent companion to your online MTTs. I have found from my experience that playing MTT and NL cash at the same time does not go well. Most of my losses tracked by HEM indicates considerable worsening of play during these sessions. And on the contrary – playing Triple draw or Razz – helps me find my rhytm in MTT, concentrate better and maybe even combat tilt better. I do not have logical explanaton for this right now but I will.

All these things are very good but there is one considerable drawback to all this – you have to invest A LOT of your precious time learning other poker one by one – especially if you like me are determined to expand range of uoy poker skills to 8-Game. As I mentioned resources are scarce but once you find quality ones – most likely you have to pay for them – but then you can be sure – this is not material which millions of players have already read, adapted and taken to their NL game. And this might might be biggest reward of your patience and determination.

“Tournaments are all about losing” – say poker wisemen drawing on their cigars and looking in photos like some kind of hybrid between Indian shaman and con artist. Proverbs kill me. We have one in Lithuanian – “Never spit in the well if you are not sure if you won’t have to drink from it”. Yes, if you are absolutely sure that you are going far far away and never ever will drink from this well so please feel free to make good solid spit which would contaminate water for decades to come?

Ahh, proverbs. Though the one in the headline is quite true – you have to accept that you gonna lose in the tournaments, and lose, lose, lose. Pick your favourite percentage of being favourite (pun intended) and you gonna lose under this percentage. But if you will learn to accept it and even love it in some perverse Zen way when you might emerge as winning solid tilt-free player with expanded horizon and valley of darkness passed.

Or you just be a loser.

So while I had same early bath as Alex in Malta Unibet (see his post below) – well, not THE SAME early bath, don’t get me wrong – I have no regrets about my play and my losing and my timing of playing big pots. I was drifting around my starting stack for five levels and had around 16K with blinds coming 150/300, we got chip leader at my table who promptly started to raise every second hand and aggresive Estonian at my right who loved to 3bet but usually felt at sea when it came to post-flop. Chip leader raised 800, Estonian reraised from SB and I found QQ in my BB. I reraised it to 6K, chip leader quickly folded and Estonian went into tank and after minute or two pushed all in. It might have been Hollywood style acting but from what i discerned from his play I was pretty convinced that he wrestles with hard decision having AQ-AKo, TT-JJ which in all cases should have been easy fold decision for hm. However he pushed and I called and was happy seeing that my reasoning was correct when he put JJ on the table. But as we all know love, bees, hedgefunds and feeling of being favourite in poker hand are very extremely shortlived and flop promptly brought J and my early bath (again – not shared by you know who). Well, for a moment I saw Estonian as deep well and was tempted to do proverbial thing but then I remembered never ever thing and decided against spitting knowing that i will meet him in Barcelona quite soon.

Malta was OK though a bit cold and trip back home horrendeus – 14 hours with three changes – come on people, this is Europe – I approve of 14 hours trip when going to Las Vegas but not here. Lithuanian delegation was extremely friendly this time – there were 10 of us who cheered for each other and our guy – Matas – at the final tabl – we played hard and partied even harder.

I will remember this another Unibet Open traditionally fondly but with some haze around my memories. Well, it is Unibet Open isn’t it? But my poker wounds need to be tended about and I hope fresh snow from Austrian Alps in EPT Snowfest next week will do the trick.

So Open Season is declared once again and all best glory hunters are converging on Malta right now. Tommorrow after grueling 12 hour trip from Vilnius (though 5 hour stopover in Rome ain’t bed – espresso and chilled wine with the look to Piazza Navona) we shall step on the island of Malta as well. Biggest ever delegation of Lithuanians are coming and all are eager to prove themselves to be the best. Even more – Day 1B is our major national holiday – Independence day – so festive moods will be abound. And I am not talking about Saturday hangovers here. Nope, sir.

 This is also great spot to restart my blog on the Unibet Ambassadors here. I will pitch some comments and details from UO, my play and always will have good good argument why it did not worked for me this time. Also Lithuania though tiny is interesting place to be for poker player as sports poker is officially sport here and it is booming with biggest sports poker club just recently opened in the main street of our beautiful capital city. I will take some time later to write about sports poker, differences, views in main stream media, etc. But meanwhile – off to Malta we go.

Just returned from another great Unibet Open event in Prague. Last year I came up fourth there and back in Hilton was daring for the lightning to strike at the same place for the second time. And it look like it was quite possible – two full house in the first opening hands and up to 13K almost instantly when great hand when EP raised, shortstack pushed allin for 1,6K, I raised with AA for 3,8 and Dutch guy reraised to 8K. After short time for “thinking” I pushed allin and he after few minutes of self torture called with holy phrase – “I know you have Aces” – OK, why call then? So AA, against his KK, against shortstack QQ. Q came on the turn but AA held for the big sidepot which catapulted me to 30K even before first break. 

I had to suck out one with JJ v QQ and flopped full house but otherwise played my A- game and climbed up steadily up to 70K with one level remaining. In Golden Sands and Budapest I busted out exactly during last level of the day and was quite sure not to allow this in Prague.

And I lost it. 

It was not tilt or something just after playing for eleven hours I felt like my brains melted and ran down thorugh my ears and my hands started to work independently making outrageous bluffs and outstanding (but wrong and losing calls). I really felt like I am not in control of my actions through really serious tiredness. Even so I could have made second day with almost 30K and play my stack being refreshed and one again able to rationalize my actions. But literally on the last hand of the day when all other tables were already bagging their chips I found myself staring at the 9s Th Ks flop with 7s 8s in my hand. All my chips went to the middle, my opponent triumphantly turned over :Td :Tc for the second set but his face turned very sour when he saw my holding. However poker gods were offended by my play during last level (I can pretty much agree with them) and other cards bricked for me. And it was it. End of show and pitch black.

This makes for some serious reassesments of how to enhance physical and mental capabilities during last levels of the day in order to avoid such meltdown in other tournements. All I can do – admit my failure this time and work on it not repeating in Valencia Unibet Open in two months time. Valencia – so many plans for Lithuanian Team which i will share with you later.

And Prague was a blast nevertheless - lots and lots of beer and poker talk until late late night and I even got recognized at the cash tables where I dropped for the short session (“Where is your book” – asked one Scandie guy. ”What that about the book?” - got interested my table mates. “His nickname is TheReader and he is very serious about his books” – explained first Scandie. Ah, my fifteen minutes of fame. Or rather six because my AK ran into Aces on the K high flopped and I decided to retire for another duel with Czech beer. Which I somehow also lost. But that’s what Unibet Open is about, isn’t it?

There is a saying – “People plan and God laughs”. This laughter kinda unpleasantly rang in my ears when I made my trip to MacCarrans Airport in Vegas for the long and uncomfortable trip home. Of course – plan to stay over tthe month in fantasy land which is totally disconnected from reality was bold to say the least but ultimately doable with little bit of luck. However luck was not on my side and due to unforeseen and urgent commitment I had to postpone my Vegas dream for another year, cut my trip short and return home. Well, you must learn to live with luck and prepare for it to turn against you even in the most casual situations if you are poker player.

Luck was not with me in the tournaments as well – almost in all WSOP events and other tournament as well I got busted by people who were drawing or as we say in Lithuanian – “buying” to their hands. Percentages ranged from 35% to outrageous 52% not in my favour and I must say that in all confrontations I was not going wild with TPTK here – my weakest combination was middle two pair ranging up to top set when my KK squared to Qs6s on the Ks Js Th board. And every single time cash register rang and confirmed that their purchase was correct. Of course these are not bad beats and where is little to cry about – I should have known that US government has good incentives for economy to boost spending and purchasing just did not expected them to touch poker as well.

So this time I will watch WSOP from the sidelines, cheer on my countrymen who arrived in record numbers this year and will take some time so clear my other commitments until ze Germans kam. Oh, sorry, I meant, until Unibet Open in Prague arrives. For some strange reasons I feel deep affection for this event.

When my trip to Bulgaria looked sure to be empty of cashes and success at poker tables – at the last moment I managed to squeeze unlikely victory coming first at the last Side event – 100 rebuy tournament with 70 runners. We played more then 12 hours and it was already plenty of sunshine and heat when I finally managed to take final hands and first place. I needed some piece of luck at the final table squeezing all in while being short stacked with K7 getting call from fellow French Unibet ambassadors Pasquallini with 99 and getting K on the flop. Another piece of good luck when I reraised button raise from SB with A7 and found myself against AJ, but mighty 7 come on the river. Other showdowns later and earlier were all in my favour including all in against other ambassador – Dan Glimne with my QQ against AJ – and math worked in my favour.

It was extremely important to take first live tournament this year for me and timing was especially good - now I have huge boost of self-confidence right at the beginning of my WSOP campaign – in one week I will be already playing my first tournament in Sin City and hopefully having good time and drinks wtih my colleagues Unibet Ambassadors.

And mean while I am saying -  Благодаря ви и довиждане – Thank you and goodbye to Bulgaria. It was good fun, it was well run, it was user friendly so my congrats and thanks to all Unibet team for making great event as well. Poker and fun at the beach always go well together and I am looking for the rerun next year. And of course big congratulation to another Unibet Ambassador – Dan Murariu for taking down Main Event and showing once again that poker is skill game and Unibet has great skill in picking its ambassadors.

I got busted from Unibet open Main Event and now can chill at the pool or at the seaside. Can do chilling with clear conscience because played my A- (minus because of couple dodgy calls) game, managed my stack quite well and at the very end of Day 1B got average atack. However when EP raised 3000 blinds being 500/1000 and severely tilted MP player pushed all his remaining 19K (he got like 70K but donked off in few hands) and I found on the button AsKs, it was easy decision. MP guy got out and my tilted friend showed KT. Flop came A92 and I was quite happy with that being 95% favorite to win big pot, however T showed up on the turn and another T rolled off on the river. Well, it was unfortunate but such things happen. Final table of UO Golden Sands has already been formed and it will interesting to see how my colleague – Romanian Unibet Ambassador Dan Murariu will manage his huge chip leading stack.

As for me I have few days to rest in Bulgaria before the flight home, then five days to manage my work and play some tennis and then off to Vegas which according to Alex here is starting to scorch.

Yes, they are tough. And not bacause of severe hangover though in Unibet Open parties there are plenty opportunities for that. But this will come later as I am still waiting for my start and therefore living like a monk in the abbey – eating healthy,  playing volleyball and going to sleep at godless hour – before midnight.

But as I said mornings are tough. Especially when I am being woken up at 7am, by both my room-mates who triumphantly return from casino – one has won Omaha side event and the other one had a great night at cash tables. OK, I don’t mind to wake up at this godless (again!) hour to hear about few bad beats and lost buyins and then going back to sleep with happy heart and free of sorrows because it is this great feeling when you hear about your friends misfortunes at poker tables. But now I had to try to get back to sleepbeing angry and jealous and crying in my heart “Why them unworthies and not me?”. I think everybody knows this feeling very well as every poker player ego is as big as brothers Mongolfier hot air balloon. So tough mornings in Bulgaria…

I am joking of course. I am very happy for my friends who are doing well and I hope for good celebration party tonight. Also I hope that i will be able to join party quite late – afterthe end of 10th level of Unibet Open Main Event which I am playing today. Here is to hoping.

I am off to Unibet Open in Bulgaria today. I am absolutely convinced that this will be the best UO ever – venue and time of the year almost ensures that it will great fun for everybody. Also another fine thing is that all Lithuanian players – and there are 12 of them – another UO record if I am not mistaken – travel together in one plane which already is promptly called “Unibet Airlines”. Of course it is just standard charter to Varna making its first summer trip however at least 20 people – including friends and better halves of players – will be talking same poker language during the trip and maybe even smallish SnG can be arranged among passengers.

Unibet Open GS is my last stop before grueling marathon in Vegas heat but I would be very dishonest if I would say that I am not waiting for this marathon with my whole heart. And some good results in Bulgaria would be the best fuel to keep my fires and my spirits going high