If anyone is still checking this blog, if anyone still cares, they could probably have predicted this post would be coming... Perhaps not in exactly this form, however.
The fact is, I'm giving up poker as any kind of serious pursuit. I'll play on occassion as a hobby, but that's as far as I'm now willing to go with it.
The stupidity of the whole thing has finally sapped my spirit. I can't find the energy any longer to pick myself up.
For all of you PA'ers, please continue to keep me in the loop if you're going to Vegas. I'll still play occassionally and I still love Las Vegas... So I'll probably try to attend at least a portion of any rendezvous that may or may not happen this year.
That's it. I'm done.
Thanks for listening.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
I'm sorry for not posting...
Life has not been cooperative.
Even now, I find myself in tears... Michael Shanahan was a friend of mine and I am broken hearted that Pat Bowlen has treated him in this way.
Please bear with me folks, I really am going to try and keep this blog going.
Even now, I find myself in tears... Michael Shanahan was a friend of mine and I am broken hearted that Pat Bowlen has treated him in this way.
Please bear with me folks, I really am going to try and keep this blog going.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Gone away...
The blogger you have tried to reach, SandMan, has been disconnected or is no longer in service...
Actually, to be more accurate, he's fighting with an ill defined project that has no real chance of any kind of success... Oh, and he's in New Orleans. Yuck.
Squeezed in a few minutes of poker last night and happened to be in the right place at the right time when I turned the nut flush and the loosey goosey to my left decided to represent... the nut flush. It's almost enough to make variance worth it.
Almost.
Actually, to be more accurate, he's fighting with an ill defined project that has no real chance of any kind of success... Oh, and he's in New Orleans. Yuck.
Squeezed in a few minutes of poker last night and happened to be in the right place at the right time when I turned the nut flush and the loosey goosey to my left decided to represent... the nut flush. It's almost enough to make variance worth it.
Almost.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Poker Drivel: Eschew Egregious Obfuscation Addendum
So... I wrote and rewrote the "Eschew Egregious Obfuscation" post several times, having a hard time expressing my thoughts on keeping one's poker game simple. I knew there was a core truth in there, but I was having a hard time explaining it succinctly.
Then, yesterday, I signed up for a premium membership at DeucesCracked.com and got busy watching some really good players go at it... When out it comes...
He says he very rarely bluffs or makes a move, beyond the basic C-bet when the flop likely favored him more than his opponent (like when he raises with AKs, opponent calls from middle pos and the flop comes 729)... He feels there's no reason to get particularly fancy or overcomplicate your game at this level. Sure, making moves and outplaying your opponent is both fun and can amount to some brilliant poker when you get good at it, but why open yourself up to making potentially costly mistakes and maybe even get into a habit of playing above your skill level (if only slightly) when making money at a given level doesn't require it?
He bets when he really feels he has the best hand and he's fairly quick to lay it down to a raise. He admits this play style would get him killed at anything past 100NL, but it works well at the micros and allows him to build a bankroll at the early stages, hone the basics, and cuts down on variance.
Exactly, I say, thank you...
Eschew Egregious Obfuscation (Addendum)
Then, yesterday, I signed up for a premium membership at DeucesCracked.com and got busy watching some really good players go at it... When out it comes...
He says he very rarely bluffs or makes a move, beyond the basic C-bet when the flop likely favored him more than his opponent (like when he raises with AKs, opponent calls from middle pos and the flop comes 729)... He feels there's no reason to get particularly fancy or overcomplicate your game at this level. Sure, making moves and outplaying your opponent is both fun and can amount to some brilliant poker when you get good at it, but why open yourself up to making potentially costly mistakes and maybe even get into a habit of playing above your skill level (if only slightly) when making money at a given level doesn't require it?
He bets when he really feels he has the best hand and he's fairly quick to lay it down to a raise. He admits this play style would get him killed at anything past 100NL, but it works well at the micros and allows him to build a bankroll at the early stages, hone the basics, and cuts down on variance.
Exactly, I say, thank you...
Eschew Egregious Obfuscation (Addendum)
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Noted Poker Authority: Playing NL Hold 'Em With a Plan
One of the best articles I've read in a long time...
http://www.notedpokerauthority.com/articles/playing-no-limit-with-a-plan.html
Get it while it's hot.
http://www.notedpokerauthority.com/articles/playing-no-limit-with-a-plan.html
Get it while it's hot.
Poker Drivel: Eschew Egregious Obfuscation
What the heck is "Eschew Egregious Obfuscation", anyway?
That's my favorite geek-humor, tongue-in-cheek way of saying "don't make things more complicated than they need to be", more literally translated (from Middle Dorkish) as "avoid needless complications ".
You see, we as ambitious human beings have this habit, especially when we start to get good at something... We're naturally curious and we want to explore the concepts and practices to their very fringes, honing the finer points and developing a skill in the subject of which we can be truly proud. While there's nothing ultimately wrong with that, we can get our heads so firmly planted in the details that we forget the basics.
I've spent a lot of time honing the finer points of a bluff and learning how to put an opponent solidly on a hand... I've played around with the right size of bet to feed into chasers to maximize my profit when they don't catch and minimize my losses when they do. I've explored the art of Texas Hold 'Em down to the nitty gritty and found myself occassionally losing sight of the ultimate measure of a successful poker game... Profit.
While I'm sure there are players out there who are truly good enough to play a dazzling poker game full of complexity, access every trick from their repetoire without hesitation or flaw, and constantly maintain focus... That's not me. And it probably isn't you either.
So, while you're reading the various blogs and learning finer points, remember this also... Relax. Work these things into your game slowly. Especially when you're on an emotional or mental edge for some reason, sometimes it's best to keep the tricks and traps in a bag and simply play solid, tight poker.
Eschew Egregious Obfuscation.
That's my favorite geek-humor, tongue-in-cheek way of saying "don't make things more complicated than they need to be", more literally translated (from Middle Dorkish) as "avoid needless complications ".
You see, we as ambitious human beings have this habit, especially when we start to get good at something... We're naturally curious and we want to explore the concepts and practices to their very fringes, honing the finer points and developing a skill in the subject of which we can be truly proud. While there's nothing ultimately wrong with that, we can get our heads so firmly planted in the details that we forget the basics.
I've spent a lot of time honing the finer points of a bluff and learning how to put an opponent solidly on a hand... I've played around with the right size of bet to feed into chasers to maximize my profit when they don't catch and minimize my losses when they do. I've explored the art of Texas Hold 'Em down to the nitty gritty and found myself occassionally losing sight of the ultimate measure of a successful poker game... Profit.
While I'm sure there are players out there who are truly good enough to play a dazzling poker game full of complexity, access every trick from their repetoire without hesitation or flaw, and constantly maintain focus... That's not me. And it probably isn't you either.
So, while you're reading the various blogs and learning finer points, remember this also... Relax. Work these things into your game slowly. Especially when you're on an emotional or mental edge for some reason, sometimes it's best to keep the tricks and traps in a bag and simply play solid, tight poker.
Eschew Egregious Obfuscation.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Down, down, down...
What's happened to Poker Drivel?
That's a very good question and it begs a good answer... The answer is, I've been on a slide that has really shaken my core foundation and made me wonder why I ever played this game and why I should continue.
Flop two pair with big slick. Bet. Get Raised. Re-Raise. Opponent goes all-in. Call. He's got pocket T's. Turn is a T.
Very next hand. I have Aces in late position. Raise significantly pre-flop and am called by big blind. Flop is junk. He bets pot. Don't figure him for a set or he would have bet less or not at all on flop. I raise. He calls. Turn is also junk. Potential straight, but he'd have to be playing something like 5-7. He bets pot. I raise. We're getting thin behind and pot is getting very large. He raises all-in. I call. He has pocket K's. River is a K.
I don't post these to whine about these specific hands or seek sympathy on any level... Only to wonder allowed how I can have stretches of days, even weeks, where hands like this are the norm. I fear hitting a really good hand because I know, given my current run, I'm a solid 75% to lose it.
It boggles my mind, beats me up, and really makes me want to throw the countless hours I've spent at the poker table and all the experience I've gained in the toilet. Screw this game.
Who needs it?
Had turned a 300% profit on intial buy-in at FTP in 2 months. Dropped down to a 30% loss in a week of complete inability to win a worthwile hand no matter how I played it. Now I'm at about 10% profit after I took down a random SnG last night.
I find myself wondering if I should start over or just walk...
That's a very good question and it begs a good answer... The answer is, I've been on a slide that has really shaken my core foundation and made me wonder why I ever played this game and why I should continue.
Flop two pair with big slick. Bet. Get Raised. Re-Raise. Opponent goes all-in. Call. He's got pocket T's. Turn is a T.
Very next hand. I have Aces in late position. Raise significantly pre-flop and am called by big blind. Flop is junk. He bets pot. Don't figure him for a set or he would have bet less or not at all on flop. I raise. He calls. Turn is also junk. Potential straight, but he'd have to be playing something like 5-7. He bets pot. I raise. We're getting thin behind and pot is getting very large. He raises all-in. I call. He has pocket K's. River is a K.
I don't post these to whine about these specific hands or seek sympathy on any level... Only to wonder allowed how I can have stretches of days, even weeks, where hands like this are the norm. I fear hitting a really good hand because I know, given my current run, I'm a solid 75% to lose it.
It boggles my mind, beats me up, and really makes me want to throw the countless hours I've spent at the poker table and all the experience I've gained in the toilet. Screw this game.
Who needs it?
Had turned a 300% profit on intial buy-in at FTP in 2 months. Dropped down to a 30% loss in a week of complete inability to win a worthwile hand no matter how I played it. Now I'm at about 10% profit after I took down a random SnG last night.
I find myself wondering if I should start over or just walk...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
