And the river runs dry...

The Pokerholics hosts flaked on us and all the rest of my games have dried up. I've got no avenue for poker... Maybe I'll head into the mountains sometime soon.

Vegas and Blogs

Back from Las Vegas and wanting to revive the blog... Again.

Here's hoping I can find some consistency this time.

Need... more... poker...

Why is it so difficult to find / get into a weekly poker game?

Maybe I should network more on places like 2+2...

Poker Drivel: Not Good Enough

I found myself in another relatively large stakes (for me, anyway) invitational tournament and busted out only 3 hands after the add-on, before the lunch break, when pretty much everybody had LOADS of chips to play with. Here's how it went...

Raiser in middle position makes it 2BB. Everyone folds to me; I call with 9Tc on the button. I'll often lay this down, but I've got position and this player has been relatively tight, though he does seem to overvalue his hands sometimes. The blinds fold also.

The flop came 7c8d2c...

Our raiser bets just below the pot, which I expected him to do almost no matter what came. I double his bet. He doesn't hesitate much in doubling THAT bet. I think for awhile... I have the OES draw, flush draw, and this guy ISN'T betting with a draw so I'm good if I hit either one. He's likely on an overpair or a set; I'd give equal odds to either.  With two clubs on the board, he's certain he's ahead for now but would prefer not to see another card. I call. Here's where the real trouble begins...

The turn is 8c...

I get a little starry-eyed for a couple of reasons... I hit the flush, for one, and I've now got the straight flush with EITHER the Jc or 6c. (You guys already know where this is going...) He shoves for about 2x pot and I call far too quickly, too caught up in my cards to think clearly about what's happening here.

Of course, he did have the set on the flop... 77 for sevens-full on the Turn. I have to hit the straight flush now.

River's a blank and I go home 34th / 40, before the lunch break...

Everybody shook my hand and said there was nothing I could do, but I disagree strongly... I need to be good enough to keep my wits about me, remember what I've got the other guy on, and keep the hands in perspective. I could and SHOULD have gotten away from that hand and used my remaining chips to rebuild.

I'll remember that hand for a long time, especially when I start feeling like I'm pretty good. I need to remember the time I was not good enough.

It gets really old...

...to delete all the non-sense comments in Chinese. What's the motivation behind leaving such contentless crap on random blogs?

Sometimes we forget...

I get busy with work, gym, and life and I forget... Forget to play poker, forget to keep my blog friends in the loop... I occasionally think I would forget to breathe if not reminded by the eventual burning sensation in my chest.

I will make an attempt to resume play tonight and, if something happens that seems noteworthy, I'll definitely tell you all about it.

Poker Drivel: Patience

I went through a good, long stretch where I knew more about poker but my overall play wasn't as good as it had been when I knew less... Whether or not they realize it, I think this happens to a lot of players on their journey from relative beginner to middling. As the newness and initial excitement of the game wear off, we get a little jaded and lose a certain edge that seriously affects our game as a whole. The difference?

Patience.

As I (in my estimation) find the keys to push through the upper borders of middling and into the journeyman range, I find the ultimate key is long-term patience, even temper, focus, and walking away when I feel myself losing grip. I know it sounds obvious when it's spelled out, but I don't think most players in this situation even realize how often their mind is drifting or they're loosening up due to impatience. It takes a lot of focus to realize when you're losing focus.

I now play a lot of poker on Facebook, which I would NEVER have done before... Every time I start to slide into the bored, "doesn't matter" mindset I kick my own butt, refocus, and force myself to take it seriously no matter how donkish the play around me. It's been quite effective discipline training.