Someone once said that when things are bad they're never as bad as they seem and, conversely, when things are good they're never as good as they seem. As with so many philosophies this one applies to poker as well as life in general.
We need to keep things is perspective as poker players. I see two extremes in play every day in the poker world: People that think they have it figured out because of some recent success or sometimes some long ago success and people that think they just can't cut it because they haven't yet won "the big one". Both are usually wrong. Just because you made three final tables in a row at your local tournament or won a big tournament at your local series that doesn't make you an "up and coming star". Conversely, just because you haven't yet won the Main Event that doesn't mean you don't know what you're doing.
I've played against some of the biggest names in poker, played several times against one of the "up and coming stars of poker" (labeled as such because he won a couple of big tournaments a few years ago) and have played numerous times against an older retired guy at the Beau who just plays poker for fun in his retirement. I know you saw this one coming but it is the retired guy that I most dread seeing at my table. He plays good solid poker and is consistently successful. You won't get rich off him.
The big name poker players are well known because they have had success on the big stage. Don't get me wrong....success on the big stage warrants some respect but I've found the biggest difference between these guys and some of your local rounders is that the big names have had plenty of opportunities to perform on the big stage. It's hard to win bracelets if you don't often get to play in bracelet events.
The poker world is full of young professionals. We play with them all the time, particularly when we're playing circuit events. Usually somewhere along the line they've won a big tournament or two and now believe that they're better than most of the people in the tournament. They're usually wrong. The "up and comer" that I mentioned earlier is one of these guys. He's a really nice guy and a pretty good poker player but I've played at several tables with him and almost always get the best of him. He has even mentioned that he hates to see me at the table. Does that mean I'm some sort of poker whiz? That's an emphatic "NO". That means he's human--not to be feared.
The older guy I mentioned above is one of the regulars at the Beau. As I said he plays good solid poker. Nothing flashy about him. He never has been nor never will be a "professional poker player" but he's been playing poker longer than most of us have been alive and he's learned a few things along the way.
We all need to constantly evaluate our game and always strive for improvement. Just don't get too high on yourself because you've had a good run and don't get too down on yourself just because you're on a bad run. That's just poker.
See you at the tables.
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Taking It Seriously
I made a mistake the other day. I realize that a poker player making a mistake isn't headline news. But a poker player admitting he made a mistake may be.
The hand: We were at the very early stages of a tournament. Most of the players, including myself, had quite a few chips in relation to the blinds. I was on the button and everyone folded around to my pocket aces. I raised the standard amount, the small blind folded and the big blind called. We went to the flop heads up. The flop was Kxx rainbow. He checked, I bet about 3/4 of the pot, he called. The turn was a Jack. Again, he checked, I bet about 2/3 of the pot, he called. The river was a brick. He checked, I put in a value bet of less than half the pot. He shoved.
I erroneously called for several reasons:
1. The player in the hand with me is an aggressive player entirely capable of shoving with nothing.
2. According to traditional wisdom I was "pot committed".
3. The philosophy of "chip up or chip out" early in a tournament.
4. My REAL reason. I'll get to that in a minute.
Let's look at these reasons to call:
1. Making a call against an aggressive player capable of shoving with nothing is sound reasoning but not enough of a reason for me to have made this call.
2. The traditional wisdom of "pot committed" is just plain wrong in a lot of cases and this was one of those cases. In reality I only had about half my chips in the pot. In any case, if you're beat (with no draws remaining) and you make the call it is wrong even if you have 90% of your chips in the pot.
3. The "chip up or chip out" philosophy/strategy only applies if there is another tournament/game you can move to if you bust out of this one. I had full intentions of going home at the end of this tournament no matter what the results. And, let's face it, this philosophy is pretty thin in any case.
Now for the real reason I made this foolish call:
My wife isn't a poker player and she admittedly doesn't understand a lot of the strategy and math involved in poker. But she understands human nature and she knows me extremely well. When I got home and told my sad story to her she immediately pounced on the REAL mistake I made---I wasn't taking it seriously.
One thing I've noticed about my poker experience is that I almost always win at cash games. I haven't run the numbers but I believe I come out ahead at about 80% of the cash games I play. The reason: I take it seriously. One of the reasons I don't often play cash games is that I'm exhausted after only a few hours of play. Why? I'm playing with real money and since I grew up poor I respect real money. Consequently, I am concentrating on everything that happens during every hand. That's why I have a stellar record playing cash games. I take it seriously.
The tournament in question was a "free roll" at the Beau. I actually invested $10 into the tournament for extra chips. Now I'm not a wealthy man but $10 hardly constitutes a substantial investment. Consequently, I wasn't taking it seriously. In a cash game I wouldn't have made that particular call. Period.
Going forward I plan to take each session of poker seriously no matter what the investment. After all, I'm investing my time and need to take it seriously or don't bother with it.
Now, I'm not saying I won't make any foolish calls (or other plays) in the future because I know better than that. But I won't be making foolish mistakes simply because I'm not taking it seriously.
See you at the tables.
The hand: We were at the very early stages of a tournament. Most of the players, including myself, had quite a few chips in relation to the blinds. I was on the button and everyone folded around to my pocket aces. I raised the standard amount, the small blind folded and the big blind called. We went to the flop heads up. The flop was Kxx rainbow. He checked, I bet about 3/4 of the pot, he called. The turn was a Jack. Again, he checked, I bet about 2/3 of the pot, he called. The river was a brick. He checked, I put in a value bet of less than half the pot. He shoved.
I erroneously called for several reasons:
1. The player in the hand with me is an aggressive player entirely capable of shoving with nothing.
2. According to traditional wisdom I was "pot committed".
3. The philosophy of "chip up or chip out" early in a tournament.
4. My REAL reason. I'll get to that in a minute.
Let's look at these reasons to call:
1. Making a call against an aggressive player capable of shoving with nothing is sound reasoning but not enough of a reason for me to have made this call.
2. The traditional wisdom of "pot committed" is just plain wrong in a lot of cases and this was one of those cases. In reality I only had about half my chips in the pot. In any case, if you're beat (with no draws remaining) and you make the call it is wrong even if you have 90% of your chips in the pot.
3. The "chip up or chip out" philosophy/strategy only applies if there is another tournament/game you can move to if you bust out of this one. I had full intentions of going home at the end of this tournament no matter what the results. And, let's face it, this philosophy is pretty thin in any case.
Now for the real reason I made this foolish call:
My wife isn't a poker player and she admittedly doesn't understand a lot of the strategy and math involved in poker. But she understands human nature and she knows me extremely well. When I got home and told my sad story to her she immediately pounced on the REAL mistake I made---I wasn't taking it seriously.
One thing I've noticed about my poker experience is that I almost always win at cash games. I haven't run the numbers but I believe I come out ahead at about 80% of the cash games I play. The reason: I take it seriously. One of the reasons I don't often play cash games is that I'm exhausted after only a few hours of play. Why? I'm playing with real money and since I grew up poor I respect real money. Consequently, I am concentrating on everything that happens during every hand. That's why I have a stellar record playing cash games. I take it seriously.
The tournament in question was a "free roll" at the Beau. I actually invested $10 into the tournament for extra chips. Now I'm not a wealthy man but $10 hardly constitutes a substantial investment. Consequently, I wasn't taking it seriously. In a cash game I wouldn't have made that particular call. Period.
Going forward I plan to take each session of poker seriously no matter what the investment. After all, I'm investing my time and need to take it seriously or don't bother with it.
Now, I'm not saying I won't make any foolish calls (or other plays) in the future because I know better than that. But I won't be making foolish mistakes simply because I'm not taking it seriously.
See you at the tables.
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Insanity
I wrote a blog a week or so ago titled "Gut Check". It basically assailed the virtues of persistence. A lot can be said for persistence. Thomas Edison finally invented the incandescent light bulb after trying hundreds of filament materials. The now common product WD-40 was the 40th attempt at a water displacement solution. The tortoise finally won the race after persistently putting one foot ahead of the other until he made the finish line.
In my case, I was in the middle of one of my longest tournament losing streaks and I was affirming to myself that I had no intentions of giving up. Well, the losing streak is over but I've learned something along the way.
It's one thing to be persistent but quite another to keep doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Someone once said that was the definition of insanity.
I had slipped back into some old habits. We all have weaknesses and some poor tendencies. I won't bore you with the details of my bad habits and poor tendencies. Part of the reason I won't delve into those details is because I don't want you to use my weaknesses against me. Let's just leave it at that. I have some bad habits and some poor tendencies and slip back into them from time to time without realizing it. That's what had happened to me.
So yes, I will be persistent but I won't continue to make the same mistakes over and over again. I've identified my shortcomings (or at least part of them) and will be making some immediate corrections. Meanwhile I will be persistent.
I wrote the above comments several weeks ago. Since then I have finished in the money in four of the eight tournaments I've entered. I've also played a couple of cash sessions and ended up in the black both times. I've quit making the same mistakes and it shows.
When things get tough hang in there but always look for improvement and stay on the lookout for slipping back into bad habits.
See you at the tables.
In my case, I was in the middle of one of my longest tournament losing streaks and I was affirming to myself that I had no intentions of giving up. Well, the losing streak is over but I've learned something along the way.
It's one thing to be persistent but quite another to keep doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Someone once said that was the definition of insanity.
I had slipped back into some old habits. We all have weaknesses and some poor tendencies. I won't bore you with the details of my bad habits and poor tendencies. Part of the reason I won't delve into those details is because I don't want you to use my weaknesses against me. Let's just leave it at that. I have some bad habits and some poor tendencies and slip back into them from time to time without realizing it. That's what had happened to me.
So yes, I will be persistent but I won't continue to make the same mistakes over and over again. I've identified my shortcomings (or at least part of them) and will be making some immediate corrections. Meanwhile I will be persistent.
I wrote the above comments several weeks ago. Since then I have finished in the money in four of the eight tournaments I've entered. I've also played a couple of cash sessions and ended up in the black both times. I've quit making the same mistakes and it shows.
When things get tough hang in there but always look for improvement and stay on the lookout for slipping back into bad habits.
See you at the tables.
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Looking for the Positive
I am NOT what Rush Limbaugh calls a "low information voter". I read a lot of news reports and editorials, watch the evening news most nights and have even been known to listen to talk radio from time to time. In other words, I pay attention.
If one pays much attention to the news depression can set in. The news seems to usually be bad and the commentary can be even worse. The economy is stuck in neutral, the government is taking a bigger and bigger slice of our income each year and continues to use that money/power to usurp our rights and freedoms, the NSA is spying on us, the IRS is intimidating us, the Iranians are developing a nuclear weapon and promise to annihilate Israel with it, the North Koreans already have nukes and are building missiles to reach across the Pacific, our public schools are terrible and steadily getting worse, the country is going broke, reports are that the next "bubble" will be student loans, we have less people working now than at any time since the Great Depression, it seems that a majority of people are on some kind of government handout, we have sunspots, comets, asteroids, global warming (a crock if you ask me), earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, and God only knows what else to worry about. The list goes on and on.
Someone once said (and I'm paraphrasing here) that when things are bad they're never as bad as they seem and when things are good they're never as good as they seem. I have had a couple of experiences lately that have somewhat restored my faith in humanity.
Just before Christmas my wife and I attended a concert by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. The concert was in Birmingham and a cold rain was falling. We had a couple hundred yards to walk in the rain. No problem, we had an umbrella. When we entered the arena the security folks were confiscating umbrellas. (Said they could be used as a weapon. No, I'm not kidding.) Several barrels were available in which to leave your umbrella. Of course, I complained. "There's no chance I will ever see this umbrella again."
We had good seats for the concert. The problem with having good seats is that you're some of the last people to get to the exits after the event. I'm putting this down in black and white and I saw it with my own eyes but I'm still in shock: That umbrella was still in that barrel when we got to the exit. Several thousand people had walked by our umbrella and exited into a cold Winter rain.
Just last weekend we attended the rodeo sponsored by the Beau Rivage and held at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum. While we witnessed no great examples of chivalry what we did notice was a coliseum full of good, hard working, polite, country folk. These are the kind of people that form the backbone of this country, the kind of people that built this country, and the kind of people that will eventually save this country from itself.
There are good people all around us but they are usually overshadowed by the lowlife amongst us. It's the same at the typical poker tournament. We tend to only remember the one jerk at the other end of the table and forget about the other eight polite people with whom we enjoyed a great game of poker.
Our game is full of ladies and gentlemen as well as professionals. Yes, it seems they take too much rake from the cash games and too big of a cut from our tournament entry fees but just remember: We have a poker game available to us at any time and a wide assortment of tournament opportunities, all as a result of the effort and professionalism of the people running the poker rooms and putting on the tournaments.
In our game we seem to keep running into the guy that apparently had no raisin'. He's usually one of the young "professionals" that has absolutely no idea how to be a professional much less a gentleman. He's rude to the dealers, the other players, the cocktail waitress and pretty much anybody he sees. He thinks he's the smartest and best in the room when, in actuality, he's the pariah in the room. My suggestion is to ignore him as much as possible and relish the vast majority of ladies and gentlemen with which we enjoy our game.
The same can be said for life in general. We're constantly running into the guy with road rage, the young woman texting while running us off the road without even knowing it, the rude clerk at the checkout counter, the waitress with an attitude, the low level government official on a power trip, the doctor or lawyer with a God complex, or maybe even the mugger in the parking garage. We can't avoid these people and sometimes we can't simply ignore them (the mugger is a good example here) but what we can do is take notice of all the good people we interact with each and every day and not let them be overshadowed by the few bad apples we run into. The other thing we can do is strive to be one of the honest, classy, hard working, polite, kind, unnoticed "silent" majority.
When I'm playing poker I always keep in mind that I'm here to have fun and the same can be said for the other players. Why would I want to ruin both their day and my own by be being dour, rude, and obnoxious? I strive to be upbeat and polite at all times. I remember that the dealers, floor people, cocktail waitresses, and chip runners are trying to make a living and I can have a small part in either making their work day a pleasurable experience or a nightmare. My choice.
Are you going to be one of those people that we all hate to see coming? Or are you going to be someone with whom I can enjoy a good game of poker? That's your choice.
Until later.
If one pays much attention to the news depression can set in. The news seems to usually be bad and the commentary can be even worse. The economy is stuck in neutral, the government is taking a bigger and bigger slice of our income each year and continues to use that money/power to usurp our rights and freedoms, the NSA is spying on us, the IRS is intimidating us, the Iranians are developing a nuclear weapon and promise to annihilate Israel with it, the North Koreans already have nukes and are building missiles to reach across the Pacific, our public schools are terrible and steadily getting worse, the country is going broke, reports are that the next "bubble" will be student loans, we have less people working now than at any time since the Great Depression, it seems that a majority of people are on some kind of government handout, we have sunspots, comets, asteroids, global warming (a crock if you ask me), earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, and God only knows what else to worry about. The list goes on and on.
Someone once said (and I'm paraphrasing here) that when things are bad they're never as bad as they seem and when things are good they're never as good as they seem. I have had a couple of experiences lately that have somewhat restored my faith in humanity.
Just before Christmas my wife and I attended a concert by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. The concert was in Birmingham and a cold rain was falling. We had a couple hundred yards to walk in the rain. No problem, we had an umbrella. When we entered the arena the security folks were confiscating umbrellas. (Said they could be used as a weapon. No, I'm not kidding.) Several barrels were available in which to leave your umbrella. Of course, I complained. "There's no chance I will ever see this umbrella again."
We had good seats for the concert. The problem with having good seats is that you're some of the last people to get to the exits after the event. I'm putting this down in black and white and I saw it with my own eyes but I'm still in shock: That umbrella was still in that barrel when we got to the exit. Several thousand people had walked by our umbrella and exited into a cold Winter rain.
Just last weekend we attended the rodeo sponsored by the Beau Rivage and held at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum. While we witnessed no great examples of chivalry what we did notice was a coliseum full of good, hard working, polite, country folk. These are the kind of people that form the backbone of this country, the kind of people that built this country, and the kind of people that will eventually save this country from itself.
There are good people all around us but they are usually overshadowed by the lowlife amongst us. It's the same at the typical poker tournament. We tend to only remember the one jerk at the other end of the table and forget about the other eight polite people with whom we enjoyed a great game of poker.
Our game is full of ladies and gentlemen as well as professionals. Yes, it seems they take too much rake from the cash games and too big of a cut from our tournament entry fees but just remember: We have a poker game available to us at any time and a wide assortment of tournament opportunities, all as a result of the effort and professionalism of the people running the poker rooms and putting on the tournaments.
In our game we seem to keep running into the guy that apparently had no raisin'. He's usually one of the young "professionals" that has absolutely no idea how to be a professional much less a gentleman. He's rude to the dealers, the other players, the cocktail waitress and pretty much anybody he sees. He thinks he's the smartest and best in the room when, in actuality, he's the pariah in the room. My suggestion is to ignore him as much as possible and relish the vast majority of ladies and gentlemen with which we enjoy our game.
The same can be said for life in general. We're constantly running into the guy with road rage, the young woman texting while running us off the road without even knowing it, the rude clerk at the checkout counter, the waitress with an attitude, the low level government official on a power trip, the doctor or lawyer with a God complex, or maybe even the mugger in the parking garage. We can't avoid these people and sometimes we can't simply ignore them (the mugger is a good example here) but what we can do is take notice of all the good people we interact with each and every day and not let them be overshadowed by the few bad apples we run into. The other thing we can do is strive to be one of the honest, classy, hard working, polite, kind, unnoticed "silent" majority.
When I'm playing poker I always keep in mind that I'm here to have fun and the same can be said for the other players. Why would I want to ruin both their day and my own by be being dour, rude, and obnoxious? I strive to be upbeat and polite at all times. I remember that the dealers, floor people, cocktail waitresses, and chip runners are trying to make a living and I can have a small part in either making their work day a pleasurable experience or a nightmare. My choice.
Are you going to be one of those people that we all hate to see coming? Or are you going to be someone with whom I can enjoy a good game of poker? That's your choice.
Until later.
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Gut Check
I'm writing this at almost midnight on my fifth day at the Million Dollar Heater at the Beau Rivage in Biloxi, MS. It's been a rough poker week.
I started out well by placing in the $500k Guarantee opening tournament for the series (87th place out of 1,972 players) and it's been all downhill since then. I could tell you several bad beat stories but won't bore you with the gory details. In short, I've played in quite a few tournaments and haven't made a dime. I've lost all my winnings from the first event and am now in the hole by more than I care to mention.
It is at times like these that a gut check is in order. Can I afford to keep losing like this? Will I ever win again? Is it possible to win a "race"? Have I lost it? Did I ever have it? Am I kidding myself? Is it time to quit poker?
It's funny how poker often mirrors life. A lot of times people get down on themselves over one aspect or another of life. I've heard several variations of some of the following from different people and have had some of these thoughts myself: Is the system against me? Why is it that everything I try to do seems to end in failure? Can I do ANYTHING right? I've made so many mistakes that it seems I've dug a hole too deep to climb out of. Is it worth the effort or should I just resign myself to mediocrity? Why is it that I can't get that promotion when I've worked so hard? Am I incapable of sustaining a long term relationship with the opposite sex? Why is it that I don't seem to have any friends? The list goes on and on. All of these questions are essentially the same question and can be stated thus: Am I doomed to failure and should I just give up? The answer is a resounding "NO"!!
Let's face it, in poker as well as in life sometimes things just seem to go wrong no matter what you do. Is that a reason to give up? No. The proper course of action is to evaluate the situation, differentiate between the things you control and the things that are out of your control, change what you can for the better, rededicate yourself to happiness and success and move onward and upward.
Of course, if you evaluate the situation and find that you consistently lose at poker and really CAN'T afford to keep losing don't be afraid to face reality and move on to other endeavors. And never play poker with grocery money!
I've honestly evaluated my poker game, accepted that there are some things I can't control (sometimes AQ offsuit beats AA), continued to fine tune my game and dedicate myself to making better decisions, and I'll be back at it tomorrow with the full confidence that I can succeed.
Will I win tomorrow? I'm playing in a tournament so, statistically the odds are against me. If I get knocked out before the money I'll pick myself up and try again. I've heard it said that you haven't failed until you've quit trying. I CAN be successful, I HAVE been successful, and I WILL be successful--both in poker and in life.
Until later.
I started out well by placing in the $500k Guarantee opening tournament for the series (87th place out of 1,972 players) and it's been all downhill since then. I could tell you several bad beat stories but won't bore you with the gory details. In short, I've played in quite a few tournaments and haven't made a dime. I've lost all my winnings from the first event and am now in the hole by more than I care to mention.
It is at times like these that a gut check is in order. Can I afford to keep losing like this? Will I ever win again? Is it possible to win a "race"? Have I lost it? Did I ever have it? Am I kidding myself? Is it time to quit poker?
It's funny how poker often mirrors life. A lot of times people get down on themselves over one aspect or another of life. I've heard several variations of some of the following from different people and have had some of these thoughts myself: Is the system against me? Why is it that everything I try to do seems to end in failure? Can I do ANYTHING right? I've made so many mistakes that it seems I've dug a hole too deep to climb out of. Is it worth the effort or should I just resign myself to mediocrity? Why is it that I can't get that promotion when I've worked so hard? Am I incapable of sustaining a long term relationship with the opposite sex? Why is it that I don't seem to have any friends? The list goes on and on. All of these questions are essentially the same question and can be stated thus: Am I doomed to failure and should I just give up? The answer is a resounding "NO"!!
Let's face it, in poker as well as in life sometimes things just seem to go wrong no matter what you do. Is that a reason to give up? No. The proper course of action is to evaluate the situation, differentiate between the things you control and the things that are out of your control, change what you can for the better, rededicate yourself to happiness and success and move onward and upward.
Of course, if you evaluate the situation and find that you consistently lose at poker and really CAN'T afford to keep losing don't be afraid to face reality and move on to other endeavors. And never play poker with grocery money!
I've honestly evaluated my poker game, accepted that there are some things I can't control (sometimes AQ offsuit beats AA), continued to fine tune my game and dedicate myself to making better decisions, and I'll be back at it tomorrow with the full confidence that I can succeed.
Will I win tomorrow? I'm playing in a tournament so, statistically the odds are against me. If I get knocked out before the money I'll pick myself up and try again. I've heard it said that you haven't failed until you've quit trying. I CAN be successful, I HAVE been successful, and I WILL be successful--both in poker and in life.
Until later.
Saturday, December 21, 2013
The Circuit
I listen to a lot of music. I love music. For some reason I don't care for poetry unless it's put to music. Then I love it. Go figure.
My taste in music is pretty eclectic. Some of the best concerts I've attended have been The Eagles, Willie Nelson, Aerosmith, Neil Diamond, Three Dog Night, and Trans-Siberian Orchestra.
The other day I heard an old classic: "Amarillo By Morning" by George Strait. There are quite a few songs out there about riding the rodeo circuit and that got me to thinking. I've never followed the rodeo circuit but it sounds a lot like following the poker circuit.
Both involve chasing that ever elusive big score. The odds are against you but you keep chasing the big gold belt buckle or, in the case of poker, the bracelet. In both rodeos and poker tournaments we seem to be driven by the same adrenaline rush. As Chris Ledoux says in "Hooked on an 8 Second Ride", "Hooked on a feeling, addicted to a natural high". It's more than the thrill of victory--it's the chase. Knowing you're almost surely behind with your one pair, an inside straight draw, and a back door flush draw but calling anyway to chase the dream. Or believing your over pair is good and betting it while dreading that third club hitting the board.
For the bronco rider or the bull rider it's surviving for that terrifying yet magical eight seconds. For us it's surviving the grind of a fourteen hour session hoping to bag chips at the end of the ordeal. And you're still not guaranteed to even make the money, much less take down the jewelry. While the physical strain is of a different sort the strain is there nonetheless. Anyone who hasn't done it needs to try sitting at that table and concentrating on everything that happens for fourteen hours.
Both sports (and yes poker IS a sport) involve living out of hotels, consuming a lot of fast food, traveling all over the country, being away from your family, and straining your marriage. They're both hard on your family life and whatever social life you might have. And they're both particularly tough on someone trying to hold down a regular job in their spare time.
In "Rodeo" Garth Brooks says "It's the white in the knuckles, the gold in the buckle. He'll win the next go round". You've just moved all in near the bubble with two pairs and the guy at the other end of the table is considering calling. Does he have a set? A bigger two pair? An over pair only? Is he going to call? Are you about to double up and be set well for the push to the final table or are you about to be sent to the rail? Your knuckles may be white and there may be a lump in your throat but you'd better not let it show. Why did you risk your tournament life on two pairs? Fourteen or fifteen hours of intense concentration down the drain? Are you nuts? You certainly don't have "the nuts". All you have is three pairs: two jacks, two tens, and a big brass pair. Why do we do it? To "win the next go round".
George keeps crooning "Amarillo by morning, up from San Antone". Well, my next stop on the circuit is the Million Dollar Heater in Biloxi to start 2014 so I guess it's "Biloxi by morning, back from my day job".
See you there. Let's chase that proverbial brass ring.
My taste in music is pretty eclectic. Some of the best concerts I've attended have been The Eagles, Willie Nelson, Aerosmith, Neil Diamond, Three Dog Night, and Trans-Siberian Orchestra.
The other day I heard an old classic: "Amarillo By Morning" by George Strait. There are quite a few songs out there about riding the rodeo circuit and that got me to thinking. I've never followed the rodeo circuit but it sounds a lot like following the poker circuit.
Both involve chasing that ever elusive big score. The odds are against you but you keep chasing the big gold belt buckle or, in the case of poker, the bracelet. In both rodeos and poker tournaments we seem to be driven by the same adrenaline rush. As Chris Ledoux says in "Hooked on an 8 Second Ride", "Hooked on a feeling, addicted to a natural high". It's more than the thrill of victory--it's the chase. Knowing you're almost surely behind with your one pair, an inside straight draw, and a back door flush draw but calling anyway to chase the dream. Or believing your over pair is good and betting it while dreading that third club hitting the board.
For the bronco rider or the bull rider it's surviving for that terrifying yet magical eight seconds. For us it's surviving the grind of a fourteen hour session hoping to bag chips at the end of the ordeal. And you're still not guaranteed to even make the money, much less take down the jewelry. While the physical strain is of a different sort the strain is there nonetheless. Anyone who hasn't done it needs to try sitting at that table and concentrating on everything that happens for fourteen hours.
Both sports (and yes poker IS a sport) involve living out of hotels, consuming a lot of fast food, traveling all over the country, being away from your family, and straining your marriage. They're both hard on your family life and whatever social life you might have. And they're both particularly tough on someone trying to hold down a regular job in their spare time.
In "Rodeo" Garth Brooks says "It's the white in the knuckles, the gold in the buckle. He'll win the next go round". You've just moved all in near the bubble with two pairs and the guy at the other end of the table is considering calling. Does he have a set? A bigger two pair? An over pair only? Is he going to call? Are you about to double up and be set well for the push to the final table or are you about to be sent to the rail? Your knuckles may be white and there may be a lump in your throat but you'd better not let it show. Why did you risk your tournament life on two pairs? Fourteen or fifteen hours of intense concentration down the drain? Are you nuts? You certainly don't have "the nuts". All you have is three pairs: two jacks, two tens, and a big brass pair. Why do we do it? To "win the next go round".
George keeps crooning "Amarillo by morning, up from San Antone". Well, my next stop on the circuit is the Million Dollar Heater in Biloxi to start 2014 so I guess it's "Biloxi by morning, back from my day job".
See you there. Let's chase that proverbial brass ring.
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Grocery Money
I've always had a policy of never playing poker with grocery money. In reality this means I have never and will never play poker with money that is needed for other things. In other words I only play poker with money I can afford to lose. Money that I can't afford to lose is what I call "grocery money". While this may seem like a no-brainer for most of you it always amazes me how many people are gambling with money they can't afford to lose.
I ran into a guy one night that had "got broke" at the casino that very night. The money he had lost had been set aside to pay the car note and now he didn't know what he was going to do. His wife wasn't speaking to him and indications were that his marriage was on the rocks as a result of his ill advised adventures.
I had a good friend whose long standing marriage had withstood infidelity including an illegitimate child but was destroyed by her gambling (not poker) addiction.
I have another friend who plays a lot of tournament poker and some cash games. He tells me he budgets $5000 per month to play poker and $5000 for each tournament series he attends. The difference here is that he can afford to lose $5000 each month and never even begin to touch grocery money. He has a thriving business that can easily support his hobby.
My wife reads from time to time about some young guy that has just won a lot of money playing poker and sometimes wonders aloud why I haven't hit it big. The reason is simple. I don't play in big tournaments because my poker bankroll won't support the entry fees and I refuse to use grocery money to enter a tournament. It's not that I don't consider myself a good gamble. (At this writing I have won four of the last thirteen tournaments I've entered. See my blog "To Chop Or Not To Chop" to fully understand what I mean when I say "won" a tournament.) I just simply WILL NOT gamble with money I can't afford to lose.
You can't win the big tournament with the big payout if you don't enter the big tournament with the big entry fee. Conversely, I will never go broke playing poker if I don't risk "grocery money".
There is another side to this philosophy. The other day I stopped at a store to pick up a few groceries and the only money I had on me was my poker bankroll. I used the credit card to buy the groceries. You see, I won't play poker with grocery money and, conversely, won't buy groceries with poker money. My poker money will readily revert to grocery money if and only if we run out of grocery money.
I realize that most of the people that may read this blog already have the same or a similar philosophy about not risking too much on poker but maybe someone will read this and, as a result, manage their money a little better and avoid "going broke" at the casino.
Never play poker with grocery money.
Until later.
I ran into a guy one night that had "got broke" at the casino that very night. The money he had lost had been set aside to pay the car note and now he didn't know what he was going to do. His wife wasn't speaking to him and indications were that his marriage was on the rocks as a result of his ill advised adventures.
I had a good friend whose long standing marriage had withstood infidelity including an illegitimate child but was destroyed by her gambling (not poker) addiction.
I have another friend who plays a lot of tournament poker and some cash games. He tells me he budgets $5000 per month to play poker and $5000 for each tournament series he attends. The difference here is that he can afford to lose $5000 each month and never even begin to touch grocery money. He has a thriving business that can easily support his hobby.
My wife reads from time to time about some young guy that has just won a lot of money playing poker and sometimes wonders aloud why I haven't hit it big. The reason is simple. I don't play in big tournaments because my poker bankroll won't support the entry fees and I refuse to use grocery money to enter a tournament. It's not that I don't consider myself a good gamble. (At this writing I have won four of the last thirteen tournaments I've entered. See my blog "To Chop Or Not To Chop" to fully understand what I mean when I say "won" a tournament.) I just simply WILL NOT gamble with money I can't afford to lose.
You can't win the big tournament with the big payout if you don't enter the big tournament with the big entry fee. Conversely, I will never go broke playing poker if I don't risk "grocery money".
There is another side to this philosophy. The other day I stopped at a store to pick up a few groceries and the only money I had on me was my poker bankroll. I used the credit card to buy the groceries. You see, I won't play poker with grocery money and, conversely, won't buy groceries with poker money. My poker money will readily revert to grocery money if and only if we run out of grocery money.
I realize that most of the people that may read this blog already have the same or a similar philosophy about not risking too much on poker but maybe someone will read this and, as a result, manage their money a little better and avoid "going broke" at the casino.
Never play poker with grocery money.
Until later.
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