Like a lot of other poker players I track my winnings and losses. Personally, I do it with a spreadsheet and graph the results. I'm sure there are multiple ways to track how you're doing, that's just the way I do it.
I've been having a rough poker year. In fact, this year is (so far) the worst year of my poker career. My results had gotten so bad that I had quit updating my spreadsheet. I knew I was way behind but didn't really want to know just how far behind. It was too depressing.
A month or so ago I stepped back and evaluated the situation and changed my game accordingly. My results have improved quite a bit.
So.........I decided this morning to update my spreadsheet and graph and see how it looks. In one word: "Depressing". The silver lining is that the last month or so looks a lot better than the overall picture. I can at least take solace in the fact that the situation is improving.
I wasn't really lying to myself by not keeping my spreadsheet updated. I knew I wasn't doing well, just didn't know exactly how bad it was. I guess you could say I was shielding myself from the gory details. Well the details have now seen the full light of day and they're ugly.
If there's a moral to all this it would be a reminder that the worst person you can lie to is yourself. Worse than lying to your wife, your best friend, or even God. Lying to yourself is the worst and it is particularly bad if a poker player is lying to himself.
My results have gotten better of late but I'm not lying to myself---my game could still use a lot of improvement and I'm working on it.
See you at the tables.
Thursday, July 24, 2014
Monday, June 23, 2014
Bubble Boy
I only play in the final ("Championship") event of a series if I've made enough money during the series to cover it or if I happen to satellite my way in. I don't play many "megas" simply because I'm not too fond of rebuy tournaments so I don't often satellite my way in. Therefore, I'm not a regular in the final tournament of a series.
A few years ago I played in one of these "Championship" events. It was a $5k buy-in and I had made enough during the series to cover it. This was the most I had ever paid out of my pocket to enter a poker tournament.
I made it down to the final nineteen and they were paying eighteen places. Eighteenth place paid a little over $8k and, since a $5k entry was such a big deal to me, I was determined to make the cut. I was at a tough table. Chad Brown was one seat to my left and Vanessa Rousso was a couple of seats to my right. Most of the remaining players at the table were professionals. I was a little short stacked at this point but one guy at my table was a little more short stacked than me. Long story short I waited him out and made the money. Of course, by then I was so extremely short stacked that I went out in eighteenth place.
While I was proud to make my money back I have regretted my play at that tournament ever since.
Last year I played in a $1k entry tournament during the Venetian Deep Stack series. I made it to the second day and really close to the money. The first hand of the second day I called a raise with a 20 point blackjack hand. After the flop I had an open ended straight draw and a back door flush draw. I shoved. This was a fairly aggressive move at this point in the tournament. He called with an over pair and I didn't make my draw. Out on the first hand of the second day. I've never regretted that move.
This weekend I played the $50k guarantee tournament at the Beau. I made it to the second day. We had forty players left and they were paying thirty-six places. Ten of us were short stacked (less than ten big blinds). The draw for the button found me in the big blind for the first hand. The action folded around to the button and he limped. The small blind folded. With pocket fives I shoved. Since I had only three big blinds the button limper called. He had 69o and hit a 9 on the turn. Once again, I was gone the first hand of the final day. Again, no regrets. I really believe it was the right play and would do it again.
When I play a tournament I'm not there to min-cash. When we get down near the bubble I'm not generally looking to just make the money. I want to win the tournament. That's just who I am.
I'm not saying my philosophy is right. In fact a really good argument could be made that I'm dead wrong. I bubble a lot of tournaments. I also win a few along the way. My philosophy of not playing for the bubble is consistent with my philosophy of not chopping at the final table. I came to win.
I would welcome any comments.
See you at the tables.
A few years ago I played in one of these "Championship" events. It was a $5k buy-in and I had made enough during the series to cover it. This was the most I had ever paid out of my pocket to enter a poker tournament.
I made it down to the final nineteen and they were paying eighteen places. Eighteenth place paid a little over $8k and, since a $5k entry was such a big deal to me, I was determined to make the cut. I was at a tough table. Chad Brown was one seat to my left and Vanessa Rousso was a couple of seats to my right. Most of the remaining players at the table were professionals. I was a little short stacked at this point but one guy at my table was a little more short stacked than me. Long story short I waited him out and made the money. Of course, by then I was so extremely short stacked that I went out in eighteenth place.
While I was proud to make my money back I have regretted my play at that tournament ever since.
Last year I played in a $1k entry tournament during the Venetian Deep Stack series. I made it to the second day and really close to the money. The first hand of the second day I called a raise with a 20 point blackjack hand. After the flop I had an open ended straight draw and a back door flush draw. I shoved. This was a fairly aggressive move at this point in the tournament. He called with an over pair and I didn't make my draw. Out on the first hand of the second day. I've never regretted that move.
This weekend I played the $50k guarantee tournament at the Beau. I made it to the second day. We had forty players left and they were paying thirty-six places. Ten of us were short stacked (less than ten big blinds). The draw for the button found me in the big blind for the first hand. The action folded around to the button and he limped. The small blind folded. With pocket fives I shoved. Since I had only three big blinds the button limper called. He had 69o and hit a 9 on the turn. Once again, I was gone the first hand of the final day. Again, no regrets. I really believe it was the right play and would do it again.
When I play a tournament I'm not there to min-cash. When we get down near the bubble I'm not generally looking to just make the money. I want to win the tournament. That's just who I am.
I'm not saying my philosophy is right. In fact a really good argument could be made that I'm dead wrong. I bubble a lot of tournaments. I also win a few along the way. My philosophy of not playing for the bubble is consistent with my philosophy of not chopping at the final table. I came to win.
I would welcome any comments.
See you at the tables.
Friday, May 23, 2014
Examples
A little while back I had an eventful ten days or so. Three unrelated things happened.
First, a friend of mine lost his battle with prostate cancer. He was about my age. I'll miss AJ.
At about the same time I was teaching my grandson how to clean a catfish. That was an interesting experience. At first he was simply put off by the whole idea. He could see nothing to gain from being put through such a horrible experience. Over the course of a few days I had him clean several catfish and the last one was a whole world better than the first one. By the time I pronounced him an accomplished catfish cleaner (admittedly a bit of an exaggeration) he was quite proud of himself and appreciative for my teaching him a new skill.
The last thing that happened was quite unexpected. The same grandson's mother was killed in an automobile accident. We will also miss Jessie.
While the three occurrences were unrelated, together they have brought a realization to me. AJ's passing reminded me (as death often does) of the finite nature of life. I'm approaching sixty. How many years do I have left?
Teaching David how to clean a catfish followed by his mother's unexpected passing made me realize that we must take opportunities as they come because we never know which opportunity will be our last. Believe it or not, Jessie could have taught David to clean a catfish. She was an avid fisher as well as a "hands on" type of personality so I'm sure she knew how it was done. But she had never taught David and that opportunity has passed forever.
The poker playing community is filled with grandfathers. We all know things that need to be passed on to the next generation--or perhaps the generation after that.
We also have something to pass on to the next generation of poker players. I have found that most older poker players are gentlemen and know how to play the game with class and dignity. I believe it is incumbent on us to pass that trait on down. I'm not asking any of you to give any lectures on playing our great game with class. Lectures never work anyway. It is a proven fact that behavioral lessons are almost always learned by example. We just need to keep setting good examples. We're teaching lessons whether we realize it or not.
See you at the tables.
First, a friend of mine lost his battle with prostate cancer. He was about my age. I'll miss AJ.
At about the same time I was teaching my grandson how to clean a catfish. That was an interesting experience. At first he was simply put off by the whole idea. He could see nothing to gain from being put through such a horrible experience. Over the course of a few days I had him clean several catfish and the last one was a whole world better than the first one. By the time I pronounced him an accomplished catfish cleaner (admittedly a bit of an exaggeration) he was quite proud of himself and appreciative for my teaching him a new skill.
The last thing that happened was quite unexpected. The same grandson's mother was killed in an automobile accident. We will also miss Jessie.
While the three occurrences were unrelated, together they have brought a realization to me. AJ's passing reminded me (as death often does) of the finite nature of life. I'm approaching sixty. How many years do I have left?
Teaching David how to clean a catfish followed by his mother's unexpected passing made me realize that we must take opportunities as they come because we never know which opportunity will be our last. Believe it or not, Jessie could have taught David to clean a catfish. She was an avid fisher as well as a "hands on" type of personality so I'm sure she knew how it was done. But she had never taught David and that opportunity has passed forever.
The poker playing community is filled with grandfathers. We all know things that need to be passed on to the next generation--or perhaps the generation after that.
We also have something to pass on to the next generation of poker players. I have found that most older poker players are gentlemen and know how to play the game with class and dignity. I believe it is incumbent on us to pass that trait on down. I'm not asking any of you to give any lectures on playing our great game with class. Lectures never work anyway. It is a proven fact that behavioral lessons are almost always learned by example. We just need to keep setting good examples. We're teaching lessons whether we realize it or not.
See you at the tables.
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Bad Runs
Yogi Berra has been quoted as saying "Ninety percent of the game is half mental". Of course, he was talking about baseball.
I watch a lot of baseball and my favorite team is the Braves. The Braves have been on a bad run. At this writing they are riding a seven game losing streak. During this current losing streak it seems that everything that can go wrong is going wrong. When one of the Braves hitters hits a line drive it always seems to be directly at one of the outfielders. When one of the opponents hits a line drive it always seems to be a "gapper". All our ground balls seem to be at an infielder ("at 'em balls) and all their ground balls seem to find a hole ("seeing eye grounders").
By now I've noticed that the bad run has gotten into their heads. Hence the quote from ole Yogi.
The same thing has been happening to me in poker. I've been on a bad run since late last year. I won't bore you with specific bad beat stories but suffice it to say that it seems that every time I flop top pair my opponent either flops or turns two pairs. And when I flop two pairs he flops a set. It seems as though I never catch any of my draws and the other guy seems to catch his draw every time. Even one of my friends ("Trucker Kenny") made note of my bad run when he was observing an STT and I actually won a race. He piped up with something like "Hey, you actually won a race!!".
At first I laid it strictly to bad luck. After all I hadn't changed my game, had I? After a while I admitted to myself that perhaps my play wasn't always optimal. And, let's face it, nobody's game is always optimal. I started tweaking my game. Did it help? Apparently not. In fact, I probably made the situation worse.
I don't normally go on tilt. If I suffer a bad beat or if someone draws out on me, I'm pretty good at just shaking it off and avoiding a chip spewing tirade. However, I believe I am now on what could be called "long term tilt". I've let the bad run get into my head. I no longer believe I can win any hand. I have come to expect the worst. This was brought home to me by the last hand I played the other night at the WPT Regional event at the IP in Biloxi. I got it all in before the flop with AA and the other guy had 87 offsuit. I actually stood up and started gathering my things before the flop even hit the board. By the time the turn provided an eight to go along with the seven that had come on the flop I had already gathered my things and was headed for the door. I had no doubt the aces were no good.
There's an old adage in poker: "Scared money is dead money." No doubt that is true and my money has become scared money. Consequently, I won't be traveling to any more series and I won't be making the trek to Vegas this summer unless and until I turn my game around. I'll be playing the Friday and Saturday tournaments at the Beau until I get my bearings. And I certainly won't be playing any cash games because the "scared money" philosophy applies even more so at a cash game.
See you at the tables (Beau only).
I watch a lot of baseball and my favorite team is the Braves. The Braves have been on a bad run. At this writing they are riding a seven game losing streak. During this current losing streak it seems that everything that can go wrong is going wrong. When one of the Braves hitters hits a line drive it always seems to be directly at one of the outfielders. When one of the opponents hits a line drive it always seems to be a "gapper". All our ground balls seem to be at an infielder ("at 'em balls) and all their ground balls seem to find a hole ("seeing eye grounders").
By now I've noticed that the bad run has gotten into their heads. Hence the quote from ole Yogi.
The same thing has been happening to me in poker. I've been on a bad run since late last year. I won't bore you with specific bad beat stories but suffice it to say that it seems that every time I flop top pair my opponent either flops or turns two pairs. And when I flop two pairs he flops a set. It seems as though I never catch any of my draws and the other guy seems to catch his draw every time. Even one of my friends ("Trucker Kenny") made note of my bad run when he was observing an STT and I actually won a race. He piped up with something like "Hey, you actually won a race!!".
At first I laid it strictly to bad luck. After all I hadn't changed my game, had I? After a while I admitted to myself that perhaps my play wasn't always optimal. And, let's face it, nobody's game is always optimal. I started tweaking my game. Did it help? Apparently not. In fact, I probably made the situation worse.
I don't normally go on tilt. If I suffer a bad beat or if someone draws out on me, I'm pretty good at just shaking it off and avoiding a chip spewing tirade. However, I believe I am now on what could be called "long term tilt". I've let the bad run get into my head. I no longer believe I can win any hand. I have come to expect the worst. This was brought home to me by the last hand I played the other night at the WPT Regional event at the IP in Biloxi. I got it all in before the flop with AA and the other guy had 87 offsuit. I actually stood up and started gathering my things before the flop even hit the board. By the time the turn provided an eight to go along with the seven that had come on the flop I had already gathered my things and was headed for the door. I had no doubt the aces were no good.
There's an old adage in poker: "Scared money is dead money." No doubt that is true and my money has become scared money. Consequently, I won't be traveling to any more series and I won't be making the trek to Vegas this summer unless and until I turn my game around. I'll be playing the Friday and Saturday tournaments at the Beau until I get my bearings. And I certainly won't be playing any cash games because the "scared money" philosophy applies even more so at a cash game.
See you at the tables (Beau only).
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Keeping It Real
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.
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.
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.
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