Writing about poker is tricky. What can I write about: specific hands, wins/losses, general thoughts about my poker game, life as a wannabe poker pro, topics from the poker world...
Specific Hands
While it helps me improve my game, detailed hand analysis gets boring for both the writer and the readers. While I've done it here in the past, and will probably occasionally do it again, this just isn't the best place for it. If I want to get feedback from very knowledgeable poker minds, I should take the hands directly to friends, or post on 2+2. So I tend to just post hands that might interest casual readers, like a cool bluff or a huge pot. Here's one!
$15/$30 Texas Hold'em - Saturday, August 06, 2:30am or so
SB guy posts small blind [$10].
BB guy posts big blind [$15].
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to Adspar [ Ks Ah ]
LIMPING FOOL calls [$15].
INSANE MORON raises [$30].
1 guy folds.
COLD CALLING SPONGE calls [$30].
Adspar raises [$45].
Why Not Guy raises [$60].
SB guy folds.
BB guy folds.
LIMPING FOOL calls [$45].
INSANE MORON calls [$30].
COLD CALLING SPONGE calls [$30].
Adspar calls [$15].
** Dealing Flop ** [ Td, 3h, Qh ]
LIMPING FOOL bets [$15].
INSANE MORON raises [$30].
COLD CALLING SPONGE calls [$30].
Adspar calls [$30].
Why Not Guy folds.
LIMPING FOOL is all-In for $4 more
INSANE MORON calls [$4].
COLD CALLING SPONGE calls [$4].
Adspar calls [$4].
** Dealing Turn ** [ Jd ]
INSANE MORON bets [$30].
COLD CALLING SPONGE calls [$30].
Adspar raises [$60].
INSANE MORON raises [$60].
COLD CALLING SPONGE calls [$60].
Adspar raises [$60].
INSANE MORON calls [$30].
COLD CALLING SPONGE calls [$30].
**
INSANE
COLD CALLING SPONGE folds.
Adspar raises [$60].
INSANE MORON folds.
LIMPING FOOL doesn't show [ Jc, 9c ] a pair of jacks.
Adspar wins $450 from side pot #1 with a straight, ten to ace.
Adspar wins $458 from the main pot with a straight, ten to ace.
INSANE
INSANE
INSANE
Wins/Losses
I have written about nice wins and rough losses, but I recently realized that I don't want to keep doing that. Poker is gambling. Gambling has wins and losses. Even when you gamble "with the best of it" you still lose sometimes. The important thing is to look at the long run, so you shouldn't take individual losses too hard or get too excited about wins.
I also don't like to write about losses because people get worried about me, especially people who don't really understand the variance of poker (aka everyone). And then I don't like to write about big wins because if I don't show the losses, I shouldn't brag about the wins, right?
But, life doesn't always feel like a long-run. It feels like a bunch of short-runs. So if writing about a big loss helps me deal with it, I'm going to do that. I write this shit because I think I'm getting something out of it, not just to entertain and enlighten dozens of people every month.
So, here's a story about a big win. Tonight I had the biggest session win of my life. It was 3 times bigger than my previous biggest, which happened 4 days earlier. Its been a good week.
General thoughts about my poker game
Life as a wannabe poker pro
I'm playing pretty well I think, but I'm still nervous that I'm playing $15/30 on a short bankroll. But I felt like it was time to get past the dead limits of $5/10 and $10/20 into the more juicy action. I wrote about a bad first night in the bigger game, but since then it has been very good to me. Inevitably I'll hit a bad streak, but hopefully not before I pad my bankroll a bit more.
In April, I made almost $3,800.
In May I made almost $1,600.
In June I made almost $8,000.
In July I made almost $400.
Tonight I made almost $3400.
Variance is a bitch. Try to imagine the range of emotions that kind of variability in income causes. It is really nice not to have to report to an office, or have a boss. It is nice to sleep til the afternoon and take a trip whenever I feel like. Its fun to drink a 6 pack on a Tuesday night while watching HBO on demand for 5 hours. Its fun to see people's reactions when they hear what I do for a living.
But this shit takes a toll on me in weird ways. I doubt my decisions and worry that my next session will start the avalanche to my inevitable demise. What happens if I have 4 months like July in a row? Do I even remember how to write a resume? Oh god I just know that flush draw is going to get there and fuck my flopped set.
Take a step back and a few deep breaths. You've proven that you are a winner. Just relax and let the long run work its magic...
Topics from the poker world
And I'm just playing limit hold'em cash games! I can't even imagine how tournament pros feel. Their income is even more variable. They could easily go a year without a major cash, or longer. I guess when they do hit, its for $190,00 or $455,00 or $1,100,000 which is a different zip code from $620 or $1,100 or $3,400. But I don't get the feeling that many of the tournament pros we see on TV are investing half of their big wins in blue chip stocks and treasury bonds.
I invest half of my winnings in coke and hookers. It helps me stay humble.
Seriously though, sitting at home playing cash games online is crazy enough for me right now. Flying all over the country, dropping $5,000 or $10,000 in entry fees plus travel and hotel expenses wherever the tournament is - those are some crazy gamblers.
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