Poker Vs. the World Cup, and other stuff
I admit, I'm not exactly showing a great deal of dedication to this blog.
Still in its infancy, a shivering babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, it has been horribly neglected, desperately underfed and starved of attention, though I have stopped short of abusing it. Nevertheless, the NSPCB will have grounds for paying me a visit if I keep this up.
My poker has been suffering a similar fate recently. I haven't been playing on tilt, which is always nice, but I won’t pretend this is a reflection of my newly discovered self-control; the truth is it’s just a symptom of the world cup – I simply haven’t been playing. I suppose I can pat myself on the back for playing less poker at work – and this was a purely conscientious decision - but the most significant factor is that I have been rushing home straight after work to catch the second half of the 5pm game. And at the danger of being branded a heretic, it has really put poker into perspective.
As has the rapidly increasing severity of my fathers illness. Poker is terrific fun, a great sport and a great way to make money, but it can feel like an empty pursuit when other more important things are happening in your life. Perhaps it’s the combination of money and play, somehow creating a conflicting sense of purpose; is it for the money or the fun? On too many occasions it fails to achieve either objective.
Nevertheless, in the few short sessions I have had recently I've done surprisingly well. The hour-and-a-half time limit has focused my mind and over ten or so sessions I've averaged roughly $100-an-hour on the $1-$2 tables on VC.
Multi-tournament play has had to be completely sacrificed. Time constraints simply won't allow me to play them, though next week I may be back involved when I finally get an internet connection at home. I have missed them. Multi-tournies are good fun, and they have the promise of not only great financial reward, but also great psychological reward. It’s a wonderful feeling to battle through a field of 250+ players in a $20 re-buy and find yourself sitting on the final table, with a possible $1000-$2000 payout staring you in the face.
I haven’t, however, missed the entry fees, re-buys and add-ons. If you don’t see your way to a decent finish in a while they can really start to dent your bankroll.
Anyway.
Before I go here’s a quick hand to ponder. The last hand I played in fact, which was Friday, June 16th:
(NL $1-$2)
I have Ad-7d on the button. There is one call from middle position before the player on my right, fairly loose and apparently a little bit weak, raises to $7. I call. The blinds both fold and the original caller calls. With three players, the flop is Ac-6h-8d. The first to go checks his option before the pre-flop raiser makes it $7 to go. Sensing weakness I feel sure he doesn’t have an ace and so I re-raise to $24. First player folds before the pre-flop raiser calls. The turn is the 8h. This time he bets $10 and I raise to $40. He calls. The river is the Jh. He now immediately goes all-in. I ponder; there’s no way he could have called on a flush draw, he doesn’t have a set because he would have re-raised, and similarly I think it’s highly unlikely he has a better ace. I decide he’s probably got a pair of kings or queens. Besides his all-in bet is only $40 and the pot already had $152 in after the turn. I call.
He turns over……. 2h3h. Ugh.
Giving my current blistering blog-a-month pace I will probably be in Vegas by the time I next re-visit these pages. I fly out on the 24th July and return on the 14th Aug. Look out for gut wrenching accounts of lost bankrolls, jobs and girlfriends. Or something less upbeat……
Still in its infancy, a shivering babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, it has been horribly neglected, desperately underfed and starved of attention, though I have stopped short of abusing it. Nevertheless, the NSPCB will have grounds for paying me a visit if I keep this up.
My poker has been suffering a similar fate recently. I haven't been playing on tilt, which is always nice, but I won’t pretend this is a reflection of my newly discovered self-control; the truth is it’s just a symptom of the world cup – I simply haven’t been playing. I suppose I can pat myself on the back for playing less poker at work – and this was a purely conscientious decision - but the most significant factor is that I have been rushing home straight after work to catch the second half of the 5pm game. And at the danger of being branded a heretic, it has really put poker into perspective.
As has the rapidly increasing severity of my fathers illness. Poker is terrific fun, a great sport and a great way to make money, but it can feel like an empty pursuit when other more important things are happening in your life. Perhaps it’s the combination of money and play, somehow creating a conflicting sense of purpose; is it for the money or the fun? On too many occasions it fails to achieve either objective.
Nevertheless, in the few short sessions I have had recently I've done surprisingly well. The hour-and-a-half time limit has focused my mind and over ten or so sessions I've averaged roughly $100-an-hour on the $1-$2 tables on VC.
Multi-tournament play has had to be completely sacrificed. Time constraints simply won't allow me to play them, though next week I may be back involved when I finally get an internet connection at home. I have missed them. Multi-tournies are good fun, and they have the promise of not only great financial reward, but also great psychological reward. It’s a wonderful feeling to battle through a field of 250+ players in a $20 re-buy and find yourself sitting on the final table, with a possible $1000-$2000 payout staring you in the face.
I haven’t, however, missed the entry fees, re-buys and add-ons. If you don’t see your way to a decent finish in a while they can really start to dent your bankroll.
Anyway.
Before I go here’s a quick hand to ponder. The last hand I played in fact, which was Friday, June 16th:
(NL $1-$2)
I have Ad-7d on the button. There is one call from middle position before the player on my right, fairly loose and apparently a little bit weak, raises to $7. I call. The blinds both fold and the original caller calls. With three players, the flop is Ac-6h-8d. The first to go checks his option before the pre-flop raiser makes it $7 to go. Sensing weakness I feel sure he doesn’t have an ace and so I re-raise to $24. First player folds before the pre-flop raiser calls. The turn is the 8h. This time he bets $10 and I raise to $40. He calls. The river is the Jh. He now immediately goes all-in. I ponder; there’s no way he could have called on a flush draw, he doesn’t have a set because he would have re-raised, and similarly I think it’s highly unlikely he has a better ace. I decide he’s probably got a pair of kings or queens. Besides his all-in bet is only $40 and the pot already had $152 in after the turn. I call.
He turns over……. 2h3h. Ugh.
Giving my current blistering blog-a-month pace I will probably be in Vegas by the time I next re-visit these pages. I fly out on the 24th July and return on the 14th Aug. Look out for gut wrenching accounts of lost bankrolls, jobs and girlfriends. Or something less upbeat……
posted by Mal | 4:17 AM
1 Comments:
huh. still no comments. this blog not working out for you huh. better up the joke-per-paragraph ratio I guess. check out the next one for a the most fun you've had in months
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