Accidental Tourist

Signed up to play a tournament tonight without realizing it was a satellite and not a cash game. I was bummed and decided to only try to play for the money, not the seat. Top two got a seat and 3-5 paid cash. When we got down to 3 players I announced my intentions of losing and started announcing my hand as soon as it was dealt to me. I would then push, in the hopes of someone being able to beat me. After 10 hands I was a dominant chip leader and decided to go ahead and take the seat. If anyone cares to check it out I'll be playing at Full Tilt this Saturday at 9 pm in the $12K WSOP WPT Choice tournament.

Reading Between the Lines

One of the many things that come with children are a lot of books. Every few weeks a new Scholastic Book order form comes home. Then there are the Scholastic Book Fair's. The books are a good thing, especially when you have a son who hates to read. He hates to read, but likes being read to. This job has fallen onto my wife and she usually reads for a half hour before the kids go to bed.

A few weeks ago she caught a cold and really wasn't up for the task. Being the good father and husband I took over the duties and finished the last few chapters of a Star Wars book. This was not a book about one of the movies but a piece of fiction involving the characters in a different situation. Basically a piece of fan fiction but in an actual published book. As I finished up this book I realized that it really was a poorly written piece of crap. I could come up with a better storyline and write one myself.

I was serious about this. Being someone who has a tendency to go overboard when taking on a new project I've decided I need to do it right. This will require actual research into the inner workings of the Star Wars universe, but more importantly, I need work on my writing ability. This led to my enrollment in three classes. Creative Writing I, II, and III.

What does this have to do with poker you ask? Let me tell you. For my first assignment I had to think back to some key moments in my creative growth as a child. This led to some self analysis and what I have gone through in life to make me the man I am today. I have always been someone who has a problem finishing what I start. I'll get some grand idea about a project or hobby, throw myself into it whole heartedly, get bored, and move onto the next whim. This is what's happening with my poker playing. I'm getting bored. I'm not having fun at the tables anymore. Every time I look at my spreadsheets the only thought that enters my mind is, "How could I have made all that profit, yet only have a bankroll of $100. How did I allow myself to withdraw so much money that I've all but busted myself."

This blog is approaching its second anniversary and I'm also approaching my third year of play. The game has brought much to me in the past and I don't want this to lead to one of those things that I quit and move away from. I need to find a way to reboot my enthusiasm for poker. I need to find a way to make it fun again. I suppose I will find my way again. It just needs to be before the $100 is gone.

Reversal Of Fortune

Apparently I needed to give up in order to start winning. After my whining session things did indeed turn around for me. I managed to turn a profit for the month so far at Full Tilt but haven't quite yet recovered the earlier loss from Check N Raise.

I've also discovered that limit poker is boring me. I was jonesing to get back to sit-n-go play so I went ahead and started playing them again. I'm going off my "rebuilding plan" but I really don't see the point in sticking to it if I'm not going to have fun. I'll still play the limit stuff, but only at work. Home will be for SNG's.

I'm having a little difficulty adjusting to the blind structure at Full Tilt. I'm so used to Poker Stars that my timing is off right now. I'm starting small (within my bankroll) and am only playing the $5 ones for now. With 10 played last night I was only able to manage one win and one second. That has me down $19 but I should be back in the swing of things shortly.

Would You Like Some Cheese With That Whine

Before this blog turns into one big pity party let me say that poker can be one cruel bitch.

I won't bore you all with my tales of bad beats and second bests. Lets just say that if things don't turn around soon...like today...I'm going to have to drop down in levels or start mixing up the games I'm playing earlier than planned. This plan to play ABC until I clear bonuses still isn't working out.

Not According To Plan

I've finished clearing the bonus at ChecknRaise while pissing away $59.40. The bonus I had left was for $30 so I finished with a loss. Yesterday I deposited at Full Tilt to take advantage of their 50% reload and managed to lose another $48 without clearing any of the bonus. Certainly not according to plan.

It won't take poker tracker to figure out what I'm doing wrong. It's a sad state of affairs when you know what your doing wrong, yet continue to do it. It's not my opponents bad play, or suckouts that are doing me in. It's Fancy Play Syndrome. FPS is the greatest cause of financial loss at low limit poker. It's not your opponents inability to recognize that your representing the better hand. It's your inability to recognize that your opponent doesn't care, and thus won't lay down his hand anyway.

I'm going to fire up a single table today at work and see if I can't reverse the trend. When I write about a problem it usually helps me focus on it, so we'll see what happens.

On a totally different note. A while back when the good Dr. Pauly was having his little series of tournaments called Saturdays with Dr. Pauly I participated in all of them. I went on to have the distinction of worse overall record. Not a distinction I'm overly proud of but on the bright side I did win a prize. It arrived in the mail yesterday and it included a WSOP poker chip, and the Phil Gordon DVD. A big thank you goes out to the good Doctor and once I watch the DVD I'll post my thoughts on it.