Now We've Come 3/4 Circle

Filed Under: Poker

Since starting this poker odyssey in mid 2003 the game has brought both triumph and sorrow. More often than I care to remember I experienced them together within the same session. The emotional gambit can be difficult to deal with at times but what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Right?

Limit hold em was my game of choice in those early days. Starting at .01/.02 with my $30 ultimatebet deposit I continued to grind my way to 5/10. I'd dabble in the occasional tournament but I always knew where my bread was buttered.

My focus shifted in the early part of 2005 as I began my first, and completely unsuccessful, foray into the no limit arena. The no limit ring games were the perfect place for me to bleed off my bankroll. Lacking the fortitude necessary to learn a new variation of the game, I tucked my tail between my legs and went back to limit play.

At the same time I also began focusing more of my time on no limit tournaments. As it turns out I felt much more comfortable playing in these events than I did the ring games. I met with moderate success and managed to win a few throughout the year. These provided a big boost to my bankroll and by the end of the year I had begun focusing on SNG's.

By mid February I had abandoned ring games entirely. My diet consisted solely of single and multi table tournaments. My tournament game has improved dramatically since taking that step, but then fate would intervene. Ok... it's not that dramatic.

PokerSourceOnline announced a $10,000 freeroll that they would be hosting at Poker Rewards. Not one to miss a chance at free money I decided to make myself eligible to play in this event. The catch is that you have to play 750 raked hands to qualify. Not having played a ring game of any kind in about two months, I really didn't want to start now. Biting the bullet I bought into low limit, no limit games and I discovered I was no longer the same player that had tried and failed once before.

I was now enjoying the ring games and not sucking. It was reinvigorating to know that I had managed to actually learn something during my tournament sabbatical. Granted a ring game is a different beast than a tournament, but my play during the middle stages of a tournament is translating well to ring game play.

This long story short... I'm hooked on ring games again. Not the limit variety but the no limit. Not quite full circle, but close enough.