Poker or My Life
So, I've been feeling a little guilty lately, playing poker almost every night of the week. I shouldn't feel guilty. It's not like I have anything else valuable that I would be doing with my time. If I wasn't playing poker, well, I'd be sitting at home watching TV.
I've been doing well lately, when I play. Although this week has been kinda rough. On Monday, my 17 year old cat passed on, the last of a family of 7 cats. So while I didn't particularly feel in the mood to play poker, I did make myself go out and play on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday night.
Tuesday night was Valentine's Day, so of course there weren't near as many people there to play poker. We had a LIPS table, and I came in 2nd. Then I remembered that Boston Legal was on, so I decided to skip the second session. Yes.....I have a VCR, but I had forgotten to set it up to record. And besides, there are just some shows that are worth seeing at airtime (am I the only one that feels like this?)
Wednesday night, I recorded Lost and Invasion, so I got to play both sessions. I made 3rd and 4th. And I had been drinking since 4 in the afternoon! I had kinda stopped drinking when I play poker, 'cause I thought it was making me play better! Then I ended up doing just as well. So, who knows?
I can say that it is hard to play poker when you don't feel like being around people. I had considered taking my IPOD in, so that people would know to leave me alone--but then I figured people would think I was trying to be "pro". Hell, it shouldn't matter what people think---at all!
I'm hurting enough that I don't want to be sociable---but I'm smart enough to know that I can't allow myself to just sit home and mourn. Especially since I work from home--if I get too down, I might not leave my house for a couple of weeks.
Thursday night was easy. No Will & Grace, Four Kings, My Name is Earl or ER. Just the Olympics----so off to poker I went. I got there late and got shorted 5,000 in chips--but on my second hand, I got a flush, and more than doubled up--I was off to a good start! Besides, it was over 80 degrees, and the bar that I play at on Thursday nights is absolutely beautiful! A perfect Hill Country setting. I ended up 5th, so I was pleased.
The second game, I didn't do so hot, but then again I was seated at a table with some people that I am not too comfortable around. So my focus was off and I played very loosely. I'm not sure, but I think one of the guys took my picture with his camera phone....and that kinda freaked me out. And I felt like some of the guys have the impression that their "book knowledge" of poker is superior to other's at the table and they were taking advantage of a relatively new player--who just doesn't quite have the hang of it yet.
Mr. Book got moved to our table early on, and there were 3 new players at the table. The blinds were 500/1000 and one of the new players bet 16,000 preflop (in the big blind). Well, everyone then chose to fold, and I had pocket Jacks. Mr. Book seated to my left would be next to call. He began a discourse on how betting 16,000 is not a correct bet, spouting off about pot odds, and I am trying to decide whether or not to call. He continues to babble on about value betting, and since I had no clue what he was talking about, I tuned him out. And I decided to call. Well, after I called, Mr. Book decided that he would fold--something about he wanted to call, but if I was calling, the odds were all messed up. Well, after the flop, the new guy went all in, and I called--I had trip Jacks---how could I not?? Well he had pocket Kings and of course I won.
Now, I'm not saying that I shouldn't know this stuff that Mr. Book was talking about--but if you only play hands based on what other people bet, how can you ever play your cards. Especially in a freeroll situation, where you have new people that may not even know what some of these terms are? I'm sure that if we had been playing a final table in the World Series of Poker, the things that Mr. Book was talking outloud about would have been a consideration for all the players at the table. So the good thing that came out of it, is that I learned that there is still much I don't know about the mechanics of No-limit and the math side of the game. I know, I know.....read Sklansky. People have been telling me that for over a year.
Hmmmm....maybe I am too comfortable. I'll have to think about that.
I ended up not going to my cash game on Friday night, choosing instead to watch Stargate and play POGO. I just wasn't up to driving, drinking and socializing. And I guess I was feeling brain dead.
So, here it is, almost time for me to decide if I am going to play tonight....which is what got me to thinking about feeling guilty about playing poker so much. Am I wasting too much of my time? What hated chores am I putting off? Is there something in my emotional life that I am avoiding looking at? Or is Poker something that I love, and an important part of my life?
I guess time will tell. I do know that I have procrastinated for several years working on some projects.....and go figure, I managed to make my first poker product within one month of being inspired to create the poker journal. And how exciting that when I checked the site yesterday, three people had already looked at the journal! How cool is that???????????? I of course ordered 5 myself so that I could give it out as prizes and to also see my finished product!
So maybe, its not about poker or my life. Maybe poker is becoming my life---afterall, I did name this blog "passionate about poker!"
I've been doing well lately, when I play. Although this week has been kinda rough. On Monday, my 17 year old cat passed on, the last of a family of 7 cats. So while I didn't particularly feel in the mood to play poker, I did make myself go out and play on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday night.
Tuesday night was Valentine's Day, so of course there weren't near as many people there to play poker. We had a LIPS table, and I came in 2nd. Then I remembered that Boston Legal was on, so I decided to skip the second session. Yes.....I have a VCR, but I had forgotten to set it up to record. And besides, there are just some shows that are worth seeing at airtime (am I the only one that feels like this?)
Wednesday night, I recorded Lost and Invasion, so I got to play both sessions. I made 3rd and 4th. And I had been drinking since 4 in the afternoon! I had kinda stopped drinking when I play poker, 'cause I thought it was making me play better! Then I ended up doing just as well. So, who knows?
I can say that it is hard to play poker when you don't feel like being around people. I had considered taking my IPOD in, so that people would know to leave me alone--but then I figured people would think I was trying to be "pro". Hell, it shouldn't matter what people think---at all!
I'm hurting enough that I don't want to be sociable---but I'm smart enough to know that I can't allow myself to just sit home and mourn. Especially since I work from home--if I get too down, I might not leave my house for a couple of weeks.
Thursday night was easy. No Will & Grace, Four Kings, My Name is Earl or ER. Just the Olympics----so off to poker I went. I got there late and got shorted 5,000 in chips--but on my second hand, I got a flush, and more than doubled up--I was off to a good start! Besides, it was over 80 degrees, and the bar that I play at on Thursday nights is absolutely beautiful! A perfect Hill Country setting. I ended up 5th, so I was pleased.
The second game, I didn't do so hot, but then again I was seated at a table with some people that I am not too comfortable around. So my focus was off and I played very loosely. I'm not sure, but I think one of the guys took my picture with his camera phone....and that kinda freaked me out. And I felt like some of the guys have the impression that their "book knowledge" of poker is superior to other's at the table and they were taking advantage of a relatively new player--who just doesn't quite have the hang of it yet.
Mr. Book got moved to our table early on, and there were 3 new players at the table. The blinds were 500/1000 and one of the new players bet 16,000 preflop (in the big blind). Well, everyone then chose to fold, and I had pocket Jacks. Mr. Book seated to my left would be next to call. He began a discourse on how betting 16,000 is not a correct bet, spouting off about pot odds, and I am trying to decide whether or not to call. He continues to babble on about value betting, and since I had no clue what he was talking about, I tuned him out. And I decided to call. Well, after I called, Mr. Book decided that he would fold--something about he wanted to call, but if I was calling, the odds were all messed up. Well, after the flop, the new guy went all in, and I called--I had trip Jacks---how could I not?? Well he had pocket Kings and of course I won.
Now, I'm not saying that I shouldn't know this stuff that Mr. Book was talking about--but if you only play hands based on what other people bet, how can you ever play your cards. Especially in a freeroll situation, where you have new people that may not even know what some of these terms are? I'm sure that if we had been playing a final table in the World Series of Poker, the things that Mr. Book was talking outloud about would have been a consideration for all the players at the table. So the good thing that came out of it, is that I learned that there is still much I don't know about the mechanics of No-limit and the math side of the game. I know, I know.....read Sklansky. People have been telling me that for over a year.
Hmmmm....maybe I am too comfortable. I'll have to think about that.
I ended up not going to my cash game on Friday night, choosing instead to watch Stargate and play POGO. I just wasn't up to driving, drinking and socializing. And I guess I was feeling brain dead.
So, here it is, almost time for me to decide if I am going to play tonight....which is what got me to thinking about feeling guilty about playing poker so much. Am I wasting too much of my time? What hated chores am I putting off? Is there something in my emotional life that I am avoiding looking at? Or is Poker something that I love, and an important part of my life?
I guess time will tell. I do know that I have procrastinated for several years working on some projects.....and go figure, I managed to make my first poker product within one month of being inspired to create the poker journal. And how exciting that when I checked the site yesterday, three people had already looked at the journal! How cool is that???????????? I of course ordered 5 myself so that I could give it out as prizes and to also see my finished product!
So maybe, its not about poker or my life. Maybe poker is becoming my life---afterall, I did name this blog "passionate about poker!"
posted by In8Austingirl @ 12:57 PM
1 Comments:
At 5:59 PM,
April said…
A 16xBB raise is a wee bit odd...esp. if someone has Kings - that's too good a hand to just pick up the blinds with, which is likely what he was going to do. Of course, if he's thinking on Level 3 or 4, then I can understand his move a bit more.
I'm not sure what odds Mr. Book was talking about...if he was planning on calling the pf bet, then you calling too just makes the odds better. He should have been concerned that someone raised a very large amount and then someone else called...I suppose his "odds" of having the winning hand went down with that, but...some people just like to ramble about buzz words. :)
As far as playing the cards, yes, that's important, but this is NL; and in NL, it's usually far more important to play the players. Find out who you can push around, who is going to stand up to you; get familar with their betting patterns, etc. For instance, if you had the raiser pegged as a solid player...then what does a 16xBB raise mean there? What amount has he normally been raising? What does he have behind? Is that a large portion of his stack or does he have tons more waiting? It's a weird raise to be sure, and a tough call to make.
Oh, and if you've never read a poker book before, I would not recommend starting off with Sklansky. He's an acquired taste, something you have to be eased in to...
Post a Comment
<< Home