I run super good and play super bad...

So when (and if) I eventually learn to play this game, I am going to be really really rich.

As I have been saying for a while now (and is evident to most people who have clocked up sufficient table time with me) I run better than the average Joe.*

(*except the late stages of online tournaments).

I went through some real dark times this year, seriously. I struggled to record a consistent streak, and lost all confidence in my game.

I got pretty close to the edge. But I kept myself focused, and kept working on my game. I took weeks, and sometimes whole months off the volatile cash games at The Vic, and played online.

I set myself achievable non monetary goals to work towards. My relative success in accomplishing these objectives gave me immense joy and above all a glowing confidence which I had lost.

This confidence was the determining factor in reaching my decision to quit my job, in the midst of the worse year (poker results wise), since I have been keeping records.

I think most sensible people would take a decision like this during a period of upswing, and when things are going good. But I made the decision during an all time low point.

I will continue to grind the fundamentals, which is more than sufficient enough to beat the £1-£2 games at a consistent win rate.

(Talk about running bad in late stages of online tournaments? I just lost a 50k pot, AK vs AQ. Busted 40th deep into a rebuy! So far today I have played 20 tournaments with 1 cash. Ohhh, tournaments are so frustrating!)

I will keep working on my weaknesses, and keep trying to identify leaks in my game.

At times I find myself taking some awful lines and making bad decisions. These are often attributable to a flawed line of thought / analysis during the course of the hand.

Here is a hand I played Saturday night which cost me a lot of money due such flawed thinking...

There was an early position limper (Player A).

The player to his immediate right raised to £8 (Player B).

Action folded around to me on the button.

With effective stacks of over 200BBs I called the £8 with 33.

Flop: K 3 6 (rainbow).

Player A led for £15.

Player B (pre flop aggressor) raises to £65.

Player A is a donk, who is trying to play good (solid). But is a renown "star" (at least to me). However in a previous session (couple of weeks ago) I had not adjusted to his new / tighter range, and ended up stacking off with JJ vs QQ on a 10 high board for 200BBs) -so I have been giving him slightly more credit since.

Player B is one of the "older" regulars. Not a regular in the £1-£2 game, but in the cardroom. At this point, I give him a lot of credit for being an intelligent, thinking player. He has been playing very solid (verging on nitty), and has taken standard lines in all the hands I have seen him showdown.

Dry board + Set = Stacks!

I decide to flat Player B's raise for two reasons. I want Player A to "spaz out", and also I think on a dry board like this my raise will look very strong (too strong).

But the instant I actualy do flat I know I "spazed out". Flatting here after a bet, and a raise looks sooooo much stronger than re popping.

What the fuck would I flat here with? AK? There is a very small chance (kind of similar to the chance of catching AIDS) of me not 3 betting pre flop with AK, but from time to time I may not.

But even with AK in this spot, if I had played it passively pre flop I would more than likely let it go. I am certainly not calling with a worse King or an underpair.

So you see I suck hard here. But it does get worse! Check this out for an example of "how to level yourself...hard"!

Player A folds. The turn is a complete brick. Safest card in the deck. I think it was either a 7 or a 9.

Player B makes a huge bet (pot sized at least). Something like £170. Leaving behind about £200 more, obviously committing himself to the hand.

Instead of thinking, "...I have owned this guy hard..." with my flat on the flop. I am actually thinking, "...this guy must know I have a set. What else would I flat on the flop with?..."

I look so strong. So I begin to think / reasoning that "...well this guy knows I have a monster, so is not scared of betting me out the pot, so he is setting up a easy half pot shove on the river..."

I don't think along the lines of "...if he has a set than he wouldn't bet so big...", rather I think, "...well this guy raised small preflop, probably with a hand like 66 (standard "old timer" line to build pots just in case you flop a set), and has flopped an over set..."!

I actually convinced myself that because I look so strong, and made my hand so transparent that there is no way this guy would make this bet (committing himself) with AK or AA.

The crazy thing is I would happily get all my chips in on the flop, even 3 way, however sick the betting went. Because I never lay down sets in a cash game!

So how come I start to doubt the strength of my hand here? Well thats because I level myself, when infact I am playing with a moron who is ONLY considering the strength of his hand, in complete isolation as to my range, and with utter ignorance to the relative action thus far.

Well, I folded. He showed me AA to make me feel better! Thinking obviously he is 100% winnning.

A "fail" moment I think..




I find myself giving too much credit to my opponents quite regualrly. I am not talking about their ranges / strength of their hands, but their thinking behind a certain situation and their analytical abilities.

I think you can make some seriously horrible decisions if you misjudge their "level". I think a standard line should be that everyone is a donkey until proven innocent! ("...I have top pair I am all in...") until they have shown a tendacy to demonstrate higher / deeper levels of thought.

Meh, I still won about £2k that night (I was both sober, half drunk, and 100% fucked...at one point or another during the session).

Weeee....