Getting Better. Even if it means reading a book.
Full Tilt Poker
Full Tilt Poker — I Banned Myself
Feb 12th
It used to be that I would put $100 in my FTP account and have a good time. Play a few sit-n-gos and win or lose, it was entertaining.
Wait, what the fuck am I saying? I NEVER and I mean NEVER have really felt that way. I am competitive to the bone and every fiber in my body always wants to win. $1, $5, $100, I don’t care. I want to be the best and I want to win. Ok, I got that off my chest.
So 2 days ago I put $100 into Full Tilt and got ready for some sit n go action. First 2 go well, a first place and a third place. Then, I hit the skids. In the course of 2 hours, I played 6 multi table tournaments. I play my usual game — tight early on, then open up as the blinds get higher in order to steal blinds, then when it gets to the bubble stage I either push or fold. It usually comes down to coin flips and as everyone knows, you gotta win the flips if you’re gonna win the tourney.
I have come to accept that I am going to bust out before the money this way fairly often. It’s a bitter pill to swallow when it happens, but when I win the flips it is sweet perfection. This is a winning style of poker.….unless.…..
You lose every fucking coin flip.
You see, on this particular night I was running really well pre-flop. I was catching good cards, making the right folds and pushing when I had the best of it. Only problem was none of my hands would hold up. Don’t get me wrong, I am not crying bad beat here. It just sucked to be kicked in the balls over and over. I was at worst a 60/40 winner in 7 coin flip situations and didn’t win one of them. I got 2 outed, 3 outed and 4 outed over and over.
I’ll admit it. I titled. I steamed off $20 in a sit n go by pushing on the flop with a queen high flush draw. Of course I got called by the Ace high flush draw. Just one of those nights.
In the end, I realize that on line poker just isn’t for me. Call me crazy, but I did the most extreme thing I could think of.
I BANNED MYSELF FROM FTP, permanently.
Instead of donating money to undeserving poker players, I have decided the next time I want to waste $100 playing online poker, I’ll just send a check to Haiti and then go play with my son. Better use of time. Better use of money.
I play ONLINE poker to remind myself to never again play online poker.
Why do you play? Let me know at stories@whydoiplaypoker.net
Winning Poker Formula:Play Against the Weak. Losing Poker Formula:Play Against the Strong
Feb 5th
I’ll just come out and say it: I play poker to win money.
Just like any other poker player, I will take money from my friends, my enemies, my neighbor, the fathers of my son’s pre-school friends and even my wife. Hell, if my grandmother would sit down with me I would try my darnedest to take her money as well.
In order to win more money at poker, I have done what any true poker player does: study.
I study a lot.
I buy the books: Sit ‘n Go Strategy, Harrington on Hold ‘em, Online Ace, etc. I underline important parts, take notes and implement the techniques.
I take internet courses: Deepstacks University, the online interactive course endorsed by Mike “The Mouth” Matusow. (great site by the way!)
I have discussions with fellow poker players about strategy, odds, etc.
You’d think with all this diligent work my results would be better. Online I am a break even player. Home games:winner. Casino games: loser. To be honest, I am an overall loser in poker. Not huge numbers, but enough to irk me. Make me want to crack the nut.
After all this studying, practicing and playing, I have come to realize there is only one REAL winning formula for poker: Play against players that are worse than you are. Sounds simple, but it’s true. This is a predatory sport and the strong feast on the weak.
You want to beat the game, look for the table full of losers.
Top 10 Traits of a Losing Poker Player:
10. He has a short stack. A good player knows that to win, his stack has to be replenished. Otherwise he’s not playing poker. It’s called playing bingo.
9. A big talker, giving lessons = BIG LOSER.
8. Looks like he’s been up all night. Probably trying to get even. Winners go home when they are losing and cut their losses.
7. Complains about back beats.
6. Goes to the ATM. Definitely means he is going beyond his intended budget and probably not using good bankroll management.
5. Plays almost every hand: loser
4. Tries to verbally intimidate the other players. LOSER!
3. Talks about how much he won last night. LOOOOOOO-SER!
2. Throws his cards at the dealer.
1. Makes quick over-sized bets.
I am probably not telling you anything new. But how many of us truly abide by these rules. It ain’t rocket science, but it works. In fact, it works way better than reading, studying or talking about poker. To paraphrase Texas Dolly: Poker is a game of people played with cards.
I play poker to win money from the weak.
Why do you play? Let me know at stories@whydoiplaypoker.net
Free Online Poker — a safe way to be on full tilt
Jan 30th
I am not a fan of free poker. It’s an oxymoron. Poker by its very definition needs to be played for money. If it doesn’t hurt to lose, it’s not poker.
That said, I have come to realize there is a time and place for the free online game.
In order to win in poker, you have to be controlled, disciplined, smart and lucky. As we all know, you can be at the top of your game, do everything right, and still lose. That’s one of the most frustrating things about poker. Do everything right, but still lose.
After a week’s worth of losing, either due to bad playing (probably) or bad beats (unlikely) I really want to say “fuck it” to good play. This discipline, control and smart play hasn’t gotten me anywhere, so I think.
Enter FREE ONLINE POKER.
Talk about going all in with impunity. This is the place. 9–2 off UTG, sure. All in. Flop is A-A-K and I have pocket deuces. Fuck it. ALL IN!
This is where I go when I just can’t take it anymore. I can act like a jack ass. Push with junk. Call with junk. Act like a donkey. I get all of this out of my system. Welcome to the donkey farm.
Truthfully, I’m not happy until until at least six people are wishing cancer on me in the chat window. “What? You want to play real poker? Get two nickels to rub together, assholes!” I’m here for a purpose. This is free poker and I’m going all in every hand until I damn well feel and or play better.
Besides, I don’t feel as bad making a bunch of jerks hate me as I do after kicking the dog or punching a wall. Ouch. For the record, I never punched my dog. I did call him a douchebag once.
After 15 minutes of being this poker maniac, I feel better. The best part is I worked out some frustration and my bankroll is still intact.
I occasionally play free on-line poker to shake off the shit and stress from my real game.
Why do you play? Let me know at stories@whydoiplaypoker.net
Full Tilt’s Rush Poker — A lesson in focus.….I think.
Jan 29th
I wish I could tell you a surefire strategy to beat the online poker site’s new game. But I can’t. Not even close. I have no idea how to win in that game. I think it starts with a raise and then I’m not sure where to go from there. Maybe a little patience might give you a leg up. What do I know? I’ve logged in for forty five minutes and played more hands than my first six months of poker combined.
The thing that hit me most about Full Tilt’s Rush poker is how important it is not to look back. In Rush, there is no way to see how the hand would’ve ended. You’re whisked away to another table. You have a new decision to make. You don’t have time to think about what went right or wrong in the last hand.
Unlike regular poker, in Rush there is no “What if?” because the hand really doesn’t exist anymore. There’s not even a way to see “What if?” Actually, this is great, because if there ever were a shitty game, it’s “What if?” It’s a subtle variation on the timeless classic “Would’ve, should’ve, could’ve.” Actually, it’s the same game with a different title. Kinda like playing NYC Monopoly or Grateful Dead Monopoly. Same game, different theme.
Now I’m not saying there isn’t a place for reflection about your game or your life. It’s essential. Just not at the table.
I always have to remember to be in the moment at the poker table. That’s the only thing that matters right now. Who cares if my KQ would have made a straight? Thinking about it only distracts me from the hand at hand. It’s a recipe to compound my losses or, if I’m basking in the glory of an amazing play, minimize my wins.
So I’m going to keep playing Rush. Stay focused and try to avoid writing blog posts while I’m doing it. Because at 300 hands an hour, it’s damn near impossible.
I play poker to help me stay focused in the present.
Why do you play? Let me know at stories@whydoiplaypoker.net
Some things don’t go well together. Connectivity and sit-n-go bubble strategy come to mind.
Jan 24th
There have been all sorts of things that keep me from playing my best poker online. Mad at my boss. Looking at too much porn. You get the picture.
Well, the other night was the first time my computer got the best of me.
I played a $24 + $2 Turbo 90 person tourney with a KO bonus of $4 per victim. What the hell? Seemed like fun.
Well, It was fun until I started getting disconnected every other hand.
Frustrated, I tried to dump my chips with A2 under the gun but I spiked an ace and knocked out my opponent. My first KO bonus. $4. Cool.
I get disconnected again. And again. And again.
I reconnect and to my surprise I have aces and action. Two guys are going all in. It’s my turn to act. My hand gets automatically folded.
Fuck.
Fuck you computer! They would have held up too. I would be the chip leader by a fucking mile.
I’m pissed. You have to take advantage of those spots.
We’re getting close to the bubble. The guy I would have knocked out pushes. He has me covered. I have KK. We’re really close to the bubble, what to do?
I don’t have to tell you what happened .
Okay, I will. Out on the bubble.
I could’ve of waited, but I thought I was owed one because of those aces. Where are my extra 40K in chips? I played like I had a rain check for a big winning hand.
It doesn’t work that way. I let my computer put me on tilt. Sure, it sucked that I was having connectivity issues. But I should have to reminded myself that my strategy for the end of the tournament had nothing to do with my connectivity issues. Irrationally, I thought I had one in the bank. And I didn’t. Even though it felt good to blame my computer, it had nothing to do with why I lost that tournament.
I play poker is for the big scores. It just eluded me last night.
Why do you play? Let me know at stories@whydoiplaypoker.net
P.S. I played another one the next night and pulled a 4th. I’ll take $200 in profit. Gotta love the KO Bounty paying your buy in. No connectivity issues either.
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