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Posts tagged coin flips
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
At first I thought I was playing poker.
Feb 3rd
This post was going to start with me fuming on the car ride home after a dismal night at the casino. But after a little reflection, I realized the bad night wasn’t the point, it was my bad thinking.
It started with me sitting at a $100 NLH game. There was this drunk guy, so drunk the dealer had to help him count his chips drunk. He was sitting in front of a pile of chips and raising every, and I mean every, hand. It looked like easy money. In a pronounced slur, he would tell anybody who listened that he had racked up over a $1000 in less than half an hour.
It was obvious this guy wasn’t walking out of the casino with one dime of this money. I figured, why not be a pal and help him part with it. Why wait for a great hand? This guy’s drunk, why not help myself?
I pick up a very marginal hand. It’s an insta-fold against anyone but this guy. He raises and I’m happy to get it all in. He’s happy to call.
I have him dominated. He catches. Re-buy. No big deal.
Soon, I’m against him heads up again. He puts in his auto-raise. Once again, I figure I’m ahead and I call. Turns out I’m right again, but moments later, I’m out another buy-in.
This happens a few more times.
Getting the picture? Of course you do. At first glance, I was outraged I wasn’t winning. But then I started thinking about it. I may have known where I was, but truthfully I was barely ahead. At best, no more than 70/30.
I never considered there was a good chance I could lose four times in a row. In my excitement to take down the King of Coronas, I didn’t factor in the grim reality: he had the chips to weather the storm and I didn’t.
Big mistake.
So now I realize that I didn’t even play poker that night. I gambled on a few expensive coin flips.
And from now on, that’s not why I play poker.
Why do you play? Let me know at stories@whydoiplaypoker.net
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