The worst call ever made by the biggest Donkey!

Was by me :(

I decided to go to Sheffield for the main event £750 Double Chance Freezeout on Friday and see if it was possible to last more than the 30 minutes I achieved in Blackpool. Starting chips 5k with an option to add on within the 1st hour if need be ok here we go.

I settled in very well in fact I’m never nervous at these ‘live’ events I enjoy them that much I just can’t wait to get going to be honest. Now talk about card dead it was unreal I never got anything worth playing for over 3 hours so basically I just sat studying my opponents and waiting patiently, at least I’ve lasted longer than Blackpool I tell myself.

The blind structures at these events are getting better and this one started at 25/50 with 45 minute increases so you know you can be patient and play the game. One player on the table I noticed as the ‘Station’ constantly in pots calling them down to the river and his stack was swinging that much I thought the table would subside at one time. He raises (minimum) in mid position and after another two callers I call for value out of the BB with 6s 4s. Flop comes 9 6 4 rainbow and I check round to the raiser who bets 800 into the pot followed by one more caller before it’s back to me. I decide I’m happy just to take this pot down if possible so I grab my stack and ‘All-in’ to the middle, Raiser ponders and scratches his chin (I know he can’t fold, and I know I’m in front) then calls the other caller mucks. On their backs and he shows A 9 and my 2 pair hold up and double me up to 8k with still 5k in the kitty.

Bits of tit for tat poker then I collected my other 5k and on the last hand just before the break I get AsJs OTB. I lost 3k in that pot to a clever player who flopped the nuts and checked it down to the river leading me to believe I was in front with my 2nd pair when he over bet the pot. Oh well his cards marked for later. . .

Down to the last 30 players or so and I am now pretty short stacked holding about 6k and in need of chips. I have been very patient and disciplined and I am pleased with my performance but that doesn’t win you the money so I’m looking for opportunities now the blinds are 200/400. I get JJ in mid position and raise to 3 x BB 1200 and everyone folds to my earlier friend ‘MrStation’ himself who calls all then fold round to a player who I recognised immediately and now know as Malcolm "the Rock" Harwood, seen him plenty of times on late night poker rocking it up and moving with AA minimum he announces "All-In", oh dear dilemma time. I count his stack he has about 7.5k and could be making a move here himself, I say that anyone else pushing I call straight away but I know I have to respect his raise as ‘something’ so I leave it a few seconds before I gambooooool and ‘call’. MrStation calls also say’s it’s for value and they go on their backs. Malcolm "the Rock" Harwood shows A K ‘MrStation’ grimaces no wonder when he shows A J and my JJ holds up to treble me up and back in the tournament.

The worst call ever made by the biggest Donkey!

Over the next couple of hours I play solid aggressive poker and keep myself about 10k above ave stack taking the blinds with position and not much of a fight. Then the following hand occurs… I am in late position every player folds round to the BB I have played against him for a few hours and with position he likes to get in with virtually ATC (connectors etc) with a limp or sometimes a raise - I have also noticed he over-defends his blinds and thinks everyone is 'AT IT' when they raise when he's in a pot. I have Jh 10h and I raise blinds are 400/800 and make it 2400 to go. Now I think my image will get me through but of course he doesn’t care about image and calls from the BB. Flop comes 7c 8h 9h what a perfect flop and a perfect opponent to flop against. He checks and I think that a bet will look better than a check so I make a just under the pot sized bet and he calls. Turn comes 7h and after looking at the flop 10 x I realise that it isn’t going away and I have the absolute nuts against one of the chip leaders with an attitude. I decide I really need to trap him here this is my opportunity to take hold of the tournament he checks the turn and I check it back.

We are 6hrs into the tournament and I am really tired and the caffeine has sent me on one of those had too much and head is in bits syndrome. Mixture of extreme lethargy and Amphetamine type alertness (not a good mix) I feel shitty here but I have a monster hand and need to disguise it. I lose my composure totally whilst trying to hide my excited ness and whilst in a near hallucigenic state I decide I am going to check/call the turn and put him all in on the river. Can you see where I’m going yet? I decide I am going to check/call the turn WTF the turn has already been played we’re now on the river. The river (which I think is the turn) is 8s and he bets 5k, now I start a bit of an act ‘should I shouldn’t I’ and then throw my 5k into the middle ready for the river. He flips his cards over and shows 8 6 off suit for a full house 8’s over 7’s and at first I think what’s he doing but it’s just a split second before I realise I just made the worst call in my poker playing life and embarrassingly show my 10h Jh for a str8 flush to the raised brows of the table (ground/swallow springs to mind here).

He’s over the moon and I know he couldn’t fold there if I had put him all-in and that would have left him with 6k he was gone with the wind. I was too exhausted to tilt but to say my head was shot to pieces is an understatement. Poker is a simple game on the surface and being alert in EVERY hand you play is a fundamental rule of the game, I just got burned by the simplicity and it hurt. One thing that did happen here is my head cleared back to razor sharpness and I was back playing again, what a bad time I picked to go into an altered state of mind and in hindsight thank Fuk it’s not the WSOP because I would never live that one down in a million years.

Onwards upwards and 4:15am player goes out on the bubble and we are down to the final table. Play resumes the next day at 3pm and I am in 3rd place in chips with 61,800 chip leader is my ‘surviving villain’ on 71k not much in it blinds at 800/1600 now let me get some sleep.

Final Table:
‘surviving villain’ is 2 to my right and that’s my only qualm because I know he’s going to be having a pop at me and my blinds through the stages but otherwise I'm pretty happy. There are 3 short stacks and the TV cameras are there I’m just glad I did my hair today. Cut a long story short 1hr into the game I have been in a couple of pots and 2 players have departed 8 left now and I’m confident I can go very deep here. Then the following hand occurs with my nemesis ‘surviving villain’…

8 players left blinds 1000/2000 no ante.I'm on the BB with Ah 10d nursing a relatively healthy 56k in chips. Every player folds round to the Button ‘surviving villain’ who has just won a few pots and is chip leader on about 90k. To re-iterate, I have played against him the previous night and with position he likes to get in with virtually ATC (connectors etc) with a limp or sometimes a raise - I have also noticed he over-defends his blinds and thinks everyone is 'AT IT' when they raise when he's in a pot. I feel I have the measure of him now and have outplayed him a few times post flop (and outplayed myself).

He limps OTB into the pot for 2k and the SB folds.I raise the pot from the BB to 6k and he ponders then calls (not unusual)

Flop comes Ac 7c 4dI bet 9k and he thinks for a bit and calls

Turn 4c

I bet 12k and again he thinks for a bit and asks me how much I have left, I state "20500".. He toys around for a bit then puts me all in....

Here's my thinking at the time 'OH FUKK' sorry forget that here's my thinking - The limp was weak pre-flop and I have seen him raising with A 10 upwards no limping - but he will limp with connectors etc so maybe A rag. Possible limp with AA KK but he's not coming over the top with KK surely so Ace rag is more likely in my opinion. Now if he has limped with A rag and flopped 2pair or FH I'm obviously in bad shape but I have a distinct feeling he's at it here so now I think I have put 30k in the pot I can still play 20k and chuck this hand... However it’s niggling me that he doesn't look to confident and I can’t seem to put him on a hand that beats mine.

The Valet comes over whilst my brain is doing 100mph and asks if anyone wants a drink, I say “yes, Double JD and coke please” she says jokingly “it’s no problem” but I say “no a coffee will do” and a player comments “he must be folding and hanging round a bit longer”. However, in the meantime I have decided I’m calling because I think my hand is good. I call and his face is a picture of misery and he’s holding his cards to himself till I flip over and show Ad 10h and he laughs and shows As 10c wow and phew! and people on the table say good call etc...

He has the club draw and I don’t think I deserve a club on the river after making that call but the cards have no compassion and the river brings a cruelly devastating Qc and he four flushes me out of the tournament.

I have beat myself up a few times about certain things like straight flushes etc. But I can only learn from these experiences and learning I am doing at the minute at a pretty fast rate.

Tikay from Blondepoker.com sponsored by 425 asked for an interview for poker channel 425 which is actually channel 835 and I accepted for my 1st TV appearance gracefully. However, I talked a complete load of garbage and how anyone will ever make sense of how I try to explain my exit hand beats me…

Good luck

My next venture for stardom is the Poker Million on Ladbrokes…

Who's Tha Daddy

The girlfriend has booked a family holiday to jamaica for when I come back from Vegas so I say "hey I need more poker time to be funding these adventures". Works for a couple of days at least then just as I get up to make a coffee she dives in my seat and starts looking for holidays again. I mean Holidays ? What's the fun in being sat looking for a daft holiday we've already booked ours for this year and I'm having a brucie anyway Vegas Baby (I have to say it again sorry, it just rolls off the tongue so well)!

So she finds this holiday in Majorca and starts the old "oooh this is cheap look here!" tactic, "so much value £1500 i'ts a one in a lifetime your own Villa" blah blah blah. "It'll be a nice chill after the family holiday in Jamaica" etc. etc. etc. I say "hey babes you know I'm not Baron Rothchild! but if you let me have some peace and play the Daddy tourney (Evil grin) tonight whislt supplying an all inclusive Coffee/snacks etc. who knows". (Evil he he he). They say negotiation Is the ability to be able to cut the cake so each person thinks they have a decent slice. "And" I state, because I have a tell on her now, "If i reach the FT like last week then go ahead and book it". We both now feel like the cat that's got the cream and I have full all inclusive rights to register in the Daddy hoping to better my previous weeks performance.

The Tuesday $320 Daddy tourney $70k GTD after last weeks 10th place finish and hopefully I'm in for another long night, alongside a deviously negotiated poker playing time deal.

I played a good solid tournament made some folds that mark my improvement in the MTT side of the game and kept my mistakes to a minimum. By folding I mean giving up that slight edge I think I have at the time and waiting for better opportunities to come. In a cash game you have to take those slight edges knowing you can always re-load and survival is not so important because of that fact. I made a couple of mistakes however, nothing major, one was raising from EP with a small PP when the blinds are at a decent level so obviously if the raise doesn't get through I am forced to fold to a re-raise (waste of chips). Another mistake I would say is I think I can get more out of the game by taking advantage of my position (stealing), however, with hindsight when I fold my A2 (hate the kicker) LP and everyone folds to the BB I am thinking here 'dam it I should have raised'. In fairness though my aggressive raises were getting through so maybe I was at optimal frequency and the odd fold here and there worked for me rather than against.

My biggest mistake by far was NOT WINNING!
I messed up completely when 3 handed and with every chance to win the tournament. The timing went haywire and I also lost focus on the game in hand. 1st place required next week...

Managed 3rd place and $8964 prizemoney... Holiday booked, Happy Dayzzzzzzzz . . .


Asta Llueago Amigo's, Buena Suerte !

In Training for the BIG DANCE

I won’t allow myself to play poker on the cryptologic network any more it is not worth the hassle. For months now I have been fighting ‘Variance’ of untold proportions. I mean was I so lucky last year that it’s all coming back to haunt me now?

Well I’ve tried answering that one and many other questions whilst constantly getting my chips in only to get sucked out by the river. Now I’m fully aware of the fact that it’s not over till the fat lady sings but how long does the fat fucker have to keep singing???

Here is a hand that stuck in my mind from a £300 six-Pac last week and an example of the ‘Negative Variance’ happening to me on Betfair. I get dealt AJ in mid position in the 1st level of the tourney. Deejay raises 3 x BB from UTG (45 chips), and I call as does another player. Flop comes A 8 x and Deejay checks, I think that this early in the Pac Deejay wont trap with two players on the go and the check from him could indicate he didn’t like the A so I think I need to bet here and let him now his KK is beat ). I bet out 105 chips and PlayerX re-raises to 210 Deejay folds. Soon as the raise comes I think oi oi and start considering his range and A 8 is one of the possibilities here. I decide to call and see how he responds on the turn. Turn brings a J and now I have the top 2 pair and believe I’m in front. Now I'm sure if I bet he’ll at least call so I lead out again and he re-raises all-in and I can’t click fast enough. His cards show A 8 and the river comes an 8 for him to fill his boots, Deejay types in chat “I folded KK”, for an all round perfect read on my behalf ending as usual getting turned over.

The above example is happening to me game after game on BF and it has reached a point where I expect to get turned over. Yesterday I realised I should quit playing when I moved on the bubble with A 7 and was called by K 5 the flop came K 7 X and my stomach dropped only for the turn to salvage me from the brinks of despair with a friendly Ace, now it’s obvious here that the King can ruin my hopes of the RIG letting up on me for at least one game. The river is a King and I’m defeated yet again.

Cards don’t have memories so why stick around feeling like this expecting every hand to be beaten there’s no point. Expecting hands to be beaten is a sign of tilt in my opinion but I have fought hard to prove to myself that this is not tilt and that this unbelievably bad run of cards is such. Regardless of my opinions no matter how farfetched they may seem, I do not feel like this on other sites and feel like the ‘Variance’ on them is not as ridiculous. In fact while playing Betfair I have won over $15k on other sites so why am I so loyal to the site - stupidity?

I am in training for the WSOP in Vegas and I am taking the tournament and the experience very seriously. Coming from mainly a cash poker background my focus is on tournament strategy and obviously the mental adjustments accorded to these games. I am playing 3 sites regular Ladbrokes, Poker stars and Full Tilt with plenty of heads up action mainly on full tilt And Stars god they are so weak it is unreal. The structure on the HU tourneys are very good and you can really set weak players up for moves which get all there chips pretty quickly. Value betting Q high on the river sounds a strange concept to most but it frequently gets you the pot. Although lucrative I find them mentally draining to play and can only really manage a couple or three but my record in them is excellent.

Midastuck recommended some tourneys for me to practice for MTT experience and I played one Tuesday night on Ladbrokes called the Gatcha Daddy MTT $320 entry 3000 starting stack with 20 minute levels & a top twenty payout structure 1st was about $27,000 10th $933. I managed to get to the FT and lost a pretty big pot when I got away from KK after re-raising pre-flop then folding after leading out on a flop of a nasty A Q x I was re-raised so I mucked he shows AQ. Very next hand I have about 50k in chips and got JJ one raiser who was the table 'suckout merchant' blinds at 3000/6000 raises to 12k I decide to move all in with my hand so it looked as if I was steaming from the previous pot and after a long dwell he calls with wait for it…………………………….. 33 and on the river a nice little 3 popped up to send me to bed. Great tourney, great structure THE BEST I have played online plus $933 winnings. I have decided to stop playing plenty of the daft ones as i don't take them seriously but when I sit down to play one of these I want to be trying my best.

Last night on full tilt I thought I’d give the $200,000 GTD NL tournament a shot 1031 runners and again a good prize structure. They have so many top pro’s playing in this it’s worth entering just to steal their blinds. Any of the big names have bounties on them but they play with their proper names not nicknames so you know who you’re up against which is pretty good. I played a good solid tournament and stole Erick Lindgrens blinds on a few occasions, he made a move all-in with A7 just after and was called by AQ but he rivered a 7 to the dismay of his opponent but a very friendly chatty endorser of the full tilt fraternity. I eventually fizzled out when my AK was turned over and then I made a move with 67 off called by Ak no improvement. However, another good game and plenty of players in to get used to the big field syndrome that awaits for the big dance (placed a respectable but not profutable 138th)... I can’t wait...

All the Very Best and Good Luck…

I feel free as a bird no I’m away from that shitty craptologic software :)

Practice makes perfect ! ! !

Blackpool Festival Main Event:
Hawko told me he was off to Blackpool to play the main event £1000 plus £30 NL tournament. I decided it would be good practice for my WSOP debut so I slung some clothes in a bag and was off with ‘A bag of sand in my hand’.

158 runners and no idea about blind structure etc. I am so organised. Not to worry, I’ve got my IPOD and my belly is full with cheese n ham toasties what more could I ask for. Hawko says “just chilling for the first few hours; playing real tight until the blinds start getting worth pinching”! Mmm that sounds about right I’ll make that my plan as well, no point in thinking about the job when someone’s already done it for you eh.

Sat round my table and I’m very relaxed the information is flowing big style. I really am surprised at just how much people give away without realising to be honest. However, it’s welcomed but the paranoid Pete in me is wondering which one is dishing out false info and setting me up its that strong. Whilst analysing my opponents I even managed to look at a sheet with the blind structures which were very good by the way and hopefully allowing some real poker to be played.

The last time I played a festival Matt Tyler approached me and said you have a tough table Toshi top 3 ranked Pro’s in Europe I didn’t have a clue who they were and I like it that way I don’t need to start second guessing myself I can just play my game; I finished 12th. Anyway, to my left I have a player that seems to know everyone very affable talking Vegas etc so I’m assuming pro and I'm assuming recognised pro. Next the player has a purple Littlewoods T shirt and looks every bit the seasoned internet player with a complexion reduced to deathly looks from too many fags. No offence ere I can empathise. Few on the table don’t give anything away just ordinary looking folk however two young lads one later recognised as a blondite ‘Hartwith’ sat opposite and the other one to my right. Both friends who have been allocated the same table. ‘Hartwith’ or Villain 1 looked every bit the confident/aggressive player with good poker clothes and headphones round his neck, he’s come to play I thought. The other friend Villain 2 I’ll call him seemed more passive and didn’t have that confident aura about him or that’s what my senses were telling me anyway. Further to my right was a huge man probably round the 40 stone plus mark had me wondering if it’s the player I read about in the news that qualified online and is having difficulty getting to Vegas because of his weight don’t know but he obviously can play if it is so. Finally a couple of players to the right of the dealer I can’t see them properly owing to where I'm seated on the table but one of them I have down as a bit of a loose cannon judging my how the other players are talking to him etc. Anyway the pre-recorded ‘Shuffle up and Deal’ comes over the sound system and I’m about to see if any of my judgements are correct over the next few hours, BRING IT ON.

Ok so this is going to be a long night best get comfy. About 15 minutes into the game and I have a general perception of the table and its players, I’m buzzing as well because my intuition served me well to start with. Few players are in it right from the beginning tit for tat poker and I’m happy just gathering information and setting up my tight image for later. Now although my planning is not the best on this occasion I do have an idea that I want to create a tight image and stick around a while. My first involvement I would like to be a winning one so I can stamp my solidity on the table, yes that’s the plan. I get dealt QsQc UTG the blinds are 25/50 and the starting stack is 10k. I make a raise of 4 x BB to which UTG +1 calls and 2 other callers’ one being Villain 1. Not the best result for me here but que sera sera. Flop comes Ad Qd Jc and as far as being in the Zone where calling an UTG raise is concerned I don’t like this flop at all and before you say what do you want well remove the A J and replace with rags please. I lead out and bet 600 UTG + 1 smooth calls other player folds and Villain 1 announces “re-raise” and fires in 1200. I consider his possible holdings and my perception of him as a player and rule out AA/KK as in my opinion he would have re-raised pre to narrow the field could be K 10 or a semi bluff with a diamond draw. I think about re-raising at first but I still have UTG + 1 in the pot who could have a monster too so I call the re-raise and UTG +1 mucks. The turn brings a 4d and I check to Villain 1 who bets 2k, now here I’m pretty much convinced I’m behind but I think that if he has connected well with this board I can bust him for his stack if the board pairs up and with the implied odds I tell myself I have to call. The board doesn’t pair Villain 1 bets 5k and I muck my cards face up and Villain 1 says “very good lay down” and shows Kd Td for the flopped straight and nut flush on the turn. Oh dear so much to the 4hr plan half my stack has gone in 15 minutes.

I tell myself that this is not an opportunity to tilt and still feeling relaxed regain my composure and carry on playing my game. 10 minutes later Mid position and the player to my right Villain 1’s mate Villain 2 limps for 50 chips I look down and find 10 10 and raise it up to 6 x BB this time still scorned from multiway QQ pot and Villain 2 calls everyone else has mucked. Flop comes Q 10 2 and I have flopped the 2nd nuts now I just need to get my chips in the middle if he has QQ then it’s rigged. I bet out and he goes for his chips then backs off as if he doesn’t know what to do. This signals to me he is strong maybe AA KK and he goes back to his chips and says re-raise so I go all-in and throw my 10 10 on the table expecting to double up until he flips his QQ over and set over set has me out of the tourney in a deeply unrespectable 35 minutes.

On reflection, it was just bad luck, Very Bad luck as a matter of fact but that’s poker. I’ve replayed the 1st hand over and over and posted it for analysis but thought I played it quite well. A few say I played too loose on the turn by calling etc but that’s why I post because I want opinions on my play so I can improve.

I Went on the piss later on with some pals of mine from Manchester then met up with Hawko and another player Called Dave (Runner Runner) Callaghan :) and had a good craic. I could have saved myself 1k by not going online (TY Hawko) that day but I did enjoy the overall experience just wish I’d have had more table time.

Running very bad on Betfair and ‘live’ just hope I’m saving up all my luck for the WSOP. Booked my flight with Virgin on the 26th July and a deluxe room in the Bellagio for 10 nights. Can’t Wait!!!

My post on the 1st hand with comments http://blondepoker.com/forum/index.php?topic=9940.0

Good Luck …

'SHUFFLE UP AND DEAL'

See you in Vegas:
I have fulfilled one of my goals and targets that I set myself last year.
WIN AT LEAST 1 SEAT TO ANY MAJOR EVENT
Rob Sherwood a respected tournament Pro player who plays as Filth online said I ought to try qualifying for the WSOP 2006 and that Pokerstars were doing some good Satellites to this event. I gave it some thought and ‘why not’ was one of them so I looked about for tourneys and found one for me to have a play. A one seat GTD qualifier to the WSOP in July $12,000 package. Entry $33 re-buy till the first break 183 runners and the girlfriend is stopping at her mum’s house - I’m in bring it on. My strategy was to see some flops try catching some serial re-buyers for their chips and take it from there. Played hyper aggressive knowing I could re-buy and managed to get to the break on about 7.5k where I added on for $30 another 2k.

I decided after the break I’m on the attack it’s only £40 total and no point sitting about only to get busted when AA gets cracked. I play very aggressive poker and it’s paying me big style. Seemed to be a lot of inexperience and once you twigged who was who - stealing was so easy it was embarrassing. Some cottoned on to the stealing and were re-raising but If you called or re-re-raised (with better holdings obviously) even maniacs get hands ;) then led out they were backing off. Ok it’s all well and good when they aren’t getting the hands to play back at you but maybe it was my night.

After a few hours I was chip leader on about 70k and I thought hey Toshiwonka you could win this if you leave the cork on the wine bottle. Long story short I battled it out with no major swings until Final Table blinds 3000/6000 and me on about 150k thinking omg I can definitely win this… One player was soo lucky against me it’s unreal and I could have easily tilted my chips away but I felt as though I could win this by hook or by crook. I get KK and have about 200k leading the charge against 2nd stack of 160k others round the 100 mark and raise to 36k blinds at 6000/12000 player on 100k goes all-in and I call instantly he shows 66. Flop K 10 J rainbow Turn Q River A OMG lucky tw@T. Onwards upwards then I get AK against same player and push all – in he calls with 33 and they stand up.

I was playing for 1st place now I’ve got 100k but I’m still in with a chance. I know the rocks and can pinch some more bring on AA I push all – in and the short stack calls 60k with 97 and hits a straight. What a waste of time AGAIN. Anyway although I'm short stacked no-one wants to play so I start pushing and pushing and pushing and no replies till my stack is over 100k again. Take a rain check here and the fight is on eventually I am Heads up with 450k against 250k if I remember correctly.

My plan here is not to fukk up and let him in to double up, I’ve got this far I have to win now. My plan is to fire a few raises in and see how passive he is to my play so I start raising and he starts folding great... I make couple of limps from the button, lead out on flop to take it there for a little variety things; are going very well. I get Ak and make my normal raise this time he goes all – in for 200k now I think I can outplay this player but I can’t pass here. I call and he has AQ and my hand stands up to win me my seat at WSOP Get innnnnnnnnnnnnnnn.

To say I’m over the moon here would be an understatement; I’m in training now and looking forwards to the event for £40 LMAO

Good Luck & See you at the tables and in Vegassssssssssssss

Some stuff I typed earlier:
Playing six-pacs has kept me playing poker recreationally and earning a steady few quid in the process. However, I just can’t seem to break free on them and get a good run going. Here I’m getting all serious about the game again due to my competitive nature, well, that’s what I keep telling myself. I think that if I continue playing these I need to adjust my game and tweak it slightly, maybe tighten up a little here and there because I think I gamble too much sometimes. Don’t get me wrong they have improved my game no end and I believe they are a good way of honing poker skills, especially making moves etc. but the swings are nothing like cash games so you’re never really storming away with the band. (missing the big swings) not.

Now for a recreational player these mini tournaments have everything and yes it’s good in a sense that you can play hours of relatively high stakes ave £200 six-pacs running terribly and only be doing 1k – 2k. I mean if it was cash table play you’d be doing your bollocks probably 10k – 20k running as bad. I have been toying with moving back to cash but I’m also still aware of my erratic play when not focused on the job in hand.

I have made a conscious decision that when I go back to play cash it will be £5/10 NL 6 or 10 seated. These are the stakes I am most comfortable with for some reason and this is not a bankroll decision. I have based it on my abilities and my comfort zone as far as starting hand requirements go. Basically on the 10/20 tables raising with small suited connectors pains me i.e. 4 x BB £80 no thanks, that’s how I feel, uncomfortable with the thought! Now stick me on £5/£10 and I don’t hesitate with whatever hand I like to play and the Careful Hebrew in me doesn’t infiltrate my mindset. Maybe it’s a little psychological here as my 19k loss was on 10/20 and my premiums never won a race never mind 4 5 suited but that’s where I’m heading when I do go back. More beats to follow. . .

Someone gave me an interesting article to read the other day about TILT and the different effects it can have on people. I know when I’m on tilt or (emotionally unbalanced) I can always tell when I sit down at a table if I’m up for it or not. Discipline here would work wonders for my profit margins because if I could walk away when I don’t feel right I would be winning a lot more online than at present. Some interesting stuff in the article and I also have some strong opinions on mindset and the psychology of poker which I plan to write about soon, it is actually what attracted me to poker in the first place. Poker the game of ‘LIFE’…

Anyway, whilst on the subject of tilt…
My girlfriend is the best at tilting me followed by the kids and last but not least the dog. I get guaranteed peace and quiet while ‘Footballers Wives’ is on the box, you could hear a fekking pin drop in our house till the adverts come on and then all hell breaks loose… The dog get’s kicked off the couch while she goes in the kitchen for a cup of tea… He (the dog), when he realises she’s not looking, jumps back on the couch and wakes up my Son who comes running into my office screaming “BALAMORY” “BALAMORY” if you don’t know what balamory is stay that way (don’t have kids).

The dog realises now he’s fukked the job up and comes hiding under my feet throwing a few farts in as he grunts and wipes his nose on my leg, creeping cos he been a naughty boy. I have my son sat on my knee now watching ‘Josie Jump’ and ‘Archie The Inventor’ who don’t really like kids if they were honest ‘you can just tell’ and then SHE walks in behind me saying “The dog’s just woke him up”…. Har Har I aren’t no rocket scientist but I have managed to work that one out TY, as my stack which I’ve been nursing for over three hours dwindles into a tiny fragment of it’s former self. “That’s your fekking fault that is” I say. “What is” the reply. “This cnut here has just hit Runner Runner against my set and hit a four flush on the River”. “Oh and that’s my fault is it?” she shouts...

Not really but by the time ‘Josie’ has finished ‘Jumping’ and Archie’s made a ship out of yoghurt pots I’m beat and upset about wasting my time so I find a six-pac where I can donate some more LOOOOOOOL. This is a typical night of poker for me, I should get out more.

Adios