Tonight (Hibachi)

Glad that I got the graded post out the way. Seriously though, check out Poker After Dark.
It's definitely worth a look if you want to learn more about the game or if you want to see REAL poker.

So... here's the post I've been putting off for almost two weeks. Here goes nothing:

I made the common mistake of not only newbie (which I'm not) poker players but gamblers as well. I played over my limit. Skill wise, .50-$1 and $1-$2 aren't over my limits. I feel like whenever I sit down I can play with anybody at any limit. However, I was having so much success both online and live at the $.25-.$.50 level that I felt invincible. Then, it happened.

With roughly $180 sitting in my Full Tilt account one day in the library, I donked every last penny of that in about 20 minutes sitting at $.50-$1 on Full Tilt (they should be paying me for as often as I'm linking to this damn site). It's tough to recall exactly what happened because I pretty much blacked it out, but I think my first bust-out I got sucked out on, and on my re-buy I bluffed it off into someone holding close to the nuts. Luckily, I had $200 waiting in my Click2Pay account from a previous cash out, so I put that in.

Sat down with that and actually ended $50 up for the day. I was proud of myself.

Then, the next night I went to Ryan's house and lost $60 playing $.25-$.50. I didn't play bad, just didn't really catch any cards, and if I remember correctly that was the first time I'd ever seen Jen, this girl who's pretty much just learning poker and is the least-skilled person sitting no matter what table she occupies, finish with a huge night. Most of her chips were at the expense of catching miraculous cards, but to her credit she siphoned chips out of everyone, which ultimately is the name of the game.

Fast forward a couple days later, and this is where the hero has his tragic fall from grace. Through some great play, I somehow have $450 in Full Tilt. Determined to increase my bankroll, I sat down and played 1-2. Somehow my tight online image disappeared. I reverted back into a drunken Daniel Negreneau and saw flops with trash, trying to outplay the other person. Wasn't happening. I admittedly got my ass handed to me. Twice, for two buy-ins at the max allowed at a 1-2 table.

Then, I sat with my last bit of chunk change, hoping for a miracle. No.

I have no more money left in my Full Tilt account.

I think for the year that puts me around +$250.

Don-key.

But, you know what? At least I'm up. And, it's not like I'm oblivious to what I've been doing. I can't lie and say I've been getting unlucky. I've been so self-destructive in my play over the past two weeks. I have to buckle down. I'm seeing way too many flops. During this streak I think I'm seeing flops at a ridiculous 40% rate. Some people can get away with that, but that's not my style.

I can switch gears. I can be hyper-aggressive, and a lot of times that will end up netting me some serious dough. But, poker isn't a sprint. It's a marathon. It's about getting consistent results over time and more often than not making the right play. I haven't been doing that. So, until further notice it's back to grinding. Tight-aggressive play. Realistic limits. Asking myself, "Is this really the right play at this point in the hand against this person?"

In other words, back to Tripset. Tonight.