Swings of Online Poker

I lie to you not. I was actually going to post an entry that would have told you that I was up $1034 for the year, and I was going to talk about how much I was rushing, how I was making incredible decisions and how I was the best player in the world. I guess this would have been maybe five days ago. I actually still have the draft saved.

But, I am now down almost $300 since then. To be exact, for the year I'm at $766. Still a good $200 up from when I last wrote but disconcerting nonetheless.

For the most part all of these losses have been online. In fact, come to think of it they have been. To anyone unfamiliar with poker, it's a huge difference. Twice as many hands, no physical tells to rely on, and the variable of distraction forever compounding things. I've found that when I've been playing well online, it's because I've limited my hand selections. When I go through swings like this, it's usually because I try to get too creative and see flops with marginal holdings. Simple enough, right? I just have to tighten my ship.

I'm not overly worried. I know the money's coming back. I'm really looking forward to getting back to live play tonight.


After watching "Poker After Dark" the last couple of days on NBC, I've come to really respect Gus Hansen's game. For the most part, people can play what's known as "ABC" or by-the-book poker and do a fine job, even make a living off of it. But, the reason why I think Hansen is one of the best is that he deviates from cut and dry poker. Granted, if you want to play like him at a high level I think you need a massive roll and maybe a few shots of Smirnoff, but check out his escapades under the "Poker Superstars III" posting. Even if you know he's full of bulldog manure, he ultimately does put you to a decision, most of the time for a large sum or all of your chips. As you'll see in the post, sometimes he doesn't even look at his hole cards. Gambler? Yes. But, most of the best players in the world are.