You Can't Rush It

and I have tried so many times that it is a big part of why I am not a huge winner. Playing on the Internet over the week end brought this out.

I took my winnings and moved up in stakes and of course lost pretty much all of it. As I am starting over I realize that my biggest mistake and leak, is that I am rushing it. I have a goal in mind and looking back, my rush to obtain my goal is making me gamble more and loose.

I have been fighting myself over when to leave a game. I stay to long and loose it back, but why? I play tired. I over play hands or chase. I play hands in bad position or for a raise when I know I shouldn't. I call when I know I am beat. All of this can be traced back to being in a hurry. A hurry to win or play what I think I should, not except what it is. Trying hard and not giving up are good traits to have, but you also have to know when you are beat.

I am putting all the pieces together in my head. Separately I knew them but it just dawned on me how they fit together. Playing for a set time is key. You can be flexible with this but don't totaly ignore it. Poker can be extremly frustrating and tiring, so knowing when it will be over will keep you focused. For me, it is easier to take all the bad beats, bad hands, and missed flops if I know when it will end.

Staying focused and controling your emotions will keep you from loosing those extra bets and turn loosing sessions into break even or small winning sessions. I beat myself up all the time after I waste a few bets and then the very next hand I win. If only I waited alittle longer I would have more chips instead of just making up for the previous hand.

All of my mistakes boil down to being in a hurry. A hurry to get un-bored, win a certain amount of money, play so many hands, or even beat that guy I don't like. Doing what you know you should will make all of your goals happen, just not necessarily as quickly as you want.

Back on Line and More

Finally got my deposit to show up on PS. It took two weeks to set it up, verify it, and then have the account funded. All for $200. So I have been grinding it for a few days at .5/1. I am up $42 so I moved up to 1/2 already. I am way under bankrolled at 242 so I am playing tight. I just couldn't stand making $1 per hour. I am playing now and the 1/2 is softer then the .5/1, although it is Sat. night.

As part of my new drive to work on my game and take my winnings home I got set up better this time around. I went out and bought my own laptop and bought Poker Tracker so I don't skew my results. I guess I should get some kind of HUD but I haven't taken the time to learn what all the numbers mean. The only one I know now is the VPIP and what range I should be in.

Used properly the Internet can be a huge help, because not only do you see more hands, can track your play better, and so forth, but the players are more aggressive and to a large extent, just all around better players then at the Peppermill. They are 10x better then the people at the Bay 101. As I type this I am up $19.75 in 30 min. That would be great if I can keep it up, but not likely.

I plan on playing on line during the week. I tried to leave work at 5 ish and go to the Peppermill, but it takes 40 mins from door to door plus gas. So even if I get seated right away it is after 6pm. Then I eat at the table and in at most, 4 hours, I am driving back to Carson City. Wind down, get to bed, and it is late for work in the morning. Loosing that 1/2 of sleep a night adds up so by Friday I am almost to tired to go again. By playing on line I can get in a solid 2 hours which is like 4 hrs live and get home in time to read a few pages of a poker book or watch a video before getting to sleep at a reasonable time.

Speaking of live, I did make it to the Peppermill last night, Fri. Got into the 15/30 game right away with pretty much the normal line up. There were a couple of new faces to keep it interest though. How did I do, it was a massacre. I couldn't get cards to save my life and if I got a playable hand I missed the flop by a country mile. It was just opposite from what I had all night.

I can remember 3 hands that pretty much sum it up. I had Qs7s in the big blind and with no raises. Two spades fall, all under cards. I bet and 4 call. The turn is a Q so I bet again, 3 call. The river is the Ad. It is checked around and I think I might have a chance, until Greg turns over KK. The best hand I got all night was TT. I raised UTG and everyone folded to the button who 3 bet. I just knew I was up against a bigger pair since that is the only thing people 3 bet pre-flop with. It is almost a given. The flop was low so I lead out and he raised, so now there was no doubt. I did call to see if I could get lucky but it was a J. Check, bet, fold. He told me later he had JJ. At this point I am down a rack so I bought 200 more to see if the cards would turn. I get KJ in the BB and check to see the flop with 6 others. It is a Ten high rainbow and it is check around to the CO who bets. I have the odds so I call and everyone else folds. The turn is a K and I get in a CR. I have $10 left at this point when another Ten hits the river. I check he bets and I have to call. He tables AT. Obviously not my night so I pack up and leave at 10pm.

I was happy with my play for the most part. There was only one bad call down I did and the rest was just bad luck. The second best hands are just expensive. I also left before my predetermined time. Loosing is a great motivation to leave but I was also tired and just feeling off. In fact, I feel like crap right now which is the main reason I am not at the Peppermill tonight winning my money back.

On the lighter side, I don't think anyone knows who I am yet. I did find out that I don't know Zak or the new one, Freeze, or something. I did hear a rumor about Zak. I hear he is a good player and was looking for a coach to get better at tournaments. A guy named Tuna was brought up but you didn't think he would be a good fit. Might even be another Zak. Anyway, other then trying to find out who I am I don't have any comment to respond to.

BTW How did you find my blog? I tried to google for it but nothing. Is there some kind of search function within blogger? If so, where is it?

Same Old With a Twist

Based on a few comments I am beginning to think that more people have found my blog then I thought would, quicker then I thought and so on. I may have to start being a little more vague because my identity seems to be utmost in their minds. Other then who am I, what do you think about the content? Do I ramble? Is it the same old stuff? Should I put in more hands?
I tend to repeat myself so let me know if I do it here.

Ok, so it was the same old crap as every other weekend. I made a lot of money, stayed to long, gave it all back. Not much in details that I want to go into because I don't want to relive the horror and be reminded about the thousands of dollars that I just GAVE AWAY because I am such a nice guy. Blah.

The twist part is bringing personal stuff to the table. I had a person, whom I thought was a friend, do something so colossally stupid, in an attempt to get back at mostly another friend and partly me that I have been mentally sick since last Wed. He is being so immature, self centered, and petty that he doesn't see, or care about the fallout which will ultimately cost him many, many thousands of dollars and my friendship. I was so sick I couldn't see straight. So Thur I thought I would go play poker and try to forget about it. Well I thought about it the whole time and ended up getting stuck. I told myself I am not really stuck until I leave so I stayed. At 4:30 am I was within $100 of being even.

Now stop and think about this. I woke up at 6am Thur, worked all day, played poker all night, and now its Fri and I have to be at work in 3 hours. So to say I was tired is putting it lightly. So thinking very clearly I decided that the sun comes up at 5:30 am and it would be better to ride home in the daylight. I did and ended up loosing $200 in the hour. O Well, not that bad for an all nighter -300. So I got home at 6:40 decided to get a 30 min nap in and cleanup and went to work. I did as little as possible Fri and even got in some shut eye to boot. Since I got some sleep I did think about going back but by quitting time all I wanted to do was sleep so I slept all Fri night.

Got up Sat 90% rested with the plan to play only 8hrs and leave no mater what. The best laid plans. I got to the Peppermill at I don't know what time and got into a 1/2 NL. Lost 200 and rebought 300 when alot of people were leaving to start up a 2/3 5 to go NL game. The action player, Sammy, was in my game so when he went to the bigger game I thought why not. It worked out great. Sammy was giving as much action as you could handle, catching cards, and putting people on tilt. I managed to catch a few hands myself and just rode the wave. Before I knew it I got my money back plus $500.

By now people were coming in and a 5/10 NL list came up and half my table left to start it. Sammy again went to the bigger game and me with him. This is the biggest game I have played in to date. It was a min 500 buy in and most were buying in for 2k or more. I put my 500 profit on the table and let it ride. I was focused and playing well and built my 500 up to 1800+. Not bad for the cards and action I was getting. Then it happened as usual. I missed a few draws, realized I was tired, but kept playing. Slowly my stack dwindled from bad beats and bad play until it was gone. Did I leave then, no, I had the money I brought.

By now Danny came to the table. I just think it is coincidence at this point but he benefited greatly once again from my now meager condition. He bet, I raised, and he put me all in with a flush draw that didn't come. I played bad some more and Sammy got my last 100. I lost @%@%@ more. lol You get the point.

So, if you were paying attention I was supposed to leave after 8 hrs. (At which point I had alot of money). But since I didn't pay attention to what time I came in, I am not completely sure when it was up. But no matter what, it was now 11pm and I was still there. Way past 8 hrs. So I have a few brain cells left and go to the 1/2 NL. Can't catch a break and loose my 100 in an hour. I finnally leave at midnight, broke and labeled a fish. Not quite broke, I still have a good size bank roll for me and my day job.

Overall, I still think I am a winning player, just not driven at this point. I can and do win but since it is not my living I give most of it back. The stupid personal shit in my life right now has given me this "I don't care attitude". So I came up with a new plan to help me focus and stop giving it back. It is very low tech but I tried it out Sun. at a local cardroom for small stakes and it seemed to work. I will have to do some more field test but I am optimistic.

Great Weekend

Made up for the last 2 months of losses over the weekend. I could have made more but still made the same old mistake.

Sat. I was there by 1pm and fooled around in ½ NL before the 20/40 started. I made back what I lost in the NL, I don’t know how much but I know I lost some. I was up a rack in profit when the game started to break about 6:30. Turns out a lot of players were in the 7pm tournament so I joined also.

It was a $225 buy in with about 85 players. We started with 3,000 chips and blinds went up every 20min. On the first hand I ran into KK and lost 700 before I folded. Then I limped in a few pots and lost another 300. At this rate I figure I will be out and why nurse a short stack for hours when I can make more in the cash games. So I got really aggressive and started moving all in first and over the top of raises and they folded. Before I knew it I was up. Then I started catching cards. And by that I mean I flopped quads and got a guy to go all in with me. But for the most part I was just being really aggressive and they folded. I guess when I showed a few big hands they got scared of me.

Before I knew it I was one of the chip leaders and I started to think I may have a chance. I continued to get cards. UTG raised, 2nd largest stack at the table nest to mine, and it was folded to me in the BB. I had TT and called. I did think about it so I looked weak. The flop was 4T4. I was excited to see the T then the rest of the flop registered in my brain and I check. He pushed and I insta-called. He knew I had him and showed JJ. My hand held up and I was flying high.

After that I twice had to call all-in bets from short stacks with weak cards. I knew it was my job but I didn’t have to like it. I lost both hands by the way. I hit a bad run of cards and had to fold a few rounds. The blinds and now antes were starting to put a dent in my stack and a few other players were able to double up so I was a medium stack again. I stole the blinds and antes a few times to keep going. As the tables were combined and new big stacks came over I could only go all-in or fold. I remember one hand where a big stack called the BB and I pushed with 88. He had done this before with a medium A so I figured he might fold, and he did. He thought about it and tried the fake fold move but I was so tired I didn’t budge and he let it go.

We where down to 10 players and 9 places paid. I was 5 in chips when someone came up with the idea of taking 200 of the 1st place money and 100 off the 2nd place money to move the action and it worked. A player went all in and was down to 200 the next hand. He posted the antes and was out. I made the final table.

The blinds and antes where big now so I still had to play. I called a small raise from the BB and check it down with another player to knock out the all in, just to loose on the river. I caught an A on the river but it gave him a flush, but it was the right play and we had one less player at the table. I was in the same position a few hands later but was able to improve on the turn so I bet and the third player folded and I knock out the all-in and got the money. I called one all-in by myself to take out my third player.

We were 5 handed and I was 4th in chips when I went out. The small stack pushed with J7 for less then the BB and I got QQ in the small blind. I went all in and to my horror the BB called with AA. I should have played it safe and just called so I could fold and still be in but I thought I had a lock on the hand. Even if the small stack won I would win the antes because he had so little chips. O well I still had the small stack beat and I would get 4th place money. NOT, he rivered a gutshot straight and I was out in 5th place for 1,100. Crap. I tipped the dealers 100 so I walked with 800 (1k – buy in).

It was now 2:30 and even though I was tired I was hyped up on coffee so I sat in a short handed 20/40 to calm down. I stated loosing right away and I was kicking myself for playing tired again and loosing when I won big pot and was up. Still didn’t leave, when a young woman with a McDonalds uniform sat down with 300. She was on fire hitting every flop and catching every draw. I tried to avoid her but I was getting good hands that turned out to be second best. I tried to raise her out preflop but she would call with junk and catch two pair. Yes she got all of my chips and I went home.

Sun. I tried to call some friends to avoid playing since I was still tired and lost 1k because of it, but nobody called me back so I went up. I did pick up another rack in profit but I stayed 2 hands to long again. I figure I left 3 racks on the table because of not leaving. I have to get this through my head.

Overall I had a great weekend and made up all my lost ground and then some. I think I played well post flop and will keep reading and watching the videos. As for playing tired, I will try again this weekend and see if I can control my self.

Peppermill Summer Tournaments Day 1

The summer tournament Fri night and I went up to take advantage of the action. I was able to leave work a little early due to some errands and got to Reno about 5pm. The 20/40 was full so I got in a ½ NL. I started to hit some flops and got some action on a big open raise with AA. There was a very chatty idiot to my left and I turned up my ipod to drown him out but it wouldn’t go loud enough. It cost me a couple hundred on a big hand. I checked in the big blind with 10/6o and flopped two pair. There was a flush draw out so I bet 30 to narrow the field. MP3 raised to 60 and the CO and I called. The turn made a straight possible and I check to MP3 who made it 100 all-in. CO called and I tanked. This is when the chatty idiot to my left started to talk about the possible hands and being new to the game I didn’t know the players so I let his comment convince me MP3 had the straight and the CO was on a flush draw so I folded. Of course the river was a blank and I would have won 500 with two pair vs KK and top pair. Damn. I managed to win 200 when I was moved to the 20/40.

I started with 200 from 1/2NL and with the 200 I won I started the 20/40 with 400 and never looked back. I won right away. I was playing aggressively and trying to apply the things I read and the concepts on the videos and it was working. I had a set back when Dirty Doug caught a boat on the river that made my flush but fought back. I called Solomon “Sulli” down with 55 and was good to his AK and kept betting with AQs after raising preflop from the small blind in a big pot to have everyone fold on the river without showing. I even got really lucky when I made trips on the river to beat top pair. The guy is a luck box so it was satisfying to river him that way. My best pot was when I called a raised in the small blind with Jh10h and flopped a flush and opened straight draw. It was capped 3 ways on the flop and I was able to 3 bet on the turn when I made my flush. I got paid off by both players for a big pot. I turned 200 into 2100 in 5 hours.

I had a strong urge to leave just after 10pm but fought it. I went card dead and didn’t play a pot for two rounds. I would raise with AK and have to fold on the flop. I got top pair with Q9o and turned trips only to loose to Dirty Doug’s J kicker that he slow rolled. I blinded of a few more bets and finally left about 11:30 after giving back 500. I racked up 1400 in profit so I am not to upset. I just need to listen to my gut more. Now I am tired and won’t be as sharp tonight.

On the way out I saw some friends playing 4/8 so I bought a rack to sit and talk with them a little. I played well and was up a bit when I was dealt AA. I raised and got like 5 callers. All 5 called down and I got a raise on the turn for a 180 main pot and 20 side pot. A drunk luck box “Tom” got two pair, 75o, on the turn for the main pot and I got the side pot. I lost another pot a little while later and was stuck $1 so I racked it up. I wasn’t meant to win anymore that night.

It is 12:30 so time to start heading back up. Till Sunday.

Working Things Out

I went to the Peppermill last night with the plan of playing until 9:30, about 3hrs, and going home and getting a good night’s sleep for work the next day. Yeah right! I got out of there down $200 at 2:30am. I was within $10 of even and of course I chased it.

There was a juicy 15/30 going when I got there at 6:30 and I was only third on the list, so I jumped into a 2/3 5 to go NL game to pass the time. I won a few tiny pots to $235 when this hand came up. I had J9 of hearts in MP1. I limp in along with 7 others to see a 5h6d7h flop. The small blind bets $15 I call and the CO calls. The button moves all in for his last $75. Small blind folds and I tank for a minute thinking about the action after me and how the button pushed his small stack in with J4o a few hands ago. I call and the CO moves all in with more chips then me. There is enough in the pot to triple me up so I call my last 150 or so. I get runner runner two pair but no flush and the button gets lucky on his gut shot to win the main pot. The CO flopped the straight and took the rest of my chips. So in the end I called with 9 outs (two 9 seven hearts). I believe I was right to call the CO based on the odds but it still hurts. Any thoughts on this hand?

The main 15/30 hasn’t moved but they opened up a feeder game and I get a seat. There is amazing action in this game. I win a big pot with AA to make up for my NL loss and have a few bucks extra. One of the reasons this pot was so big was the total maniac in seat 10, I am in seat 8. I flopped a set and he bets into me on the river with a pair of nines. I only called because there was a possible straight. I get mixed up with him in two more pots, one was a bluff on my part on a KK77x board with QQ. He called and re-raised me on the river and I folded. It might have been weak to fold for one more bet but I was pissed I didn’t check the river down. He didn’t show but when he folded he held up his cards and I saw paint that I took for a K but I will never know for sure. Then I limped in on the button with KTo and he raised in the small blind and all 7 of us called. I only limped because there were so many in the pot already. The flop came K high with two clubs. He bet and it was folded to me and I raised, he 3 bet and I 4 bet, he just called. The turn was a blank and we got another 4 bets in. The river was a third club and he hesitated then bet. I just called and he showed the A5 of clubs for the nut flush. I was sick and stuck again.

Two hands later a new player sits in between us and I raise with QQ. New guy 3 bets and maniac 4 bets, I call. I bet a low flop and new guy raises and we both call. Turn goes check, bet, call, call. The river is the K and it goes check, check, bet, call, call. Of course new guy wins with AA and maniac had nothing and folds before any hands are shown. Yes I knew he had AA and I played it like a donkey but I got two things out of this hand. My biggest mistake was that I should have raised the river bet from the maniac and put the new guy to the test. He should have easily put me on KK and could have laid it down. He said that is why he checked and based on his later play I think he was good enough to lay it down. The second thing was that I figured out how I should have played the hand. I am fine with the pre-flop bets and without knowing the new guy the flop bet isn’t even that bad, but I should have check folded to the turn bet. Now that I know the new guys play I would even check, call the flop then check, fold the turn. I banged my head once again but it finally sunk in.

I bought another rack and was now in 1200. I went cards dead and got moved to the main game shortly after. I was in the 8 seat again and got QQ on the button there were 7 limpers, I raised and they all called. The flop cam Kxx and I checked and it got checked around to the maniac from the first table who is now at the main game also. I called and 2 others called. The turn was a 10 and it was checked to the maniac again and I raised, maniac and one other caller with me to the 9 on the river. I held my breath and bet into the straight. LP folded and maniac raised, I call and am good. He got a nine on the river. The big pot brought me back and it felt good to get my money back from the maniac.

I am happy with this hand, not because I won a big pot, but because how I played it. I didn’t charge in and let myself get raised out, I let the action unfold until I was sure I had the best hand and then got aggressive. The rest of the night I thought about my hand, how it faired with the board, and what action was happening. Then I followed my reads and folded many good hands correctly. I slowly came back and would have gotten even if I had more time. I was finally getting it. I did pay off a few times and I limped in with hands I shouldn’t have but I am not perfect yet.

As I play through this awful down swing I begin to realize that I could even make a few dollars by playing this way. I have renewed confidence in my game and am intrigued by the challenge of the game and longing for the day when the cards turn back my way. I will break my cycle of winning and giving it back now that I am plugging up the leaks in my game. The last month or two has been painful but it forced me to think about my game and improve. The last time this happened I went broke, but not this time.

Back on Track

Got to the Peppermill at about noon again. BTW the Peppermill is where I play the most because it has the biggest limit game in town 10/20 and sometimes 20/40. I go to Bay 101 just to change it up and play with new faces. Whenever the Grand Sierra (Reno Hilton) has the WPT or other tournaments I go there. I have been meaning to get up to Lake Tahoe to play ½ NL but I find one reason or another not to go. I guess I am afraid of loosing my hard in winnings at NL in one hand.

So the only game open is a 4/8 and I am on the list for the NL. I eat lunch and manage to break even at the 4/8 table. I am moved after about an hour to the NL game which turns out to be 2/3 5 to go. I splash around and win a little before loosing about 80 overall. I couldn’t get physically comfortable at the table. It was a small table and I had to sit back and lean forward and didn’t get into the game. The last hand the guy next to me went all in for like 120 and I had some money in the pot but I didn’t like my pair of Aces with only an 8 kicker when the board was A,10,9,3. I folded and he showed A7, oh well off to 10/20.

I played straight forward poker and was even in no time. Another 10/20 opened that quickly turned into a 20/40 but after looking at the line up I decided to stay where I was. It is not that they are great players but they aren’t bad and my table had bad players at it. Besides I was tired and still a little gun shy about the down swing I was just coming out of. I won a big pot with QQ for 365 that put me up over 600 and I thought my swing was over. I played the hand well, not missing a bet or raise, until the river. I was on the button and it was check to me but I was scared to bet.

Then I ran into some bad luck. I got snapped off by kickers, raggedy two pairs, and flopped straights. When it was all said and done I made 248 in 5hrs or 45 per hr. 750+ for the weekend. It could have been better but it still comes out to 40hr and a major confidence booster.

Found my Ipod

I just looked at some old posts and notice I didn't tell you I found my ipod. Well I did. whew

A Respectable Win

It was a long and painful road but I finally got a $500 win. I got to the Peppermill at noon just as they were starting a 10/20 and sat right down. It started off as bad as the previous weeks and I kept folding. I would pick up a hand and get even or close to it but nothing to speak of.

I was thinking about the info I had read and most importantly the Ed Miller video that I watch a couple of times on reading hands. He was so dead on that it is scary. If you haven’t watched his video then I recommend you do. I saw parts on You Tube so you don’t even have to buy them. There are 3 points that are greatly improving my game. A raise means more then a bet, bet or raise second pair, bet top or second pair until your opponent raises or gives clues you are beat. In short, be more aggressive. I can expand on these concepts if you ask and it works on stakes up to 20/40. It might work on higher stakes but 20/40 is as high as I have played.

I was JUST playing my cards when I should have been taking into account my opponents cards as well. I started to read the board for my draws AND my opponents draw. It was so simple and in my face that I feel stupid that I had to rediscover these concepts. Thank god I built up my bankroll when I had the chance so I could handle the downswing.

There was this jerk, Lance, at the table and he is a total LAG and runs at the mouth non stop. I guess I let my emotions get the best of me because I went after him and paid him off 2 or 3 times. I would have a big pocket pair, say AA or QQ and just couldn’t lay it down. This leak was huge for me all day. I figure it cost me 1k that is how bad it is. Time and time again I would be re-raised and tell myself “hey that was on the video and you’re beat so just fold” only to hear raise come out of my mouth. Talk about stupid. I did it twice with Lance at 10/20 alone.

Then players started to leave the table and go over to the short handed 20/40 game. Our game finally broke and I went over too. At this point I was down some and I bought in enough to make 500. Lance moved to this game just before me and there were some good players there already but most importantly there was this LAAAAAG at the table. I don’t remember his name but he is a maniac. He will cap with 53o on all streets and then call the river with a pair of 3’s. He makes the games and if you play it right you can make big money off of him and the others chasing him. I don’t know where he gets his money but he sure does throw it in the middle.

Anyway I got in a big pot with him and two others with the nut flush draw. I was in the big blind and called one more bet with As9s. The flop brought two more spades and also paired the board. It was off to the races and it was capped 4 ways. The turn was a 3 and it was two more bets to see the river. The river was the flush but because of the turn action I checked. The girl to my left bet and the LAG raised. I called and the girl called. The LAG showed 53o for the turned boat and I was down to less then a hundred chips. I put another 500 in cash on the table and was now in for 1200.

This is when I went on monkey tilt. I three bet with QQ and the girl called 3 bets cold. I should have thought about what she had but I was to far gone from the previous hand. There was a J on the flop and we capped it. Now I realized I was beat but I called her down any way. Then I got another pocket pair and did the same thing. WTF was I thinking, well I wasn’t thinking that is the point.

I took a deep breath and got a beer to calm down and that is when I started to come back. I won a few big hands and won back 1k. I was only down 200. Talk about crazy swings. The maniac had to go home to the wife and the game started to break shortly after he left. We got short handed and I wanted to stop before I started to lose when this grumpy old man, Dirty Doug, started to wine to keep the game going. Another play did come to make it six handed so I stayed. Sure enough I lost 200 in like three hands and then Doug starts to rack up now that it is his big blind. I was pissed because he has done this before to me. He wines to keep the game going and then a couple of hands later when it is his big blind he racks up. This is just part of why he is called Dirty. He is an asshole and a total pervert to the cocktail waitresses.

So I am now down 400 and I go over to the 4/8 table to try to get it back. I had fun playing with some old friends and calmed down and started to re-thing my game. I managed to win 40 when they started to get another 20/40 going. I figured I couldn’t make the 400 back at 4/8 so I went for it.

I started to win right away. I was even in no time and then up. I made a few sets and STILL paid off with big pocket pairs but I was winning. I got my 400 back and another 1k by 2am. I thought about leaving but was playing good and there was a lot of money on the table. That is when I got AA in the big blind. I 3 bet and got 2 callers the flop came JJx and there was a lot of action, I don’t remember it exactly. On the turn I bet, the button raised the small blind 3 bet. I did slow down but I convinced myself he couldn’t have a J playing short handed. I called him down and sure enough he did. I played a couple of more hands when I noticed I dropped 500. I was tired so I called it a night. At least I am getting better at walking away.

So you can see that my inability to fold big pairs cost me at least 1k last night. I am going back shortly and this will be tops on my mind along with the fact I am tired and that is also a down fall for me. In fact I just lost 13, my total bankroll on Pokerstars, while I was writing this. I played strong at first then got weak tight as I was loosing. Of course I would have won those hands and now I am bust. I can’t redeposit easily so I will do it later. I will have to set up a prepaid Visa or something.

I am playing weak tight but at least I know it and know what to fix. I have a thick head so it may take some time to fix but I am on the right track.

PS. I did play 3/6 in Carson City on fri. I was tired and wanted to stay local to try to get a good night sleep. Ended up losing a hundred in 4 hours, but I got dinner comped.