Anticipation
Thursday, April 21, 2005
Anticipation is not just a fine Carly Simon song (I have to admit an odd fascination with some of Ms. Simon's music). It's also how I feel right now.
Tonight is Mikey Ap's home game $40 tournament. He expects 8-9 players, most of which, I am sure, are decent players. I plan on getting my confidence up throughout the day by reminding myself of my recent tourney win and my overall genius ability at poker. In my humble opinion, there is only one thing that is more helpful than confidence when playing poker. That one thing is luck. Since I can't control luck, I'll settle for confidence.
Last night, I ended up even for the night (although I thought I was up, so my starting number may have been off). I now have about $82 online. I placed 3rd in a $5 STT. I also played in several limit tables (.25/.50 and .50/1). Finally, I lost $10 in a .25/.50 NL.
The NL table sorta screwed me. I lost the majority of my money when I was Big Blind with J2, and the flop came out AJ3. I thought, now or never, and bet at it. I had one caller. I think I checked to him on the turn and called him, and then moved all in (for my remaining $1.50 or so into a huge pot. I knew he didn't have the A. What I didn't know is that he had QJ. I should have known, but at that point, I think I was just giving my money away. Next time I sit at .25/.50, I'll bring a full $20. I knew that starting with $10 was the wrong move, but I didn't want to expose myself to bigger losses. Plus I was multitabling, and was not paying enough attention.
I think .25/.50 NL might become my new game of choice. Its the same stakes as my usual home games. The only glaring problem is the variance in a NL game. But, overall, I think I will work it into my poker routine. Limit has been good to me, and has kept me from blowing large stacks. However, I am still, in my heart of hearts, a No Limit Soldier.
Finally, I was comped a free room at the Resorts Casino in Atlantic City for any weeknight (Sun.-Thurs.) until June 30th. I plan on going on Sun., June 5th, with Rouss and Robbie Hole. Rouss is definitely in. Robbie is probably. We might take a fourth. My plan is to go and play poker until my eyes bleed. This will be a guys-only trip, as opposed to the last AC trip, which included my, Rob's, and Rouss's ladies. So, we won't have anything stopping us (me) from playing lots of poker. Resorts is right next to Trump Taj Mahal, one of the few casinos in AC with a decent cardroom. The others (offhand) are Tropicana (which I have enjoyed in the past) and Borgata (which I've never played poker at). I wouldn't mind playing at the Borg, but part of me is anti the high life. Borgata feels like it is a whole lot of hype. It's secluded from the boardwalk. It's definitely beautiful. But I always find it crowded and overpriced. Of course, all of the "rich" people might be good for their card room. So, maybe I'll put my prejudices aside...but not likely.
Wish me luck for tonight. A win would be a big deal for me. The $$ would be good, and the confidence boost even better. Happy Poker.
posted by Jordan @ 2:47 PM,
