Take a Lap
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Wow! I went 0 for 4 last night, dropping my SNG Challenge bankroll to $29.50. That is sad, really sad. My play was hampered by impatience, and just plain stupidity. It kind of felt like when I was a kid taking guitar lessons. I never practiced, so when my teacher would come over, I'd usually dissappoint both him and me. I guess this means, in part, that I need more practice. That would certainly help. Tonight, I should be able to get some uninterrupted games in before 8pm, but I need much more than practice. At this point, I think I need a break. I feel poker burnout. When I entered the SNGs last night, I didn't have the confidence that I was going to win. I didn't think I was going to lose either, but I played like I was desperate the entire way through.
Case in point: Its one of the first hands (if not the first hand) of a 6 person SNG, in which GCox, Kipper and I are playing. I have AQo on the button, and I limp in after two callers and GCox, the BB, called. The flop was A69. I check. MP bets. There are two callers. I raise. Someone else (I think GCox) re-raises. I push all-in. I know here that GCox has A6 or A9. I know this because (a) I know GCox and he isn't going to bet back at me with lesser hands, (b) very few players would re-raise without two pair here, and (c) the previous action was that of a man with an Ace low, probably suited, who hit their flop dead on and knew that they were probably facing an Ace high who missed. So, I call like a retard. He shows A6, but a 9 comes off on the turn, and I win with 2 pair, Aces and 9s, with a Q kicker. I think that suckout put ME on tilt, part because GCox is the better player and I felt guilty, and part because I was shocked at my own stupidity for calling in the first place. It wasn't too much later that I went against Kipper with my x4 v. his Ax (or something similar). The flop was 234, and I was short stacked. I bet and he called. The river was a 5. I bet, he raised, and I KNEW he had an ace. He had to have it. It made perfect sense. But I did it again and was all-in knowing I had the worst of it. I hit a 5 on the river, and we chopped, but that hand really took a lot out of me. In a later game, I pulled the A-high v. A-low with two pair move again, calling someone's all-in reraise or going all-in over them. This time I lost, and deserved it. Odd how those other suckouts actually upset me more than psyched me up.
So, here is the problem: I am playing like a jackel. I'm very aggressive, and it is causing large swings. In ring games, that is okay, if your bankroll can cover it. In tournaments, I only need to have one bad swing and its over. I must slow down.
I'm gonna make things right. Tonight, tonight, tonight. Oh-oh.
See ya!
posted by Jordan @ 8:50 AM,
4 Comments:
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At 10:43 AM,
GaryC said...
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A jackel, eh?
Is that like a donk-ass? That's what I feel like.
I, like all the other guys in this challenge, love being at the table with you. I just wish I could have hung around a little longer last night.
By the way, I ain't no better player than anyone else, especially you.
G -
At 11:49 AM,
Jordan said...
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GCox, you can say that all you want, but I know that you are a superior online SNG player. Now, when the Heads-up Challenge starts, things might change. But for now, I bow to thee, almighty one.
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At 1:16 PM,
D said...
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Jeez, why don't u 2 get a room.
JK. I will be on tonight just don't know what time. Maybe you should take a break from poker for a weekend, clear your mind(or pollute it with alcohol) and then come back Monday ready to go. Sometimes a break will work wonders for u. -
At 2:04 PM,
Jordan said...
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D, you are 100% right. I need a break. But that doesn't mean that I will take one, at least not yet. I just played a 6-person turbo during lunch and lost on the bubble. That said, I played much better, and my loss was not due to my bad plays.
I will take a break soon, but it'll have to be this weekend, most likely. Thanks for the support, crew.
