The Roller Coaster Ride that is Poker
Roller Coaster Ride
Poker is such a roller coaster ride of highs and lows, summits and depressions, peaks and valleys. Two days ago I am winning or finishing in the money on almost every SitNGo I play in and thinking that my game has really come around and I am ready to move to the next level. Flush draw? No problem, the card I need will be there on the river. Straight Draw? No problem, the cards I need will be there on the river. Top pair, sets, you name it and I was hitting them and finishing in the money time and again. Now the worm turns and the roller coaster has reached its peak and is plummeting down that first steep grade and I am screaming bloody murder, holding on for dear life. Everything that was going right has turned around and has come crashing down. If I am dealt suited high cards the flop comes with single digit rags or all the wrong color. If I am holding suited Ace/Queen, Ace/King, Ace/Ten, etc. and I am able to flop two more cards of the same suit and am drawing for a flush that never appears. In fact my opponents seem to be getting every flush draw, every set, every TPTK, you name it.
I was finally able to break through into the money last night after losing about six straight SitNGos. That may not sound like much to many of you but that is quite a losing streak for me, especially lately. And its not like I am going out 8th or 9th. Many of the games I have been eliminated in 4th place, on the bubble, one spot out of the money. That seems to hurt worse.
What to do? Don’t panic, don’t tilt. Just continue to play good cards and make the right bets. Maybe tighten up a little bit and before you know it the tide should turn and I should be back winning again. That is so much easier said than done. It is hard not to tilt and try to wish that card to appear when you need it most and when I doesn’t, bet it up anyway hoping your bluff pulls you through. Or you figure in the pot odds after raising 4 times the BB and you continue to raise after the flop and turn to finally get the Ace you needed on the river only to be called by someone that went in with suited 3/5 and find out (after another big raise to keep anyone from getting the correct pot odds) that they hit their straight with that Ace that gave you top pair. There goes more than half your stack and now you are the short stack at the table with six people remaining and the blinds are $150/$75.
Bitter…………..I’m not bitter. HAH!!
Hopefully Poker is character building and I am able to pass the test it is giving me. If I fail miserably then I better reevaluate my play and figure out what I am doing wrong or maybe even give up playing online poker altogether. That will be a last resort, though.
Warming up. Going to the Range this week-end
The weather in southern Michigan is warming up and as long as we don’t get too much rain we may be golfing and a week or two. I am going to the driving range this week-end (probably Saturday) and hit a small bucket of balls. I’ll probably just hit my irons for now, a 7 iron and my pitching wedge and maybe hit about 10 balls with the driver just to get a feel as to where I am at with my swing at this point. I am still swinging my weighted club every day and working on starting my downswing with my hips and coming from the inside. I’ll let you know how it goes at the range.
Poker is such a roller coaster ride of highs and lows, summits and depressions, peaks and valleys. Two days ago I am winning or finishing in the money on almost every SitNGo I play in and thinking that my game has really come around and I am ready to move to the next level. Flush draw? No problem, the card I need will be there on the river. Straight Draw? No problem, the cards I need will be there on the river. Top pair, sets, you name it and I was hitting them and finishing in the money time and again. Now the worm turns and the roller coaster has reached its peak and is plummeting down that first steep grade and I am screaming bloody murder, holding on for dear life. Everything that was going right has turned around and has come crashing down. If I am dealt suited high cards the flop comes with single digit rags or all the wrong color. If I am holding suited Ace/Queen, Ace/King, Ace/Ten, etc. and I am able to flop two more cards of the same suit and am drawing for a flush that never appears. In fact my opponents seem to be getting every flush draw, every set, every TPTK, you name it.
I was finally able to break through into the money last night after losing about six straight SitNGos. That may not sound like much to many of you but that is quite a losing streak for me, especially lately. And its not like I am going out 8th or 9th. Many of the games I have been eliminated in 4th place, on the bubble, one spot out of the money. That seems to hurt worse.
What to do? Don’t panic, don’t tilt. Just continue to play good cards and make the right bets. Maybe tighten up a little bit and before you know it the tide should turn and I should be back winning again. That is so much easier said than done. It is hard not to tilt and try to wish that card to appear when you need it most and when I doesn’t, bet it up anyway hoping your bluff pulls you through. Or you figure in the pot odds after raising 4 times the BB and you continue to raise after the flop and turn to finally get the Ace you needed on the river only to be called by someone that went in with suited 3/5 and find out (after another big raise to keep anyone from getting the correct pot odds) that they hit their straight with that Ace that gave you top pair. There goes more than half your stack and now you are the short stack at the table with six people remaining and the blinds are $150/$75.
Bitter…………..I’m not bitter. HAH!!
Hopefully Poker is character building and I am able to pass the test it is giving me. If I fail miserably then I better reevaluate my play and figure out what I am doing wrong or maybe even give up playing online poker altogether. That will be a last resort, though.
Warming up. Going to the Range this week-end
The weather in southern Michigan is warming up and as long as we don’t get too much rain we may be golfing and a week or two. I am going to the driving range this week-end (probably Saturday) and hit a small bucket of balls. I’ll probably just hit my irons for now, a 7 iron and my pitching wedge and maybe hit about 10 balls with the driver just to get a feel as to where I am at with my swing at this point. I am still swinging my weighted club every day and working on starting my downswing with my hips and coming from the inside. I’ll let you know how it goes at the range.
posted by Wolverine Fan | Friday, March 10, 2006
1 Comments:
Hang in there.. We all feel the same way.
Post a Comment
<< Home