Of the last 6 live poker tournaments I have played in I have finished second in five and first in one. Five second place finishes!!! I just can't seem to get over the hump. I usually come into the heads up match short stacked and have to attempt a major come from behind victory. Needless to say I haven't been overly successful. My one win resulted from a couple of nice draws and not through great post flop play. Basically I got lucky.
Now, some of you might think coming in second so many times is actually a strong showing and in many cases you would be right. The downside is that only first place in these small home/restaurant games pays. I am hanging on just long enough for the more aggressive players to chip up and knock each other out while I sit back and limp to the finish. Although I am playing solid poker I am not playing enough hands and thus my overall chances of winning are slim. It is kind of like taking all the players on a soccer team and crowding them in the goal. Sure it is hard for the opponent to score, but it is also impossible for your team to win. I have to change the way I play come Friday night if I want to take home some cash.
Last night ended very quickly. I donked (donkey is poker slang for a poor player or for someone losing a lot of money on losing hands) off several thousand in chips on pocket queens and a complete bluff with 8-6 off and was left with about $10,000 against a stack close to $100,000. The other player at the table had around $35,000. On the next hand the mid-stacked player called all-in with pocket fives and was called by pocket aces. The aces won which left my sad little $10,000 up against the big stack of $135,000. Blinds went to 4000/8000 which was an even worse situation for me. First hand heads up I was dealt Ace-Jack off and I shoved all-in. I won the hand and doubled up. Next hand I was dealt pocket threes and again I tried to double up but lost to a pocket five that paired on the flop. Second place yet again. I outlasted about thirteen other players but still came home a loser. I think my new nickname is going to be "The Deuce" because that is how I always finish...#2.
So, why am I writing about this as it is likely not too many people care about my adventures in extremely small stakes gambling? Well, mostly it is to document my progress with the game. I feel that I can beat anyone at the Wednesday night game and I am getting more and more competitive at the once a month Friday night game. Over the last few months poker has become something I can't stop thinking about. I wonder if this is the kind of thing that people talk about having a passion for and which has been missing in my life. I know my interest in the game has pushed my interest in things like video games, photography, and reading to the curb. I play some kind of poker, internet or otherwise, every night. I carry cards with me at all times and I am reading a lot of books about the game. Strange how it has totally grabbed my attention.
To think that I never would have thought twice about this hobby/pursuit if it weren't for a curious blog reader who invited me to his home game out of the blue. I sometimes find it odd how so much of my life is directly tied to the Internet. From my wife, to my job, to many of my friends the Internet is the one commonality that binds it all together. In some ways that is very strange but in others it was almost pre-ordained. I wonder where the tubes will take me next.
Now, some of you might think coming in second so many times is actually a strong showing and in many cases you would be right. The downside is that only first place in these small home/restaurant games pays. I am hanging on just long enough for the more aggressive players to chip up and knock each other out while I sit back and limp to the finish. Although I am playing solid poker I am not playing enough hands and thus my overall chances of winning are slim. It is kind of like taking all the players on a soccer team and crowding them in the goal. Sure it is hard for the opponent to score, but it is also impossible for your team to win. I have to change the way I play come Friday night if I want to take home some cash.
Last night ended very quickly. I donked (donkey is poker slang for a poor player or for someone losing a lot of money on losing hands) off several thousand in chips on pocket queens and a complete bluff with 8-6 off and was left with about $10,000 against a stack close to $100,000. The other player at the table had around $35,000. On the next hand the mid-stacked player called all-in with pocket fives and was called by pocket aces. The aces won which left my sad little $10,000 up against the big stack of $135,000. Blinds went to 4000/8000 which was an even worse situation for me. First hand heads up I was dealt Ace-Jack off and I shoved all-in. I won the hand and doubled up. Next hand I was dealt pocket threes and again I tried to double up but lost to a pocket five that paired on the flop. Second place yet again. I outlasted about thirteen other players but still came home a loser. I think my new nickname is going to be "The Deuce" because that is how I always finish...#2.
So, why am I writing about this as it is likely not too many people care about my adventures in extremely small stakes gambling? Well, mostly it is to document my progress with the game. I feel that I can beat anyone at the Wednesday night game and I am getting more and more competitive at the once a month Friday night game. Over the last few months poker has become something I can't stop thinking about. I wonder if this is the kind of thing that people talk about having a passion for and which has been missing in my life. I know my interest in the game has pushed my interest in things like video games, photography, and reading to the curb. I play some kind of poker, internet or otherwise, every night. I carry cards with me at all times and I am reading a lot of books about the game. Strange how it has totally grabbed my attention.
To think that I never would have thought twice about this hobby/pursuit if it weren't for a curious blog reader who invited me to his home game out of the blue. I sometimes find it odd how so much of my life is directly tied to the Internet. From my wife, to my job, to many of my friends the Internet is the one commonality that binds it all together. In some ways that is very strange but in others it was almost pre-ordained. I wonder where the tubes will take me next.
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