pstarfish (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} pstarfish) wrote,@ 2006-12-13 15:53:00 |
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I feel like it again!
I don't know if I'll feel like it tomorrow, or if I'll wait another 15 months, but I feel like writing. So here goes!
No way possible to update the last 15 months effectively, but I'll try to at least hit the highs and lows...
Took my family to Spokane for Christmas last December. Spent a wonderful week with my parents, who now live out in the sticks miles away from the city. Really enjoyed the peace out there, but it rained/snowed every single day we were there. Just another occasion to remind me how much I love Arizona. I'm sure I'll travel a good bit for the rest of my life, but I don't think I'm ever going to move away. It's just too beautiful here, and I miss the sun after just a few hours of overcast weather.
Spent most of January in Tunica, Mississippi. Despite winning 26k for 2nd place in one of the tournaments there, I got reamed. It's not uncommon for poker players to win a big tournament and then start playing in games that are too high for their bankroll, and I fell into the same trap. I'd like to believe that I'm good enough to play in big games, but maybe the truth is that I'm not there yet. The games are different, the players are better and more aggressive, and the losses sting much more. I'm sure that I ran bad in Tunica (the first 4 days of the trip were 46 hours of Ace-to-Five and Duece-to-Seven Triple Draw. I made 0 wheels, and only 2 #2 hands. I lost one of them, and split the other), but I also am sure that I was playing in games that were too high for my bankroll. So, combined with bad trips to Commerce and to Bellagio, I was pretty short of money by February. Not close to broke, but not anywhere near as deep as I was after winning the bracelet in June.
February was my first losing month in Arizona in the previous 10. I followed that up with losers in March and the first two weeks of April as well. The slump had stretched to about 5 months, and I was really beginning to doubt myself. I also noticed that I wasn't having as much fun while playing. This might seem obvious, but when frustration mounts it is very easy to stop enjoying what you are doing. I found that I was very irritable at the tables, to the point of being visibly frustrated much of the time. This is a total no-no for a professional player, for more reasons than I am going to list here.
I decided to step down to the 20-40 limit games at the casino, and try to get my mojo back. Try to book some wins, but more importantly try to start enjoying the game again. I'm doing this because it's what I love to do, and I never really stopped loving it, but after the first couple of bad beats of the day I was getting very testy. It turns out that this decision was monumentally good for me. I started winning again, and I started enjoying the game as well. Chicken and egg and I'm sure I'll never know which came first.
I did have some tournament success along the way. At the end of March, I made it to the last 2 tables of the WPT event in Reno. Went out in 17th when I made a move with AQ at the wrong time. I Learned a tremendous amount during the tournament, and oh, do I wish I had that hand back! Also in April, I won a limit holdem event at Caesars Palace. 48k for first with no deals, and I came back from an extremely short stack to win it. I'm gonna save the details for a later post.
I had a couple of friends back me in the Reno WPT event. I wasn't going to go to the tournament, but they talked me into playing for them and it worked out for all parties. One of them continued backing me at the World Series, and it worked out nicely for both of us! I won my 2nd bracelet in the Seven Card Stud Hi-low split event, and got to share 170k with my buddy! Another topic for another day, but obviously a wonderful experience.
Have been pretty flat since October. Not losing money, but only making about half of my historical earn in the Arizona games. A little frustration rearing it's ugly head, so I'm back down playing 20-40 until I get under control.
My best friend Bobby won a seat in the Aussie Millions tournament on Sunday night. He'll be down there trying to win the big bucks for 2 weeks in January. I thought I might miss him, so I won a seat on Monday night! I cant wait!
Hopefully more updates to come!
I don't know if I'll feel like it tomorrow, or if I'll wait another 15 months, but I feel like writing. So here goes!
No way possible to update the last 15 months effectively, but I'll try to at least hit the highs and lows...
Took my family to Spokane for Christmas last December. Spent a wonderful week with my parents, who now live out in the sticks miles away from the city. Really enjoyed the peace out there, but it rained/snowed every single day we were there. Just another occasion to remind me how much I love Arizona. I'm sure I'll travel a good bit for the rest of my life, but I don't think I'm ever going to move away. It's just too beautiful here, and I miss the sun after just a few hours of overcast weather.
Spent most of January in Tunica, Mississippi. Despite winning 26k for 2nd place in one of the tournaments there, I got reamed. It's not uncommon for poker players to win a big tournament and then start playing in games that are too high for their bankroll, and I fell into the same trap. I'd like to believe that I'm good enough to play in big games, but maybe the truth is that I'm not there yet. The games are different, the players are better and more aggressive, and the losses sting much more. I'm sure that I ran bad in Tunica (the first 4 days of the trip were 46 hours of Ace-to-Five and Duece-to-Seven Triple Draw. I made 0 wheels, and only 2 #2 hands. I lost one of them, and split the other), but I also am sure that I was playing in games that were too high for my bankroll. So, combined with bad trips to Commerce and to Bellagio, I was pretty short of money by February. Not close to broke, but not anywhere near as deep as I was after winning the bracelet in June.
February was my first losing month in Arizona in the previous 10. I followed that up with losers in March and the first two weeks of April as well. The slump had stretched to about 5 months, and I was really beginning to doubt myself. I also noticed that I wasn't having as much fun while playing. This might seem obvious, but when frustration mounts it is very easy to stop enjoying what you are doing. I found that I was very irritable at the tables, to the point of being visibly frustrated much of the time. This is a total no-no for a professional player, for more reasons than I am going to list here.
I decided to step down to the 20-40 limit games at the casino, and try to get my mojo back. Try to book some wins, but more importantly try to start enjoying the game again. I'm doing this because it's what I love to do, and I never really stopped loving it, but after the first couple of bad beats of the day I was getting very testy. It turns out that this decision was monumentally good for me. I started winning again, and I started enjoying the game as well. Chicken and egg and I'm sure I'll never know which came first.
I did have some tournament success along the way. At the end of March, I made it to the last 2 tables of the WPT event in Reno. Went out in 17th when I made a move with AQ at the wrong time. I Learned a tremendous amount during the tournament, and oh, do I wish I had that hand back! Also in April, I won a limit holdem event at Caesars Palace. 48k for first with no deals, and I came back from an extremely short stack to win it. I'm gonna save the details for a later post.
I had a couple of friends back me in the Reno WPT event. I wasn't going to go to the tournament, but they talked me into playing for them and it worked out for all parties. One of them continued backing me at the World Series, and it worked out nicely for both of us! I won my 2nd bracelet in the Seven Card Stud Hi-low split event, and got to share 170k with my buddy! Another topic for another day, but obviously a wonderful experience.
Have been pretty flat since October. Not losing money, but only making about half of my historical earn in the Arizona games. A little frustration rearing it's ugly head, so I'm back down playing 20-40 until I get under control.
My best friend Bobby won a seat in the Aussie Millions tournament on Sunday night. He'll be down there trying to win the big bucks for 2 weeks in January. I thought I might miss him, so I won a seat on Monday night! I cant wait!
Hopefully more updates to come!
