Trials of a languishing blogger
Yeah, yeah, yeah ... it's been awhile, I know. It's been awhile since I said I would start positing more frequently. I swear, I have the best of intentions when I say stuff like that, but then life gets in the way ...
Work has been rough ... sort of. Actually, the hours are a little better now. I'm not away from home in the evenings nearly as much as I used to be, and I'm probably putting in just a little bit less clock time. You would think I would be rested, but it hasn't worked that way yet. I am a creature of habit, if nothing else, and having worked the same schedule for years, I find it hard adjusting to a new schedule that should be easier. I'm sure that will change in time, and then my mind won't be too tired to write the occasional line or two on here.
So, what gives? Why the sudden urge to write, when the biggest poker event of the year has thus far been to inspire to set fingertips to keyboard? I guess it's guilt. While perusing Iggy's blog earlier last night (By the way, Iggy, congratulations on returning to the ranks of the unemployed!), I noticed that I had fallen into the category of "Languishing Blogs."
Ouch, that hurt. Especially reading it on the one blog that inspired me to start my own. How did I come to this lowly state? How could I fall victim to such degeneracy?
Well, only one way to resolve the public humiliation of my new image as a layabout blogger ... time to start writing again. (It's only embarrassing because it's true.)
Poker-wise, things are pretty much the same as the last time I wrote about things. Well, maybe a little worse, since the bankroll has a few more dents in it. Of course, between then and now, I actually went on a bit of a run, which I've blown over the past couple of days, to bring me back down to a wee bit south of even. All in all, I reckon I'm down about $70 from where I was a week or so ago. That doesn't sound too bad, except just a couple of days ago, I was ahead of that figure by about $250, and I'm still not to the point that a $300-plus swing is easy to take.
And that's seems to be the story of my year thus far -- big run-ups, followed by big run-downs. (OK, stop laughing ... I know you big-money players find it cute for me to refer to a couple hundred bucks as "big," but I'm still eking out a miserable existence in the teeny-weeny limits.) I wish I was better able to police my play. I do the same thing over and over again, and I know it, but I seem powerless to stop it. I run bad, maybe even get broke or close to it, so I take a break from the game. That time away, I know for a fact, is very beneficial to how I play when I return, relaxed and refreshed. When I return, I'm usually ready to start making some money, and I do. But instead of limiting my playing time to a reasonable amount, so that I remain refreshed, I gung-ho it and try to make poker my second full-time job. But the more success I have, the more I want to play. The (faulty) logic has it that if I can make x-number of dollars playing y-number of hours a week, then I should be able to make 10x-number of dollars playing 10y-number of hours a week. And, for a brief period, that seems to hold true. But then I get burnt out. I start playing out of compulsion, rather than enjoyment, and pretty soon I'm not playing well. I'm taking unnecessary chances. I'm trying to win every pot. In short, I'm generating enough poker suction that my game collapses upon itself and sucks all of the money out of my bankroll.
For example, in May, after taking a break, I stepped back into the game with a mere $25 deposit. Soon, I had grown that to roughly $500, so I'm walking around, chest puffed out, feeling like a freaking genius. So I start playing more, I get burnt out, I start losing money, and then, to compound the problem, I start playing even more, trying recoup my losses. So, back to the example, after working diligently to turn that $25 into $500, I end up turning that $500 into $0. So then I took another break. After awhile, I'm ready to play again, but I'm a little gun-shy about actually putting any money into the game after my most recent crash-and-burn, so I decide I'll hone my skills on the freeroll circuit. I'll be damned if I don't win the very first freeroll I enter, making a whopping $14. Now, with money to play with, I run that $14 into $400 in no time flat, playing everything -- ring games, SNGs, hold'em, five-card draw. No matter what table I sit down at, it's +EV. But now, that $400 rests back in the $150 range, after I went on another card binge.
Sigh ...
But, at least I've not lost it all (again). I've caught myself in time, I think. And maybe that's one key to becoming a successful player -- knowing when to leave the table. This weekend, I plan to take another break from cards and indulge in some other interests. Maybe I'll decide to sit down to one low buy-in multi, but then again, maybe not. One thing is certain -- I'm definitely not going to attempt to grind out another marathon session. At this point, that would just be throwing money away.
But enough about my petty play -- the freaking World Series is going on! Right now! The main event is taking place this very moment!
And I've been lax in posting my updates, although I don't know how badly they're missed, since you can't spit on your screen without hitting a link to WSOP results. But, just in case you missed any of it, here's the rest of the preliminary matches. I didn't receive three reports, so I've just linked to Poker Pages for one, and no results are available for the other two.
WSOP Event 27 - $5,000 rebuy pot-limit Omaha; winner, Phil Ivey.
WSOP Event 28 - $5,000 limit hold'em; winner, Dan Schmiech.
WSOP Event 29 - $2,000 no-limit hold'em; winner, Lawrence Gosney.
WSOP Event 30 - $1,500 limit razz; winner, O'Neil Longson.
WSOP Event 31 - $5,000 six-handed no-limit hold'em; winner, Doyle Brunson (!)
WSOP Event 32 - $5,000 limit Omaha 8/b; winner, David Chiu.
WSOP Event 33 - $3,000 no-limit hold'em; winner, Andre Boyer.
WSOP Event 34 - $1,000 seniors no-limit hold'em; winner, Paul McKinney.
WSOP Event 35 - $10,000 pot-limit Omaha; winner, Rafi Amit.
WSOP Event 36 - $3,000 limit hold'em; winner, Todd "Dan Druff" Witteles.
WSOP Event 37 - $1,000 rebuy no-limit hold'em; winner, John Heneghan.
WSOP Event 38 - Satellite event, for which no results are available.
WSOP Event 39 - $5,000 rebuy no-limit deuce-to-seven draw; winner, David Grey.
WSOP Event 40 - No results available.
WSOP Event 41 - Media/celebrity invitational charity tournament; winner, Randy Boman.
And, last but not least, let's not forget the results from day 1, flight 1 of the main event:
WSOP World Championship - Day 1A - Lee Watkinson ends day as chip leader.
Work has been rough ... sort of. Actually, the hours are a little better now. I'm not away from home in the evenings nearly as much as I used to be, and I'm probably putting in just a little bit less clock time. You would think I would be rested, but it hasn't worked that way yet. I am a creature of habit, if nothing else, and having worked the same schedule for years, I find it hard adjusting to a new schedule that should be easier. I'm sure that will change in time, and then my mind won't be too tired to write the occasional line or two on here.
So, what gives? Why the sudden urge to write, when the biggest poker event of the year has thus far been to inspire to set fingertips to keyboard? I guess it's guilt. While perusing Iggy's blog earlier last night (By the way, Iggy, congratulations on returning to the ranks of the unemployed!), I noticed that I had fallen into the category of "Languishing Blogs."
Ouch, that hurt. Especially reading it on the one blog that inspired me to start my own. How did I come to this lowly state? How could I fall victim to such degeneracy?
Well, only one way to resolve the public humiliation of my new image as a layabout blogger ... time to start writing again. (It's only embarrassing because it's true.)
Poker-wise, things are pretty much the same as the last time I wrote about things. Well, maybe a little worse, since the bankroll has a few more dents in it. Of course, between then and now, I actually went on a bit of a run, which I've blown over the past couple of days, to bring me back down to a wee bit south of even. All in all, I reckon I'm down about $70 from where I was a week or so ago. That doesn't sound too bad, except just a couple of days ago, I was ahead of that figure by about $250, and I'm still not to the point that a $300-plus swing is easy to take.
And that's seems to be the story of my year thus far -- big run-ups, followed by big run-downs. (OK, stop laughing ... I know you big-money players find it cute for me to refer to a couple hundred bucks as "big," but I'm still eking out a miserable existence in the teeny-weeny limits.) I wish I was better able to police my play. I do the same thing over and over again, and I know it, but I seem powerless to stop it. I run bad, maybe even get broke or close to it, so I take a break from the game. That time away, I know for a fact, is very beneficial to how I play when I return, relaxed and refreshed. When I return, I'm usually ready to start making some money, and I do. But instead of limiting my playing time to a reasonable amount, so that I remain refreshed, I gung-ho it and try to make poker my second full-time job. But the more success I have, the more I want to play. The (faulty) logic has it that if I can make x-number of dollars playing y-number of hours a week, then I should be able to make 10x-number of dollars playing 10y-number of hours a week. And, for a brief period, that seems to hold true. But then I get burnt out. I start playing out of compulsion, rather than enjoyment, and pretty soon I'm not playing well. I'm taking unnecessary chances. I'm trying to win every pot. In short, I'm generating enough poker suction that my game collapses upon itself and sucks all of the money out of my bankroll.
For example, in May, after taking a break, I stepped back into the game with a mere $25 deposit. Soon, I had grown that to roughly $500, so I'm walking around, chest puffed out, feeling like a freaking genius. So I start playing more, I get burnt out, I start losing money, and then, to compound the problem, I start playing even more, trying recoup my losses. So, back to the example, after working diligently to turn that $25 into $500, I end up turning that $500 into $0. So then I took another break. After awhile, I'm ready to play again, but I'm a little gun-shy about actually putting any money into the game after my most recent crash-and-burn, so I decide I'll hone my skills on the freeroll circuit. I'll be damned if I don't win the very first freeroll I enter, making a whopping $14. Now, with money to play with, I run that $14 into $400 in no time flat, playing everything -- ring games, SNGs, hold'em, five-card draw. No matter what table I sit down at, it's +EV. But now, that $400 rests back in the $150 range, after I went on another card binge.
Sigh ...
But, at least I've not lost it all (again). I've caught myself in time, I think. And maybe that's one key to becoming a successful player -- knowing when to leave the table. This weekend, I plan to take another break from cards and indulge in some other interests. Maybe I'll decide to sit down to one low buy-in multi, but then again, maybe not. One thing is certain -- I'm definitely not going to attempt to grind out another marathon session. At this point, that would just be throwing money away.
But enough about my petty play -- the freaking World Series is going on! Right now! The main event is taking place this very moment!
And I've been lax in posting my updates, although I don't know how badly they're missed, since you can't spit on your screen without hitting a link to WSOP results. But, just in case you missed any of it, here's the rest of the preliminary matches. I didn't receive three reports, so I've just linked to Poker Pages for one, and no results are available for the other two.
WSOP Event 27 - $5,000 rebuy pot-limit Omaha; winner, Phil Ivey.
WSOP Event 28 - $5,000 limit hold'em; winner, Dan Schmiech.
WSOP Event 29 - $2,000 no-limit hold'em; winner, Lawrence Gosney.
WSOP Event 30 - $1,500 limit razz; winner, O'Neil Longson.
WSOP Event 31 - $5,000 six-handed no-limit hold'em; winner, Doyle Brunson (!)
WSOP Event 32 - $5,000 limit Omaha 8/b; winner, David Chiu.
WSOP Event 33 - $3,000 no-limit hold'em; winner, Andre Boyer.
WSOP Event 34 - $1,000 seniors no-limit hold'em; winner, Paul McKinney.
WSOP Event 35 - $10,000 pot-limit Omaha; winner, Rafi Amit.
WSOP Event 36 - $3,000 limit hold'em; winner, Todd "Dan Druff" Witteles.
WSOP Event 37 - $1,000 rebuy no-limit hold'em; winner, John Heneghan.
WSOP Event 38 - Satellite event, for which no results are available.
WSOP Event 39 - $5,000 rebuy no-limit deuce-to-seven draw; winner, David Grey.
WSOP Event 40 - No results available.
WSOP Event 41 - Media/celebrity invitational charity tournament; winner, Randy Boman.
And, last but not least, let's not forget the results from day 1, flight 1 of the main event:
WSOP World Championship - Day 1A - Lee Watkinson ends day as chip leader.
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