A Big Day on a Big Bar Night

Tonight Paul and I played heads up poker for a few hours.  After each hand we flipped over our cards and traded thoughts.  Mostly, Paul pushed me to be more aggressive pre-flop, particularly with my medium pairs.

I mostly felt ambivalent about the learning value of our session, although I did learn a couple of things.  I think the session (5 hours) was too long and I got tired by the end.  I didn't have the energy to keep playing well and discussing hands.

I got home at 2:30am excited to play poker, but tired.  I was going to play a SNG until I realized that it was just after closing time on the biggest bar night of the year.  I moved up a stake, eventually as high as three, and looked for tables with a high players per flop percentage and a high dollars per pot number.

Three things happened.  

I ran well, really well.  At one table I got quads three times, at another table I got AK/AQ/AA more times than Darvin Moon.

I was more aggressive pre-flop.  I also think I folded to aggression more.

People bluffed me.

$360


That made for my biggest night ever.  After that, I think working with Paul helped more than I realized.

Of course, I spent all of Thanksgiving dreaming of pro possibilities and reading Ed Miller.

Fight Like Hell, or Not.

One week ago Saturday I clocked my first $100 day.  I did it partly by getting lucky on a $25nl table and doubling up - I should have lost that hand, making it a $50 day instead.  But I have no control over that, right?

That also marked a $200 week for me, bring my account up to $500.11.

I was super excited.  I spent the past week believing and trying to replicate that $100 day.  It didn't happen.  Not once.  

I found myself wanting it too much.  I wasn't patient for good spots and was calling too often when facing aggression.  At one point on Friday I was up to $610, but then kept my habit of trying too hard and ended the day at $570.

I got a lot of rest last night and took a day off of poker.  I think both things helped.  Today I'm up to $615.

Hopefully with more patience and disciplined folds I can log another $150-$200 week.

In chess, when I was a 1200-rated kid, and now, fighting like hell makes all the difference.  Poker takes so much more patience.

Purpose of Blog

I'm starting a poker blog to share my poker experiences, to track and explain my successes and failures, and to engender some accountability.

I want to improve at poker and I want to better understand the learning process.  With any luck, composing my thoughts and considering feedback will change my perspective.