I'm sitting on top of the world....

Well at least I am sitting on top of L.A.

I am overlooking the San Bernardino Valley from about 1500 feet in elevation. The San Manuel Casino have their RV parking in the Employees lot about 800 feet almost straight up from the casino. The entrance is so steep I drive it in 1st gear. However, the result is so worth it! I park alongside of a fence with a southern view and I can see at least 20 miles in every direction except north. To the north behind me the mountains rise majestically to over 5,000 feet. I spent the night here after a less then stellar night in the Poker room.

I was card dead. I lost my limit for the day in a few hours. Most frustrating of all, I was one of the better players at a table of guys trying to “give their money away”. The guy to my left lost 3 racks of $5 chips ($1500) in the first ½ hour of my joining the table. Two others went to their pockets for more money multiple times. My theme song of “could’ve, would’ve, should’ve been a very different outcome” kept playing in my head, but alas it was not to be. A couple bad beats, two failed bluffs, and an “outdraw” later I was headed back up to the RV.
The one thing I have done well is to “take a break” when I start “running bad”. I really get it that Poker is one lifetime, continuous poker game that I play in, with “breaks” away from the table. I can’t win the game in a day, but I could lose it, if my “bankroll” ends up going all in, because I have to “get back” what I lost today! That kind of “slippery slope” is the most dangerous place to go in poker or any other game of skill and chance.

It has been almost three months since I have written in this blog. Shortly after my last entry, I passed the two year mark in my attempt to be a professional. It has not been a glamorous, highly successful two years, but I have learned a lot, enjoyed the freedom, and followed my dream beyond my comfort zone. That is a major accomplishment for me and beyond where many others dare to let themselves go.

8 hours later,

I played 2/5 NL and won back what I lost yesterday. I was ahead a bit, but had a dip for the last two hours I played. In hindsight I could have left 2 hours earlier when I started feeling a little tired. But, it was “double jackpot time” and I just resolved to play really tight. I did, and got outdrawn three times. As Phil says, “he would win every hand if there wasn’t luck involved”. Of course then he would be the only one that played this game. (grin)

I keep thinking and playing and visiting different casinos to try to discover what it is that top professionals know/see/do different then the rest of us but I cannot figure it out. I am a slightly better then break even player. About a year ago I was a break-even player and the year before I was a losing player so I must be moving in the right direction. When you play poker the odds against walking away from the table with money is 9-1 against you. The dealer/casino always wins 4 or 5 dollars from every pot. Then there are 8 other players you have to beat. It is a tough business. But, somebody has to be that one that wins, so I continue to study, play, practice, apply what I learn and experience. A few of the more important principals that are the mainstay of my game are.

1. Play at the level my bankroll supports. (Never risk more then 5% of my bankroll a day. I have a stop loss limit for the day. I quit for the day if I reach it.)
2. Stay off tilt. (Take a break & walk around every hour or so. Stay focused on the present. Remind yourself bad beats are part of the game. Try to recognize your mistakes but forgive yourself quickly when you make one.)
3. Pay attention. (Even when you are not in a pot watch every hand, and every player in the hand, and learn as much as you can about them. Work on your reading ability by guessing what hands are being played.)

Last night, before I went to sleep in the RV the rain came in with some strong winds. The RV was rocking back and forth came in from three different directions on this bluff in the foothills of the San Berndandino Mountains. I decided this would be a good night to watch MacBeth with Orson Wells & Roddy McDowell in Black & White on the VCR. Now there was a guy who didn’t seem to enjoy his life. After about an hour of feeling doom & gloom and not understanding half the dialogue, nor the story, I decided to shut it off and go to sleep. I resolved to read the cliff notes on MacBeth next time I am in a bookstore because I couldn’t “get it”. I was afraid to look out the window for fear of seeing three witches on the outcropping above me chanting “double bubble, toil & trouble” (all four terms well understood by poker players)

The wind was still blowing when I awoke and looked out the window in the morning. What an awesome sight. The smog was all blown away and I could see for 30-40 miles. I could see the mountains behind Palm Springs to the east, to the ones beyond Moreno Valley to the South and beyond Covina to the west. At least 3-4 million people live in the area I could see while I am sitting here on a lawn chair outside the RV typing writing these thoughts on my lap top. The sun is in the final stages of setting over the mountains above San Dimas to the west and I feel contentment and gratefulness I can do this.

Today was not such a great day at the table. I lost three big hands to a “luckbox” who made three very bad calls against me and “lucked out” on the river each time. She was in seat three and was a very aggressive player who played almost every hand. One of the dealers’ had already commented to her “she was a very lucky player”. She went up and down from 100-600 five times in the time I was at the table.

I was focused, playing only good cards and making good reads. On the first “bad beat” disaster Seat 4 went all in for $100 on a turn card, where I had made a queen high straight. I was in seat 8 and went all with $250 in to try to keep “luckbox” out. She still called! The board was 10, 8, J of hearts & 6 of spades and she had K of hearts & 7 of clubs! The Ace of hearts was the river and I lost my stack for the first time to her. Another occurred about an hour later. I won’t bore you with those details. Only that I was betting with two pair and and she was calling with one middle pair and caught a third one on the river.

For the next two hours I worked on keeping her out of my pots by over grossly over betting the flop when it was favorable for me. She would always bet out in early position 15-20 every time she was in a hand. Then she would take forever to lay down her hand, (she hated to lay down her cards)often calling with the worst hand that would win 2/3 of the time. I was down to my last $150 and she raised $10 from under the gun. Three people followed suit. I had pocket 5’s on the dealer button so I raised $75 (1/2 of my chips) expecting to end it right there. Before the big blind can act, she says “I am going to put you all in”. (I object & the dealer tells her to wait her turn to act. That encourages the big blind to put in his last $125 knowing he is getting better pot odds with three players. She goes all in, and I put in the last of my chips. My hand is good against one player, probably not two. The flop comes 5,6,2 , giving me trip 5’s. The turn is a queen and the river a 9 giving her 7,8 a straight to the 9. I walked away muttering to myself “that is some luck” and resolved to come back tonight after dinner & a nap because I should be able to make some money in a place where there are “regulars” who play this badly.