Yes. Â It’s a golden horsehoe up my ass joke. Â It was that good of a night. It was the night of nights. Â The kind of night that can make you forget bad beats happen to you. Ever.
This was the type of night that can make a poker junkie for life. I could chase this dragon for years and never even come close to the dumb luck I was experiencing.
4–6 under the gun? I think I can stand a raise. After all, I do have a golden horseshoe up my ass. Â Sure the initial raiser made a set of 8’s on the flop. Â I know. I get it. But can’t you see the horseshoe peeking from the waistband of my cargo shorts? Â I’m going to make a straight. Â I call your all in bet with a gut shot. Â Tonight, It’s not about the cards. Â It’s not about position. Â It’s not about good reads. It’s all about my lucky golden horseshoe.
What am I going to do? Â Fight it? Â Fold my Q6 because it’s weak. Â No way. Â I’m riding this out. Â I’ve certainly been on the receiving end no it’s my turn to enjoy.
It doesn’t take long for my opponents to become aware of the horseshoe. Â They soon become a bunch of checking, folding broken men. They can’t bet into me. Â Their only solace is they recognize they’re too weak to fight the horseshoe, but can live to fight another day.
Tomorrow I can go back to smart poker. Â Tonight I’ll just sit back and be happy to be lucky. Â I even offer a half-hearted apology once in a while to the endless barrage of bad beats I’m delivering. I like to think I have enough manners to pretend to be a nice guy. Â Although, I may come off as slightly insincere when I’m weeping with laughter as I choke through something lame like “Tough one, buddy!”
Needless to say, it was a pretty good night.
I play poker for the nights I am unstoppable.
Why do you play? Let me know at stories@whydoiplaypoker.net
I was feeling a few ounces lighter. I certainly wasn’t losing weight as a result of my eating during the holidays. Then I figured it out. I’d lost my balls. It happened during a No Limit Hold Em ring game when I couldn’t make myself call an all in bet. I was almost positive I was in the lead, but I was having a good night and my stack was healthy. If I called and lost, it would decimate me. I played it safe, or more like a wuss, and folded only to be shown a hand weaker than mine. My opponent smiled as he raked in a $500 pot.
What happened to me? I used to be as aggressive as they came. I used to be THAT guy. I know you have to be aggressive. That’s how I play. Or at least I thought I did. Sure, most of my early, highly aggressive play was in online SNGs, but certainly, that must translate.
All I really knew was that I needed my balls back.
When you’re looking for something, it’s always best to retrace your steps. Â Go to the last place you saw it and look there. So that’s what I did. I went online to the Full Tilt Super Turbo SNGs. Cheap ones. $14 +$1.
I chose the Super Turbos because they are all about aggression. Win fast or lose fast. All in or nothing. I played a bunch.
Promptly turned $100 into $0. Felt good, too. For the first time in a month, I was playing with confidence again. It actually felt better to lose with confidence rather than book a few puss-played wins. I wasn’t the timid little mouse that got bullied in the NLH ring game. At least now I had a little fight in me.
So in the end, it cost me $100 to get my balls back. A bargain at twice the price. Way cheaper than the $500 neuticles I got for my dog.
I guess sometimes I play poker to re-learn lessons.
Why do you play? Let me know at stories@whydoiplaypoker.net
I know that’s it’s not supposed to work that way. Â I would prefer to be able to read a poker book, preferable just the back blurb, and go on some endless winning streak. Â All of the game’s mysteries unlocked in one key paragraph. For about an hour’s worth of leisurely reading I think its only fair that I become invincible. I would like to sit down at the poker table and announce, “I want you to know I’ve skimmed through some of the Harrington books, please give me the contents of your wallets.”
It definitely doesn’t work that way for me. Â Actually, it means the exact opposite. Finishing a poker book kicks off a three week losing streak.
Even with that knowledge, I still love a new poker book. Â Sure, most of them say pretty much the same stuff, but every once in a while someone really changes the way you look at the game. Â Or at least, one aspect of it. Like three-betting an under the gun raiser.
So what do I do? Â I work the price of the losing streak into the cost of the book. It’s an education I believe is worth paying for. Â The whole point is to get better, right? Â If I’m going to keep playing the same mediocre game I should just get out of my seat and stop playing now. Â You have to get better. Â And I do. Â Slowly.
I play poker to get better. Â To possibly someday rule the table regardless of stakes.
Why do you play? Let me know at stories@whydoiplaypoker.net
