I recently just finished 25th out of 2290 players in a poker tournament this weekend. I actually was poised to finish quite high, but ran into three of a kind on the big blind vs. the small blind who flopped a full house. An un-raised pocket pair of jacks flops the fully, while the other guy (me) hits a miracle big blind three of a kind. What are the odds? Tis the joy of poker I suppose, however, that story is neither here nor there, for this story is one of revival, renewal, apologies and a promise towards dedication in the future.
I’ve played poker for several years now. I’ve played live (tournaments for the most part) and the occasional baby stakes cash game (.25 games with family friends) and those are more designed for fun and alcohol than anything, so they aren’t really counted in this discussion, but hopefully gives an overview into my poker world thus far. In addition to live, I’ve played on-line for a few years now and cycled through the various poker sites while I watched each bankroll seemingly shrink to nothing.
The main reason for that downfall? Cash game (allow me a minute to cringe). I’ve spent more money than I care to admit playing cash games and levels that have been surprisingly timid, but still, it counts. I usually hover around a couple hundred bucks and pretty much just play in the .50-1, 1-2 range. Nothing too drastic, just recreational levels with hints of “what if’s” strewn in there for good luck.
I’ve been relatively successful playing tournaments, but usually end up blowing that bankroll on cash games. If I have to suck it up and admit that I’m horrible at any aspect of poker, it will be at the cash games. Primarily the bankroll management and statistical longevity of playing the best percentages. I think as much as anything, it’s trying to take a tournament style into cash world, coupled with the unwillingness to play the .01-.05 tables. I mean honestly, playing for a $1 pot isn’t something that gets too many people all hot and bothered. Therein lies the problem. While the tournaments have been good, they have a tendency to get a little long in the tooth and I can, at times, lack the patience to push through for a few more hours until it’s over.
I recently purchased a book by Dusty Schmidt called: Treat Your Poker Like a Business. Hell, I’m a couple of months away from graduating with a degree in business and consider myself willing and able to handle any business situation that might arise, so the notion of treating poker like a business was fascinating. I read through the book in a day and it’s opened my eyes wider than they’ve been. I used to take every bad beat personally, used to take each suck-out as some evil conspiracy of these poker sites to get even with me. It was all about me and it was all about why it wasn’t fair. I’d lash out like a damn juvenile and spit venom across the poker site that was neither productive nor warranted. It certainly wasn’t educated, professional or even in some sense, me. Anyone that knows me, knows I’m not that type of person. I think back to it know and I’m embarrassed and slightly disgusted with myself. I guess it’s just a matter of putting on my big boy britches and learning how to not shit in my own bed anymore. If for nothing else, the book by Dusty Schmidt showed me that and I’m better off for it.
Now, let’s stop this making amends business and get down to some serious business. I think there’s real value into treating poker like a business and even more value into the thought process and education behind cash game poker. I am 100% confident that I can win any single tournament I get in, and at the same time, feel like Bambi, skating on the ice pond with those brand new legs while playing cash. How is this even possible? it’s the same game, right? 2 hole cards, 5 community cards and a slew of opponents? That was the old thought process and I’m fired up about trying something different. How could I have been so dumb?
So, for the next couple of months, I’m going into the proverbial poker basement and doing some research. I’m dedicating a ridiculous amount of free time (that I don’t have) to implementing a solid business model that applies to my style of poker, understanding where my game has flaws and using the tools available to hopefully one day, add the title of “grinder” to my name. It’s where I feel like I belong, it’s what I want to do and will someday become a reality. The difference is, I’ve taken off my blinders and understand that I’ve got a long way to go, and my negative, piss and vinegar approach in the past was simply just an over-abundance of immaturity that I think I’ve outgrown.
Given my propensity for writing, I think there’s a story in this:
Man awakens from stupidity
Man uses his brain for a change
Man writes about his journey
Man has sparked a match he didn’t realize
was that close to the gas can with no lid.
Sláinte
Kjc
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