More Ups and Downs

7 SEP 05

So, my bankroll is gone.

Talk about depressing. After the self-doubt (and self-loathing) of watching the last of my allotted stake disappear at 10/20, I started doing some soul-searching. Why am I playing this stupid game? What if I’m not as good as I think I am? Maybe 10/20 is too high a limit for me?

Actually, that last one is partly true. Some of the players at the table even told me so. I made two pair on the turn, but folded on the river when the 4th spade hit and the caller finally bet into me. I (stupidly) asked him to show and he told me he’d show for $5. I felt like an idiot for even asking. I didn’t pay him off. To needle me, he told his buddy (sitting between us) that he put me on being a tight player and thought I might fold to the bet.

He was right, but I still think he had a spade. I didn’t.

Part of the problem is playing 10/20 on the weekends. The play is a LOT more aggressive (a lot like 4/8, in fact), and my game isn’t suited to that (no pun intended). Never try to play higher limits when you are nursing a dwindling bankroll. It was in Doyle’s book, Poker Wisdom of a Champion where he said that there are very few players that play well under these conditions. Unfortunately, I’m not one of them.

So in the midst of this rut, I decided to do some bonus whoring. I dropped $600 into Poker Stars in order to get the $120 reload bonus. I’m playing two tables of 1 / 2 limit simultaneously in order to gain the 600 FFP’s I need to qualify. After that, I’m going to stick to my specialty – the $15 two-table NLHE tournament. Just to remember what it’s like, I signed up for one while playing the two tables of 1 / 2 (so I'm playing three tables at once). When I got to the final table, I was the short stack. I was dealt 9 9 with the 9 of clubs, and I raised. I got one caller. After the flop I had an overpair and three to the flush. The Jc came on the turn and my bet got raised. The river completed my flush, but at that point, I was all in. He had Jh 8c for the flush with the 8c. My flush with the 9c took the pot. Here is how we finished:

PokerStars Tournament #12209146, No Limit Hold'emBuy-In: $15.00/$1.00
18 playersTotal Prize Pool: $270.00
Tournament started - 2005/09/06 - 00:36:44 (ET)

Dear DrChako, You finished the tournament in 1st place.A $108.00 award has been credited to your Real Money account. Congratulations! Thank you for participating.

So maybe poker is trying to tell me not to give up. I’m not one to look for omens, but last night…

PokerStars Game #2516556885: Hold'em Limit ($1/$2) - 2005/09/06 - 23:04:02 (ET)
Table 'Balaton' Seat #4 is the button
Seat 1: hartdoc ($22.25 in chips)
Seat 2: DrChako ($19.25 in chips)
Seat 3: Kutz43 ($82 in chips)
Seat 4: gravedigger ($26 in chips)
Seat 6: BostonDonny ($44 in chips)
Seat 7: Moleman ($68.50 in chips)
Seat 8: Ranza ($14.25 in chips)
Seat 9: scottrude ($117.75 in chips)
Seat 10: Toyman ($66.25 in chips)
BostonDonny: posts small blind $0.50
Moleman: posts big blind $1
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to DrChako [Qh Kh]
scottrude: calls $1
DrChako: raises $1 to $2
scottrude: calls $1 (it's rare to isolate in 1 / 2, but it worked this time. Too bad.)
*** FLOP *** [Th Qc 5s]
scottrude: bets $1
DrChako: calls $1 (smooth call with top pair, K kicker)
*** TURN *** [Th Qc 5s] [Ah]
scottrude: bets $2
DrChako: raises $2 to $4
scottrude: raises $2 to $6
DrChako: calls $2 (I figured he had me beat when he reraised. I was right.)
*** RIVER *** [Th Qc 5s Ah] [Jh!!!!!]
scottrude: bets $2
DrChako: raises $2 to $4 (after MUCH pausing)
scottrude: calls $2
*** SHOW DOWN ***
DrChako: shows [Qh Kh] (a Royal Flush)
scottrude: mucks hand
DrChako collected $26.50 from pot

*** SUMMARY ***

Total pot $27.50 Rake $1

Board [Th Qc 5s Ah Jh]

Seat 2: DrChako showed [Qh Kh] and won ($26.50) with a Royal Flush

Seat 9: scottrude mucked [Js Kd] for the straight

I called my dad right away. He said that in all his years of playing, he only got one Royal Flush. I’m sure the difference is that I’m playing online. Not that I think online is fixed (I’ve heard all the conspiracies. It is not in the interest of Poker Stars to fix the games. They probably make millions a day already. If rumor got out that they were fixed, all their business would go away). It’s just that I’m seeing up to 200 hands per hour. I’ve probably seen almost as many hands of poker this year as my dad did in 5.

So, maybe I won’t give up just yet. My plan is to build the bankroll back to at least $500 (if possible) then maybe try a little NLHE ring at Tulalip (risky, but a good way to build a bankroll in a hurry) before going back to 10/20 at the ‘shoot. When I do go back, don’t look for me on the weekends. If you see me there, it’s either because I’m desperate, or flush with cash.

You should be reading: Wil Wheaton at CardPlayer

Final thought: It is easy to be brave from a safe distance. - Aesop