Time

I put in my time this Winter. I picked up a lot from some reading I did but that does not replace experience. But reading and experience together has brought noticeable results.

The biggest improvement I have made in my game (we are talking poker) is I just do not go on tilt any more, ever. I have reached a point where I come out ahead two out of every three outings. The problem is my up days are too small and my down days are too large.

I have improved on another of my weaknesses, which was to stay too long in big pot big betting in hands which drain a good percentage of my stack. I avoid or get out of such circumstances quickly, unless I have the nuts. I also tend to pay out on the river to to see that I am really beat, though often I already know that I am.

Another weakness, which I have just realized I must address, is not getting up enough to keep the blood circulating and not eating when I spend long hours, a lot of time, at the table.

The quality of one’s spirit and determination influences one’s outcome. When I am having a tough day, not eating just makes it that much harder to keep one’s spirit up. I have to review the Casino’s restaurants and their menus to find some healthy meal choices. I have won a lot of reward points I can spend, but not enough to make up for my losses. Perhaps I will use the reward points to take my wife to a show.

Here is an example of a tough day. I have pocket 5’s. Then 5-9-Q come on the flop. Here I am to bet heavily to get the most out of my hand. The odds are high in my favor that I will win this hand. Well, there are two raisers after my bet on the flop. The betting is capped. Myself and one other slow down, not raising. We get to the river and what do I find. One gentleman had pocket 9’s, the other pocket Q’s. What are the odds?

Then I have pocket 8’s like eight times and not once does it pay off. I had pocket K’s and lost, and in short order five others received those pocket K’s and they all lost. You get top trips (with a great kicker) and lose to a full house. You get a full house and lose to a better full house. Sometimes that is the nature of the table you find yourself at, and it never seems to end.

I have reached my limit as far as losses go. I will still get out to play, since I have improved, but not nearly as often. More important than the loss of money is the loss of time, if there is no return on investment. And now with spring upon us I have so many other things to do with my time.

So I step back a bit to start investing in the garden and other endeavors conducive to the warmer months, and what happens? Well the foul weather is surely a hindrance, but on top of that I catch a cold. I have not been sick for more than half a day for many many a year, but this is the third day of my cold.

I have found some returns on the investment of my time other than poker chips. With a clear vision of the man one would like to become the poker table can be a great proving grounds. Inevitably feelings of greed, envy, despair, jealousy, insecurity, fear and the like will arise. To dispel all these negative inclinations, to enjoy the company around you and not to be dismayed by negative outcomes are strengths one can develop and can lead to having much more fun at the tables.

Time well spent.

To Comfort and Health

I catch some pointed comments at the table from time to time, making me wonder if people are actually reading my blog. One man at a fine table of players ordered tonic water with lots of ice.

I have recently been drinking tonic water. Why? Because it has quinine. My mother got it from her sister, my aunt, that drinking tonic water stops cramping that many get as they grow older. After sitting at a table for some hours, when I turn as when a drink order arrives (usually Sierra Mist), my lower back will tighten up and my leg will cramp painfully from top to bottom.

I have also had cramping on occasion in my sleep. The tonic water appears to have helped significantly.

The warmer tonic water gets the worse it tastes. It is an old school taste many may not enjoy at all.

I also use a Teeter inversion table. It helps both me and my wife. If you have a weak lower back, stretching muscles strengthens muscles. A Teeter may be good for you. Some people’s legs are not the same length so you should look into that before hanging by your ankles.

In regards to stretching I have finally found a Yoga channel on my Roku that has beginners classes I can actually follow. It is called “Yoga Download” and is free.

I haven’t been sleeping well either. My wife has been reluctant to get a new mattress but after showing her some reviews on YouTube she says, “I want a new mattress now!”

There are numerous ‘beyond memory foam’ mattresses selling via the Internet only that run about $1,000. One stands out above the others as it seems to be slightly better designed to stay cool, so you don’t wake up in a sweaty paste glued to your mattress. You can also find coupons and offers that bring the price down to $700. That is the “Ghost Bed” mattress.

The top competitor to the Ghost Bed is the “Purple Mattress” which is a new technology. The Purple will stay much cooler. It has a ten year warranty whereas you can get the Ghost Bed with a twenty year warranty.

Both mattresses have quite a bit of bounce to them unlike the early memory foam mattresses.

Particularly with the Purple I saw many testimonies of back and neck pain relief. This is typical of the many quality ‘beyond memory foam’ mattresses on the market. I am not endorsing any of them, just telling you what I have uncovered; the two top sellers at the moment.

More reviews.

With both the Purple and any ‘beyond memory foam’ mattress, it appears from reviews, that if you are an extremely lightweight person you will find them uncomfortable and troublesome. I guess if your body cannot sink into the foam you receive none of the benefits. I do not believe that would be a problem for the many interesting people I meet at the poker tables.

So, now really wanting a new mattress my wife says to me, “Are you going to go play poker today?” It is good when your wife has confidence in your abilities. I still have some gaps in my skills to fill in and tend to play too loose when I get way ahead.

I am hitting a stride, where I play about every seven to ten days. I’ve played long hours from time to time, but think it best for staying focused not go much more than five hours at a time.

I do not need to win at poker for us to buy a new mattress. If I did I would not be playing. My wife simply does not want to dig into the comfortable security blanket we have built up.

I hope you have found this helpful. I live to serve.

WSOP

The WSOP was here in Milwaukee at the Potawatomi Hotel and Casino this month.

First of all, the WSOP schedule ‘is Greek to me’, as the saying goes. I spoke with one of the bosses at the poker room and they said everyone had trouble understanding their schedule. A problem, but everyone should be over it the next time around. And I hope they come again. If you enjoy tournament play the more circuits that come through the more often tournaments will be available.

Secondly, my schedule did not allow me the proper ability, time frame, to focus. My wife’s schedule had something to do with that also. Demands on our business near any holiday just distract me, particularly when I do not understand the tournament schedule.

I was at the poker room on the second to last day of the WSOP. They made an announcement that there were two seats available for a WSOP sit and go that was about to start; $10,000 guaranteed prize pool. Not that I ever understood from their schedule that sit and go’s were part of the event, but it was tempting. I will be on top of their scheduling methods the next time they come.

We are but five miles round trip from the Casino, but have only one car. When my wife needs the car, what are my transportation options?

The bus? It is a long uphill walk to the bus stop. Particularly in the Winter, that will leave me soaked with sweat. I do not ride the bus often so I do not have the card they require you to have for transfers. Yes, no more paper transfers. You wonder why ridership is down. So there is another long walk after I get off the bus. Walking the entire way is just as fast. (I do see people walking up to the casino)

But I have decided I will not walk or ride my bicycle to the casino. If they had a bike rack in front of one of their security stations and with a camera on it, I would consider riding my bike.

So I either have the car, or the proper alignment of schedules, so that my wife can drop me off and pick me up at reasonable times.

Yes taxi drivers, that is my wife picking me up, not UBER. So you need not pull in front of our car giving us a tight squeeze to get out of the pickup lane.

I could take a taxi, home at least, but I would have to be heavily in the black, on a consistent winning more than losing curve, to consider that option. I imagine it may be only four times the cost of the bus, with tip but…

This year, less so through the warm sunny months, I will see if I can maintain myself in the black at the tables without a big tournament win. Not that I wont be looking for tournament play.

Happy Holidays

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Yes, the Christmas season is still upon us and we are fresh into the New Year. The Christmas Spirit glows bright with the snow. Really. Are is there any nation that never has a white Christmas that is known for its Peace on Earth and Goodwill Towards Man?

Think about it.

The cold and snow also places emphasis on indoor pursuits. Backgammon is one option for Winter gaming, particularly since they start so early in the evening. It was hard to find the time during the long days of Summer to participate in tournaments put on by our local backgammon organization that meets at Rounding Third, Wednesday nights.

The WSOP is coming to town. That is not a Christmas song.

I had some nominal returns in my end of the year poker endeavors after Christmas, getting me close to even for 2016 (I didn’t play much last year). The first days of this New Year have not been kind.

I bought into three satellite tournaments on three consecutive days in an attempt to enter the Mid-States Poker Tournament at Potawatomi Casino; the main event(s) beginning today. I never broke the bubble though I did not do poorly. My biggest mistake in my final opportunity was to try to buy a pot. It almost worked. The waiting is the hardest part. Then when I went all in with two pair on the flop, my opponent called, again the waiting and waiting. I was ahead. He hit a set Three of a kind on the turn.

With time to burn over the three days I tried the limit tables. I thought I may win back my entry fees in open play. The problem? By the third tournament, the third day, and my mind spinning over all the hands I played, not allowing me to sleep well the night before (and no morning coffee), I was far from being on top of my game. I was really tired.

I very easily could have come out on top, but I can only blame myself. I have no control over the actions of others, no right to judge or make detrimental use of my time by worry about what might have been. I can only control what I do. I missed some calls and as far as any other problems at the tables, I should not have been playing so tired. And that is all I have to say about that.

So I went out with some yahoo calling big raises pre-flop with junk and hitting a set of 3’s on the turn against my very solid two pair. Junk, people play junk at the casino. That is why it is so hard to win at limit poker sometimes; even NL. Q, 3 off suit with an opening four then eight times a normal blind just to get in the hand.

So over three days I lost almost as much as the direct buy-in for the main event. (I plan to win it back and more) The satellites have a much more aggressive blind structure, unlike the main event. The less aggressive blind structures of the main event serve to my advantage, I believe. It may be a better strategy on the smaller tournaments to just buy-in direct.

Taking note of intentions I developed in the past, ignored and now their validity reinforced, I should set my sights on playing but once a week, unless a tournament requires otherwise. I will attempt only one satellite per tournament, or no more than one a week if there is a long lead up period to the main event. I will make sure I am all there before I sit at any table.

If I have not had a focused day (or morning) of accomplishment I tend to not go to the casino even if I had been planning to. As the Christmas season comes to an end tomorrow, and we pack all the trappings of the season away on Saturday, I will afterwards focus on my new work schedule I am developing for 2017. It will be heavily focused on my writing. I have reorganized the entire office with that goal in mind.

The WSOP is coming to Potawatomi. I will definitely make an attempt at that. And yes, once a week I plan to be at the tables. It is Winter. A time for indoor activities. I will afterwards, based on a consistent and constant effort, evaluate the results and make further determinations from there. Once gardening season begins and the days grow long I will have little opportunity to play.

Thank you for reading.