Poker's frustrating when not getting cards!

[DDC67]

I was suppose to go to Las Vegas this week but because of the blizzard in the northeast this past weekend, I ended up canceling my trip. So yesterday, I decided to drive three hours to Foxwoods and get some live action in and play the morning NL tourney. I also wanted to try Omaha live to see if I would like it.

The result was I lost about $260 for the day (that included my $60 buy-in.) I played for about 16 hours. I played Hold'em limit 2-4, 4-8 and Limit Omaha H/L 2-4 and 5-10 w/ full kill. The Omaha 5-10 is where I lost $120 and Omaha 2-4 the other $80. I played better than even at both hold'em games, paying for the rake and tips. Obviously, my omaha experiment didn't go as well as I wanted it to but I chaulked it up to cutting my teeth and paying my dues.

To the point of my post. I played quality starting hands and when I got them, I played fairly agressively. The problem is that I maybe had one hand an hour average worth playing. I've been playing now for a little over a year and this wasn't my first time playing live. I don't get to play live action games very often and found this experience very unrewarding. Financially, there was no pay off this time (-$16.25/hour) and putting the time and effort into playing properly saved me alot of money. The problem I'm having is wanting to put the time and effort in to playing live again. I get better results playing at home online and it's easier to walk away when the cards aren't coming. Also, watching very loose agressive players play any 2 or 4 cards dealt and win when you wish you could get the cards and send them to the rail is salt on the wound.

I understand that long term results favor the tight aggressive player but when you don't have the time to play live, there is zero satisfaction. Do you find it hard to sit and watch the juiciest of games and you know you can beat it if only you had the cards to play? If I got suckered in to these games, my losses would easly be over a grand.

So. how do you guys deal with situations like this? How do you deal with LAG's when you are not getting the cards to send them to the rail? Driving three hours back home last night made me think about these observations. Any input would be appreciated.

[idrinkcoors]

For me, it is very hard to go from 3 tabling 6-max online to one slow live table. It's like two totaly different games. Last trip to Vegas in January, I folded for over one hour straight; you don't do that playing three tables of six max. Plus I didn't drive 7 hours to Vegas to sit there and inhale second hand smoke and fold for 3 days straight.

I'm not sure how to help you, but I've just read "The Zen of Poker," and it's unbelievably good. The key is to remember that our poker careers are just one long session. Easier said than done.

[lemonPeel]

when not gettting cards?! man, poker is frustrating... PERIOD

[boc4life]

I'm having the same issues

Been making the 3 hour drive to Turning Stone on a once every two weeks basis or so...Every time I'm there the cards seem to go completely dead

The tables are juicy, the players awful...And I can't beat them, because I'm not getting the cards to do it

It's frustrating, 12 hours, only seeing roughly 300 hands I'm guessing...Trying to make money over 300 hands is not easy


So what's the answer? I'm pretty sure I'm not going to be making many more trips to Turning Stone until I can play the 15/30 game, where the rake/tips aren't as heavy on the hourly rate

[DDC67]

boc4life,
You maybe right about moving up in limits to try an off set the negatives. I know I'm good enough, it's just getting the bankroll to a comfortable level to play it. The only question then is this. Are the people playing at these higher levels as reckless to take rags to a showdown as they are at the lower levels? There always seems to be one or two people at a table that just don't care what they play and the perception is that seem to win with any two rags. Frustrating. I feel helpless. I, like anybody sitting at the table, want two decent cards to play, catch a nice flop and make them pay for their carelessness. A couple of live sessions like this and it makes the drive a little easier to take.

[Banks2334]

Live action is a different animal especially when you cut your teeth online. Perhaps your live game isn't what it should be. Anyone can play when they get cards, its what you do when you dont get cards. Now that is poker.

[boc4life]

[ QUOTE ]
Live action is a different animal especially when you cut your teeth online. Perhaps your live game isn't what it should be. Anyone can play when they get cards, its what you do when you dont get cards. Now that is poker.

[/ QUOTE ]

Banks,

How do you suggest beating a live 2/4 - 5/10 game where there's a showdown 9 out of 10 hands, without catching cards? How do you "outplay" that kind of game?

I'm not saying those games aren't beatable, I'm saying that they're not beatable without making hands

[Banks2334]

boc4life,
How? SSHE by Ed Miller

[donkeyradish]

There are also the other times when you get AA/KK/QQ twice each in a 40 hand period when you didn't deserve to.

These frustrating sessions are just the payback for those days. Shrug them off.

[DDC67]

[ QUOTE ]
Perhaps your live game isn't what it should be.

[/ QUOTE ]
Banks,
This is exactly why I wanted to play at foxwoods but like boc asked, it's hard to play when these pots are getting shown down. It's something I need to work on and your insight would be appreciated.

To: idrinkcoors,
Thanks for the advice on the book. I'll look into it soon.

Dave

[raptor517]

meh, live poker is like that. it takes FOREVER to see the long term. you can play 10k hands online in a reasonable work day.. but at the live tables, you are lucky to get in 300. kinda makes a bit of a difference. holla

[Banks2334]

[ QUOTE ]

Banks,
This is exactly why I wanted to play at foxwoods but like boc asked, it's hard to play when these pots are getting shown down. It's something I need to work on and your insight would be appreciated.


[/ QUOTE ]
You are showing good discipline, but probably playing too tight. With so many loose players, you can play more marginal hands especially with position. When not in a hand, you should be paying close attention to what type of hands they play and their reactions to situations. Its almost comical to see how they react when they do/don't hit their hands. Your post flop play and reads are really the key.
As for those who say to move up in stakes, there are just as many rich bad players higher up as there are down lower. Expect more volatility playing live than multi-tabling online, but in the long run you should do fine. If you haven't read SSHE by Ed Miller, do so.

[GeniusToad]

[ QUOTE ]

As for those who say to move up in stakes, there are just as many rich bad players higher up as there are down lower.

[/ QUOTE ]

if you can't beat a level consistenly over a decent sample size, don't move up for any reason - okay large inheritance or lottery wins aside. and certainly not for the reason suggested.

[ QUOTE ]
If you haven't read SSHE by Ed Miller, do so.

[/ QUOTE ]

by "the reason suggested" i mean moving up to off-set variance at a lower level as was suggested in an earlier post in not so many words.

[Banks2334]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

As for those who say to move up in stakes, there are just as many rich bad players higher up as there are down lower.

[/ QUOTE ]

if you can't beat a level consistenly over a decent sample size, don't move up for any reason - okay large inheritance or lottery wins aside. and certainly not for the reason suggested.


[/ QUOTE ]
I wasn't suggesting moving up. Just that people think there are no bad players higher up.

[DDC67]

Banks, Thanks for getting back. I got the book, SSHE (actually the first poker book I bought) but haven't looked at it in a while. Time to reread and again, thanks for your comments.
Dave

[JCCARL]

I'm in the same situation, with precious little time to play live games. Consider it a losing session, it could have been much worse. At least there were no bad beats that the fish put on you, which really would have made the situation more frustrating.

It sounds as though you have other obligations in your life besides poker and that's not a bad thing by any strectch of the imagination. Hopefully there will be many more opportunities for live play and you'll more than make up for this one losing session.
Just stick to your winning game and you sound like you'll be fine in the long run.
Just a thought,
Carl

[DDC67]

Thanks Carl. Good luck to you as well.