[daveT]

"Dirty Magic"

I steal blinds.

I raise in the cut-off and am 3-bet. I call and an Ace flops.

Well, I didn't have much of a hand in the first place, so I fold it. He shows his hand KK. Well, did he really think that I had an ace. I don't understand why people like to show there hands. Specifically, they like showing them to me, when they feel that they have bluffed me. Most of the time, they had the best hand anyway. Just because an Ace flopped, doesn't mean that it was because of the Ace that I folded. What are they trying to accomplish by showing me their hand. Are they trying to make me play bad?

This does irritate me. My usual response is "you had the best hand."

This time, my villain took offense. I told him I was just trying to steal the blinds, I had ten eight, yes I was suited. LOL, he said.

Sure enough, the very next orbit, I raise in the Small Blind. He three bets, I cap.

The flop comes down KK8

I bet he raises, I call.

4

I check and call

7

I check and raise.

What did I have?

It doesn't matter really, I know that he had nothing the whole time, the last interaction was fresh on his mind. His Ego got the better of him.

The truth of this game, that few people seem to understand, is that no one really "outplays" any one else. We all are waiting for a good hand to extract bets from each other, it is how he play those hands that define us.

Many people attach Ego to the game, and this is their biggest downfall. Go ahead and keep on running that bluff, go ahead and try to extract money with your middle pair, I hope for your Ego's sake that you catch me on the river. Someone needs to bail you out.

"Execution Day"

Although I have played tons of Full Ring Limit, and 6-max No Limit, nothing could have prepared me for the experience of 6-max Limit. After 13,000 hands, I am still losing 3.5bb/100.

At some point, I have to question my own play, and forget about luck. What makes poker interesting is that it comes with built-in Ego check. No matter how good I am, the ugly downswing is inevitable. This is the constant reminder that I am not the best, that I can improve.

I could have been more prepared for 6-max if I thought to go to the forums and read some archives. How much bankroll do I need? 800 big bets, really? Wow. I read through Mr. Wookie's wonderful stat post. My numbers are in line. I read through the starting hand charts. I am close enough, but I decided to change a few things.

I decided to play 6-max specifically because I was trying to do as a many hands as quickly as possible. Playing at a full ring table is slightly slower. But with the required bankroll and the swings of this game, I cannot see the sense of playing this game any more.

I am already far behind my goal, and the money that I had on Full Tilt is gone, I am now going to play on Poker Stars. Actually, now that I think of it, I never had a winning stretch on Full Tilt.

So it is on to Poker Stars and different games. Perhaps I will transfer more money to Full Tilt, at least they give bonuses and rakeback.

But it like choosing mothers. One gives food the other gives charcoal. Even though the Charcoal is worth more than the food, I do have to eat.