WHATS UP!!!
Just got back from the massage parlor listening to some
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CkFaVLxjMw (open up a little bit more) by my boy skrillex...feeling like myself again. It's been a while, I was trapped in my own mind, but now I'm back to being one.
Sunday/Monday/Tuesday were awful days. Lost...hmm...5k??? Sure I lost some flips, run it 2x, whatever (variance as it's called right?), no I'm not making any excuses up. I donated to the poker community because I was feeling like s*** and deep down wanted to lose. Then come yesterday, it started to hit me.
First hand I get dealt (44) in a limped pot and we see it 6 ways. Flop comes Ace 2 3 and I lead 30 into the field with my blockers. I get two callers, and we see a nine turn. I lead again 110 and this time only one guy calls me. River is a another nine, which I think is a really good card for me, so I shove guy in for 300. He calls with Ace 2, table goes ballistic, and he leaves right after the hand. This makes me spew; it makes me spew hard.
For the rest of the day, I'm clearly the action/fish. I'm squeezing too much, triple-barreling and getting caught, and being a spewtard. This whole time I'm reading a book by Adyashanti meanwhile and listening to Bob Marley and Chill Beats (so why I'm I trying to bluff off my chips), but surprisingly I'm stuck only about 200 and I'm sitting with a 1300 stack. Up until this hand, the hand that might have shifted my perspective.
There's two limpers, I limp on the Btn with Q5hh, blinds check. Flop comes Ace 2 3hh and loose fish leads out for 20. I reraise with my flush draw/straight draw to 70 and he calls. Turn is an offsuit Jack, a card I would normally check, but I decide to bet big to take him off a naked ace, "200" I say. He doesn't take long to call, which scares me a bit. River is another off-suit Jack. He checks and I don't want to release. Knowing he'll call a small bet, I do the only thing that I want to do, "All-In, 1000" He's got me covered, me knows it, It's a big bet, he knows it, he's got a lot of time to think, but he takes less than two seconds. "I Call" and turns over J9 hearts.
I storm out of the casino in shame and anger. I'm just about broke. I had it! With no choice, I leave to go across the strip to my box and take out another bullet. I tell myself, "this is the last bullet you will take it. Your making this bullet work."
I felt dedicated, told myself to "man up, create your dreams again, now's the time." I play for under two hours, but it was enough to book a 500 win. It was just the beginning...Most interesting hand was:
Literally the entire table limps (what?! how?!) and its on me in the SB with AQ offsuit. I bump it up to 60 and get two callers that I know little about other then that they are not professionals and have close to 500 to start the hand. Flop comes 9 6 4 rainbow and I see this as a board that I would normally c-bet, but I also knew that this dry board is a perfect texture to represent a huge hand if they show some aggression. First guy checks, and second guy bets 120. Now my mind was playing tricks with me. I just told myself that I won't be bluffing anymore, but I knew that this was the right move, I had to check raise. So, I go for my green chips and I c/r to 350, pretty much letting him know that he's going to have to play for his stack.... Yes! He folds, shows a nine face up, I resist the urge to show the bluff, knowing that I'm going to be playing with these regulars for the next week or two, and leave shortly afterwards, finally with a win.
I got woken up today a new me. Time to do this routine; head to the gym in the morning, meditate in the sauna, tan by the pool, go do what I do best. Today I played my first eight hour session in what in all likely hood could be a month. I loved it man! The swings, the emotions, it's a complete different game putting in a long session then just playing for a couple hours and leaving. You experience the highs and lows, and it's a true test for you as a poker player as to how long you can keep your composure.
The day starts off well. Young kid opens to 15, Btn calls, SB calls, and I call with K10dd. Flop comes KJ7, it's checked to the Btn and he bets out 45. I call and we see a 8 turn, which he insta-fires 110. I'm thinking what kind of hand can actually be insta-betting this board? On the Btn I figure he's 3-betting AK or KQ and JJ, I have a king myself with a ten kicker, let's get some value from all less hands and have his picked up straight draws pay a price. I mim-raise to 220 and he calls fast. River is another King and now I clearly think I have the best hand. He's got a little over 300 left, and I fire out 220 again, to which I'm greeted with a call while he's says "aces are good." I show my king, and he says, "that last king saved you, I would have folded my QQ to any other river." I guess the mim-raise on the turn was the best play in that case.
I'm up over a thousand in the first two hours and then Mr. Doomswitch occurs. Bunch of medium sized pots where I'm getting outdrawn and some brutal all-in beats occur. Example, limped 5 way pot I have 44 flop comes 884ss. Guy bets 25, one caller (with 250 stack) I re-raise to 100, fold, and the original caller goes all in, with KK. Turn Ace, River, 8! Haha...
I work back my stack only to lose the biggest pot of the night. For about three hours of my session, the entire table was straddling and it was pure amazement. Pots were hugs for a 2/5 game, there was way more action than a 5/10. Well, anyway, one limper, I limp UTG plus 1 with AJos two more limpers, and Mr. Heater/Maniac/Sailor bets 25 on the button. Blinds and UTG call, and seeing all this dead money, I bet 260. Looking back at it, I didn't want to play AJ at all, I just wanted to take it down so I should have bet at least 400 to make sure I succeed, but sitting over 2k deep, I gave Mr. Sailor, who is up over 4k in the session, a reason to call.
Flop comes Ace 9 2 and I decide to go into ch/call mode. I check and he checks. Turn is another nine and I check again. This time he bets 300. I call and we see a queen river. I check and he splashes 800 into the pot. He looks confident but I can't put him on a hand, so I call. He shows deuces and ships the monster pot.
After being up 1500, now I'm stuck 500 bucks. How could this happen? Now the worst thing possible happens, I think about the chick again. I can't do this now though, I must stop the bleeding today! So, I reload to 1000 and start building my stack again.
People think I'm tilted so they called me light pre-flop and on the flop. What they couldn't do is withstand two barrels, so I successfully took down several pots by these small 60-90 dollar double barrels. Then, we get to play a bigger pot. It's on my UTG and I limp AKss. There's like five more limpers and SB drunk guy (6PM...only in Vegas) says, "let's play bigger boys" so he raises it up to 25, and when it's on me, I raise to 60 to isolate. A raise bug enough to do that job, yet small enough for him to call. He does and we see a QQ2dd flop. He checks and I bet small, 45, which he insta-raises me to 145. I don't believe him for a second. I call and we see a 3s turn. This time he bets out 100. He's so full of it. I call. River is a King and he goes all-in for 400. I call, and he has k5os. Nice!! I'm up over a thousand overall now and feel so good about my game. All because I decided to tough it out and be a professional.
I feel disappointed about my attitude the past couple of days/weeks. Whatever, s*** happens, and when it happens, it can only make you stronger. We are always rushed, like when your having an awakening. Something awesome might happen to you during the weekend but then it's back to work on Monday. You slowly forget that amazing feeling you had because it's back to your regular conditioning. I made myself a victim and conditioned myself to be unproductive and feel sorry for myself. Well, we all have to hit lows, so I'm happy to say that I've overcome this low. Maybe this short downswing isn't over yet, but I've gained a ton from this, and instead of just saying what I'm doing to go, I'm just going to do it. Cheers! -Dan
Two Plus Two
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