Another loss

Another $100-odd loss at the 5-10, and already I'm beginning to wonder whether it was the right decision to try it. As I mentioned some posts ago, it's my mental strength that I worry about. Basically, I can't afford to care. I don't know if this is any kind of answer to BDD and DY below, but when I find myself shouting at the screen, shouting at myself (usually "don't get into battles, you fucking moron!") and generally hating the world, then even I have to wonder whether it's the right decision.

I can take a run of bad luck at 2-4. It doesn't bother me. But when AA gets cracked at 5-10 for another $130 pot, I get annoyed. And mentally I just can't afford it.

I know, I know, nothing that a little bit of luck won't cure instantly. But when the luck isn't there, it's a dangerous time for me. Even though the sum total so far has been a mere 15% of what's in my Party account and, well, no percent at all of the total bankroll. But all of a sudden the self-doubt creeps in. I don't have that worry at the lower level. But here, I say to myself maybe you just aren't good enough. How do I answer that?

How do I cope with this mental struggle? Easy answers on a postcard please. Now I'm off to a quiet $25 tourney on Stan James, where I really can relax, at least until the bubble approaches. 'Cos I've been getting some bad luck there the last few days as well. So much for avoiding the survivalist strategy. Doing just that has got me knocked out three times on the spin. You know it's right, but, man, it's counter-intuitive.

Oh dear, reraised again from a player behind me. Shit. Aces. Why do I play this game? Make that a $150 loss.

On the plus side, the wireless connection has sudenly decided to start working again.

A cat-kicking candidate.....

So, here's one from yesterday:

Here's a fine example of a $2-$4 player chancing his hand at $5-$10. And, no, I'm not talking about me.

$5/$10 Hold'em
Table 11319 (Real Money)
Seat 2 is the button

Seat 1: Big_Bertha ( $115.5 )
Seat 2: Birks ( $383.5 ) (Button)
Seat 4: River_Me_100 ( $153.5 )small blind
Seat 5: fang345 ( $199.5 )big blind
Seat 6: hg123456 ( $185 )
Seat 7: davidcoan ( $378 )
Seat 8: ERaddock ( $593.5 )
Seat 9: jarbaby ( $164 )
Seat 10: rr789 ( $250 ) Posting

River_Me_100 posts small blind [$2].
fang345 posts big blind [$5].
rr789 posts big blind [$5].

Dealt to Birks Qh Ah
hg123456 calls [$5].
davidcoan folds.
ERaddock calls [$5].
jarbaby folds.
rr789 checks.
Birks raises [$10].
River_Me_100 folds.
fang345 folds.
hg123456 calls [$5].
ERaddock calls [$5].
rr789 calls [$5].

Dealing Flop Qs, Jd, Tc
hg123456 checks.
ERaddock checks.
rr789 checks.
Birks bets [$5].

I really don't like this board, despite having top pair top kicker. But I can safely bet, for reasons I shall make clear later.

hg123456 folds.
ERaddock calls [$5].
rr789 calls [$5].

Oh dear. Two flat callers.

Dealing Turn 4c

So, no apparent change.

ERaddock checks.
rr789 checks.
Birks checks.

So why do I check? Well, two hands have called me, only one of which was (effectively) in the blind. The flop was a rainbow high 3-card straight. What hands could they POSSIBLY have that I am beating? KQ is about it. Meanwhile I could be losing to QJ, QTs, JTs, 98s. Possibly AK, AA or KK. There are players who limp-call with these hands.

Whatever, I reckon I can put money on one of these players beating me. So a bet from me on the turn just invites the check-raise. Meanwhile, if I am up against 2-pair, I have just been given seven outs (three aces and four kings).

Dealing River 4s

ERaddock checks.
rr789 bets [$10].
Birks calls [$10].

I think that I am beaten, but I'm not folding the river against a player I don't know very well.

ERaddock folds.

rr789 shows Js, Qd two pairs, queens and jacks.
Birks doesn't show Qh, Ah two pairs, queens and fours.
rr789 wins $79 from the main pot with two pairs, queens and jacks.

rr789 played this hand like a pig. His call of a raise with QJ off when posting is marginal, but we'll be charitable and say that he is probably not dominated (as it happens, he is, but this is unlikely given my raise). He then check-calls a flop of QJT. Is he planning a check-call on the turn as well? If so, he's truly dreadful. But if he is planning a check-raise, he is equally culpable.

This is a classic example where the check-call on the flop is wrong (being in middle position, he should bet out, which could well get a raise from me and make any drawing hand from the early bettor an uneconomic proposition).

Having made this move, the check on the turn is just plain silly. Does he really expect me to bet (even with AA) against two callers? He is simply giving me a free card.

Of course, all this exemplary analysis did me no good and the lucky git still walked away with $79. I was quite happy with the hand, since I can't see how I can lose any less.

BTW, apropos the previous post. I went out in 44th of 59 in the SJ tournament, without ever troubling the pot-collecting circle, as they say. And I got back to $2.50 (that's two bucks 50, not two hundtred and fifty) down in the $5-$10 game before I quit.

The difference, I reckon, is not that the number of fish are fewer (there were four in this game over the 90 minutes I played) but that the number of other "good" players is greater. These are the ones I have to learn to deal with!