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not too up
Feb. 22nd, 2007 12:25 pmWhen you are not too happy with the world, it's far too easy to sink into either "grumpy old man" mode, or "rage against the machine mode". The alternative is "feeling sorry for yourself mode". A third option is "just shut up, keep quiet, lock the door and hide away for a few days" mode.
But, well, none of these is particularly attractive. Accentuate the positive; that's the ticket. We did get our bonus for 2006 this week, and we did have a very good year. Obviously in publishing our bonuses are mere pennies compared to some of those (but not all) working in the financial services sector, but they are a damned deal higher than the Christmas bonus given to the bloke cleaning the streets, or the freelance poker player.
Not that I really have anything to spend it on. I'll just adopt my version of the Andy Ward "clear the mortgage before everything else". Then again, I haven't even got the mortgage yet.
My best strategy for feeling like this is to clean things up. I managed to put up both the new paintings on the wall yesterday -- no mean feat in the case of one of the pictures, a whopping five feet by two-foot six. I also managed to do my bollocks clearing the UB bonus -- it's the old old story. After giving up in despair at about midnight, I looked at the amopunt left to clear and it was only $2. So, I went downstairs, made a cup of coffee, calmed myself down, and sat back in the same position at the same table. 20 minutes later I'd won $90 of it back. In pure Barry Greenstein mode, I saw this as a $90 win, rather than just some of my $260 loss regained. Maybe this afternoon I'll really get started on cleaning the kitchen. The walls need painting, and my bedroom needs completely redecorating, as does the spare bedroom. There's always something that needs to be done. And I'm utterly shit at getting things like this done. God I wish I wasn't so rubbish at so many life-related things.
The month still looks depressing on the poker front, and I am becoming increasingly convinced that, most of the time, I'm only marginally plus EV at $2-$4 (say, 0.8 per 100) and a merginal loser at $3-$6. I might be a winner at $5-$10, but I haven't played a large enough sample there recently to find out.
What's worrying is that I'm developing a burnt-out feeling. I know that if I put the time aside for the research I could improve those numbers, but, for the first time, I don't feel the motivation so to do. I'd rather watch TV, or practise the piano, or sand down the door, or clean the oven. It's not as if the money is really all that relevant. It's nice, but the whole thing is mainly an intellectual exercise at the moment. If that drive vanishes, any monetary gain just, well, just isn't enough.
But, perhaps this is a result of too much playing on one site. A change of scenery might regenerate a bit of enthusiasm. As would some decent cards.
+++++
I developed some success by treating AK (suited or off-suit) as a drawing hand that hits when I defend the BB against a single raiser. This has worked remarkably well over a fairly short sample. Flat call the raise (from wherever) and check-raise any flop with the exception of Axx or AKx.
If you check-raise then you lead out on the turn. If you are three-bet on the flop, your action is very player dependent.
+++++
February showers bring March flowers? Is that the new global warming mantra? I hope so. Overall, this has been a not-too-happy month. Sometimes I just feel that I am drowning, in life, in stuff, in information; trapped in a life situation that I do and yet do not want to escape. That, I guess, is the mid-life crisis talking. I wish it would shut up.
But, well, none of these is particularly attractive. Accentuate the positive; that's the ticket. We did get our bonus for 2006 this week, and we did have a very good year. Obviously in publishing our bonuses are mere pennies compared to some of those (but not all) working in the financial services sector, but they are a damned deal higher than the Christmas bonus given to the bloke cleaning the streets, or the freelance poker player.
Not that I really have anything to spend it on. I'll just adopt my version of the Andy Ward "clear the mortgage before everything else". Then again, I haven't even got the mortgage yet.
My best strategy for feeling like this is to clean things up. I managed to put up both the new paintings on the wall yesterday -- no mean feat in the case of one of the pictures, a whopping five feet by two-foot six. I also managed to do my bollocks clearing the UB bonus -- it's the old old story. After giving up in despair at about midnight, I looked at the amopunt left to clear and it was only $2. So, I went downstairs, made a cup of coffee, calmed myself down, and sat back in the same position at the same table. 20 minutes later I'd won $90 of it back. In pure Barry Greenstein mode, I saw this as a $90 win, rather than just some of my $260 loss regained. Maybe this afternoon I'll really get started on cleaning the kitchen. The walls need painting, and my bedroom needs completely redecorating, as does the spare bedroom. There's always something that needs to be done. And I'm utterly shit at getting things like this done. God I wish I wasn't so rubbish at so many life-related things.
The month still looks depressing on the poker front, and I am becoming increasingly convinced that, most of the time, I'm only marginally plus EV at $2-$4 (say, 0.8 per 100) and a merginal loser at $3-$6. I might be a winner at $5-$10, but I haven't played a large enough sample there recently to find out.
What's worrying is that I'm developing a burnt-out feeling. I know that if I put the time aside for the research I could improve those numbers, but, for the first time, I don't feel the motivation so to do. I'd rather watch TV, or practise the piano, or sand down the door, or clean the oven. It's not as if the money is really all that relevant. It's nice, but the whole thing is mainly an intellectual exercise at the moment. If that drive vanishes, any monetary gain just, well, just isn't enough.
But, perhaps this is a result of too much playing on one site. A change of scenery might regenerate a bit of enthusiasm. As would some decent cards.
+++++
I developed some success by treating AK (suited or off-suit) as a drawing hand that hits when I defend the BB against a single raiser. This has worked remarkably well over a fairly short sample. Flat call the raise (from wherever) and check-raise any flop with the exception of Axx or AKx.
If you check-raise then you lead out on the turn. If you are three-bet on the flop, your action is very player dependent.
+++++
February showers bring March flowers? Is that the new global warming mantra? I hope so. Overall, this has been a not-too-happy month. Sometimes I just feel that I am drowning, in life, in stuff, in information; trapped in a life situation that I do and yet do not want to escape. That, I guess, is the mid-life crisis talking. I wish it would shut up.
