Lessons in How to Lose
Well as I mentioned in my last post I was playing enough to be happy about my time at the tables, and then I hit the wall at work and have not played almost a lick of live cards. I did manage to go down this last Tuesday to the Muck and I should have just stayed at work. Let me give you some lessons on how to lose.
#1) Go to the card room distracted and thinking about work or something else. When your head is not fully in the game you are not going to be at your best. I was clearly distracted. I knew it when I walked into the room but I chose to play anyway. Bad idea.
#2) Don't play a disciplined game. For some reason I was not being patient. I was calling raises with weak hands I would not normally call with, and I was protecting waaaay too many blinds with marginal hands out of position. LEAK.........THUD.
#3) As a result of playing way too many hands, I was catching way too many draws. I would flop four to a flush, OESD, Overcards, etc. I was playing them because I was getting the odds or sometimes marginal odds to call so I did anyway, see note on patience, and then I was missing. The worst is when you actually catch your flush and then make second best hand. I did this twice and it was painful.
#4) Flop monster hands with those marginal cards and get outdrawn. One of the reasons you don't play marginal hands is because they have a tendency to get outdrawn even when you flop the nuts. For example, I had 8,9 clubs on the button. A late position raise came in from a player who I knew was capable of playing some marginal hands himself for a raise. I just cold called the raise and we took the flop off heads up. Flop came 6,7,10. I flopped a straight, he bet into me on the flop and I just raised right there. He called. 8 on the turn, he checked I bet, he called. River a 9, he bet right into me, I just mucked face up and said nice J,10. He showed me to boot. When you flop bottom sets, or weak flushes, you can be beat. Tuesday was one of those days where I got beat. It was my own damn fault as I should have not been in most of those hands anyway.
#5) Don't play aggressive enough. If you do decide to play some of those weaker hands, three bet before the flop. That way you can take control of the hand, and may be able to bluff at a weaker flop or even a big flop that may scare the other player. Try to give yourself two ways to win not just one. I was only giving myself one way to win most of the night. BAD PLAY=STUCK.
All in all it was a bad night of poker for me. I deserved to lose, and I did. Some nights you deserve to lose and you actually win. This was not one of those nights. I ended up dumping two buyins. I should have only lost one, but because of bad play I gave an extra one away. I also think the curse of Dr. Chako showed up. Everytime I see that guy at the cardroom I lose. Coincidence, I think not...
One last note, there was actually a $200/400 game going four handed. I am proud of the fact that I chose not to play in that game. I was a little short for a buyin, but I could have borrowed it if I really wanted to play. I recognized that I was not in the best frame of mind and frankly it was not that great of a game. Three good players and one poor one. The poor one ended up dumping $19,000, ouch, by the grace of God that could have been me. By the way I was playing $50/100. Hope you are all winning and talk to you soon...SJ
#1) Go to the card room distracted and thinking about work or something else. When your head is not fully in the game you are not going to be at your best. I was clearly distracted. I knew it when I walked into the room but I chose to play anyway. Bad idea.
#2) Don't play a disciplined game. For some reason I was not being patient. I was calling raises with weak hands I would not normally call with, and I was protecting waaaay too many blinds with marginal hands out of position. LEAK.........THUD.
#3) As a result of playing way too many hands, I was catching way too many draws. I would flop four to a flush, OESD, Overcards, etc. I was playing them because I was getting the odds or sometimes marginal odds to call so I did anyway, see note on patience, and then I was missing. The worst is when you actually catch your flush and then make second best hand. I did this twice and it was painful.
#4) Flop monster hands with those marginal cards and get outdrawn. One of the reasons you don't play marginal hands is because they have a tendency to get outdrawn even when you flop the nuts. For example, I had 8,9 clubs on the button. A late position raise came in from a player who I knew was capable of playing some marginal hands himself for a raise. I just cold called the raise and we took the flop off heads up. Flop came 6,7,10. I flopped a straight, he bet into me on the flop and I just raised right there. He called. 8 on the turn, he checked I bet, he called. River a 9, he bet right into me, I just mucked face up and said nice J,10. He showed me to boot. When you flop bottom sets, or weak flushes, you can be beat. Tuesday was one of those days where I got beat. It was my own damn fault as I should have not been in most of those hands anyway.
#5) Don't play aggressive enough. If you do decide to play some of those weaker hands, three bet before the flop. That way you can take control of the hand, and may be able to bluff at a weaker flop or even a big flop that may scare the other player. Try to give yourself two ways to win not just one. I was only giving myself one way to win most of the night. BAD PLAY=STUCK.
All in all it was a bad night of poker for me. I deserved to lose, and I did. Some nights you deserve to lose and you actually win. This was not one of those nights. I ended up dumping two buyins. I should have only lost one, but because of bad play I gave an extra one away. I also think the curse of Dr. Chako showed up. Everytime I see that guy at the cardroom I lose. Coincidence, I think not...
One last note, there was actually a $200/400 game going four handed. I am proud of the fact that I chose not to play in that game. I was a little short for a buyin, but I could have borrowed it if I really wanted to play. I recognized that I was not in the best frame of mind and frankly it was not that great of a game. Three good players and one poor one. The poor one ended up dumping $19,000, ouch, by the grace of God that could have been me. By the way I was playing $50/100. Hope you are all winning and talk to you soon...SJ
posted by Seattlejohn at 12:45 PM
3 Comments:
who was playing in the 200/400?
BEWARE THE CURSE OF Dr. CHAKO!!
Apparently, you aren't the only one affected by my curse. Too bad it doesn't translate into cash in my pocket.
Interesting concept about playing marginal hands. I get in trouble there too - damn pot odds! I'm thinking of either raising my buy in amount (from 30x to 40x the big bet) in order to compensate for my tendency to play those hands. Either that or wait until I win a few and then take more chances. I tend to be impatient, so I may have to try plan #1.
I've also thought about being aggressive in position with suited connectors. On one hand, you want callers to create pot odds. On the other hand, at the higher limits, the cards may be less important and people may actually fold the best hand to naked aggression (as long as it's not overused).
Good post. I'm sure it was painful, but I got a few pointers out of it. Hopefully, I'll get a chance to use them against you before I go to Iraq.
-DrC
The $200/400 game had Chris("snowflake"), Tommy, Ralph("Rep"), and Mike R. Two pros Chris and Tommy,and two super rich guys. Rep has made many WSOP and WPT prelim event final tables, very solid aggressive and tricky player. The game was built around Mike. As I said, this was not a very good spot for me as I would have been the 4th best player in a 5 handed game.
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