Fix That Leak

In my last post, I was still in the doledrums about poker and didn't really feel in the mood to be merrily posting more of my usual old twaddle. However, time is always a good healer and although I'm still looking forward more to next year's poker than the few sessions I have left this year, this blog has to also be about the road to improving as a player - and this sometimes means facing the shortcomings, swallowing the pride and tackling the problems head on. (Rather than just feeling sorry for myself.)

It's a painful experience, to have to admit that you have faults, but I've had a few live sessions recently which really have highlighted a leak; not, that is to say, "just any old leak" but a worrying leak more associated with players we call "fish" rather than the "serious player" I like to think I am. This weakness needs be clearly stated for the record so the crack can be smoothed over once and for all.

I'm talking, of course, about calling or going all-in for heavy amounts when the brain just doesn't want to accept the fact that I'm beaten. The red mist usually appears after I've either been card dead for a long period of time (and then I "finally" pick up a premium hand) or when I've seen nothing but missed flops for hours and then "finally" see a very good flop for my hand and can't get away from it. All these situations show that I seem to lose it when I feel stuck in some way but also, of course, shows the onset of frustration and a resulting lack of patience on my part when things aren't going my way. I actually think that this is quite a prevalent fault with many players and so I have to say I'm a bit vexed for being guilty of the weakness myself. 

Examples of this have already been documented but it does seem to have happened a lot recently. Maybe the poor run of cards in addition to the 3 month downswing is making me play worse? Don't get me wrong, I'm not exactly on a major downswing by any means - but recording a losing month for three times on the trot now could be a contributory factor. The thing is, I like to think that under normal circumstances I would go with my read and fold the losing hand as a good player should - rather than convince myself that my hand just might be better and throw more in the pot to see for sure, "just in case". Stoopid!

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So let's inject some logic here with the good ol' Jared Tendler method and see if we can come up with a fix:

1. First off, I have to tell myself that every player gets shovelled the shit once in a while. I've just happened to have my fair share recently.

2. We all get dealt good hands and then get outdrawn once in a while. Again, I just seem to have a high frequency of this occuring recently.

3. Generally speaking, I have been making good decisions and have been playing well. It's only this annoyance, of my low frequency of good hands getting outdrawn on, which has caused me to get emotional.

4. I must not allow the emotion of frustration to shut out the higher thinking part of my brain. This will only cause me to make bad decisions. I must take a stroll when I sense that the feeling of frustration is taking over my ability to think clearly about the hands.

5. The history of which cards I've been dealt should be irrelevant. I must go with my read and play the player. If I feel the villain has me beat and won't fold to a bluff, then I must throw the cards into the muck. But I must ALWAYS think the hand through and GO WITH MY READ.

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Ok, I need to start following through with this now and to make sure it sinks in.

Onwards and upwards...