When you're on a downswing (and everyone gets on one every so often), nothing goes well. The cards don't come and when they finally do - they don't hold up.
You sometimes feel lost at the table, unsure of what the other players are doing, where they're at in a hand, what their motivations and weaknesses are.
Downswings are times when the grey cloud of doubt and dispair can settle in over your entire game.
Upswings, on the other hand, are quite the opposite. The cards come, they hold up, and even if they're not the stellar dealings you're sure you need they hold up anyway!
When you look around the table clarity shines its illuminating hue on every face. You know why they're here, what they want, what they have and what they're afraid of.
Your bankroll bottomline rises like a spring tide and those rocky shoals of the downswing fade away over the horizon.
The emotional ups and downs are as much a part of the poker landscape as the cards and chips. It is vital that, if you want to do well in the LONG game you have to control those ups and downs.
You have to realize that you are the skipper, your poker game is your vessel and variance is the sea you sail on. Don't let the highs get ahead of you and don't let the lows slow you down.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Options and Variance
Ok, so here we are, November 2009. So much for consistency in posting!
I've found that poker tends to wax and wane in my life but it remains a constant shade in my lighting. Sometimes it's in the foreground and I'm actively folding and raising and looking for a good game. Sometimes it's in the background and I'm not playing with cards as much as I'm taking advantage of position at work or laying down a hand in an argument or betting for value against a yellow light.
I want to post this thought about the ESPN coverage of the WSOP final table. I read that this was one of if not the longest final table yet (like 18hrs). And that would suggest some very serious and disciplined play. But the televised hands and commentary made it look like the game of poker as played at the highest pinacle of the sport boiled down to pure luck with bad beat after incredible bad beat.
I know television producers want to broadcast drama, tension and thrills...but for God's sake, please intersperse those aspects of the game with the strategy, depth and skill involved.
I've found that poker tends to wax and wane in my life but it remains a constant shade in my lighting. Sometimes it's in the foreground and I'm actively folding and raising and looking for a good game. Sometimes it's in the background and I'm not playing with cards as much as I'm taking advantage of position at work or laying down a hand in an argument or betting for value against a yellow light.
I want to post this thought about the ESPN coverage of the WSOP final table. I read that this was one of if not the longest final table yet (like 18hrs). And that would suggest some very serious and disciplined play. But the televised hands and commentary made it look like the game of poker as played at the highest pinacle of the sport boiled down to pure luck with bad beat after incredible bad beat.
I know television producers want to broadcast drama, tension and thrills...but for God's sake, please intersperse those aspects of the game with the strategy, depth and skill involved.
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