I lost $200 at the poker room yesterday, but even worse than the financial hit is the fact that I can't figure out what happened. If you are playing within proper bankroll limits, then losing a stake to single session is not the end of the world. But it is troubling when make drunk-guy mistakes when stone-cold sober.
The red flag that I should have been paying attention to was that I was simply confused as to what cards were making the best hands. Several times it seemed to me that the dealer was pushing the pot to the wrong player. One guy might "win" with two pair, but wait! Doesn't that other guy have a straight!? No I guess he must not or someone else would have said something and the board is mucked before I can confirm what I think.
This keeps happening all session long. One time, when I was sure the dealer was making a mistake and pushing the pot to the wrong guy, I cried out "No, wait!" and everyone looked at me while I tried to make sense of the board. No, that straight I thought was there wasn't there. How could I be so stupid? I apologized to the table and never questioned the dealer again, even when he gave the pot to someone else when I thought I won it.
What was wrong with me? I tried to force myself to focus, but it wasn't any good. It was like I was playing in a parallel universe to the rest of the table - one where the rules of poker were slightly different. One where an ace that comes on the flop can turn into a four if you look twice.
Is it surprising that I lost all my money?
Is it surprising that I'm worried about my mental state?
Interesting counterpoint to your previous post (the "Embarrassing Win"), tyler, especially since all three incidents you talk about involve seeing a straight where there wasn't one.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I think straights are about the hardest hand to clock; they can be so well-disguised (especially in Hold'Em) that you just don't see them coming. Maybe you're just trying too hard to be aware of them?
(As an aside, I think flushes are the 2nd-hardest hand to recognize. If you've ever tried teaching poker rankings to a novice, you've probably found that these are the two hands they have the most trouble placing. For some reason it's much easier to wrap your head around the idea that trips beats two pair or quads beats a boat than the idea that 5 non-sequential cards of one suit is worth anything at all.)
Just a thought here: If you've been concentrating exclusively on no-limit Hold'Em it might be worth your while to switch it up a bit, try some Omaha High/Low or a HORSE tournament or two, or even just pot-limit Hold'Em with its subtly different strategy. (Um, stick with micro-stakes or freerolls at first in games you're not experienced with, obviously.) Just think of it as a "palate cleanser" or mental exercise to help you stop seeing straights everywhere.
I think you are right about trying different forms of poker as a way of re-focusing. Unfortunately it is hard to find a game of anything but hold'em these days. Perhaps the limit game at the Elbow.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Time for another break?
ReplyDelete