Posted by One Angry Monkey | Filed under Bloggers Corner
Welcome to a special weekend post on Poker From The Rail. We don’t usually do this sort of thing because, well, we’re all pretty lazy and almost always drunk throughout the entire weekend. But that’s a completely different post.
I’m writing this post because there’s so much going on in the poker world right now – Phil Ivey winning his first WPT title, the National Heads-Up Championship – that it got me to thinking. Be afraid, be very afraid.
I’ve been thinking about the fact that I’ll probably never reach the upper echelons of the poker world. I’ll never hoist a trophy or gold bracelet triumphantly over my head while a pile of glorious cash lies on the table in front of me. I’ll never sit at the featured table of a major tourney and get to make a ballsy bluff against one of the world’s top pros. Why? Well, I’m simply not that good of a poker player.
But that doesn’t mean that I’m going to stop dreaming about it. As embarrassing as this is to admit, I used to fantasize about going heads up against the likes of Ivey at the final table of the WSOP Main Event. I would slyly limp in with my ducks, hit my set on the flop, and wait patiently for Ivey to make his hand and announce “all-in.” Then I’d insta-call, only to see that Ivey had made a straight with his 4-7 off-suit on the river. Game over. Boy, my fantasies always did suck.
We all play poker for the chance to hit it big. I don’t care who you are and whether you’re a serious player or this is just a hobby for you – we all share in that dream (although hopefully yours has a slightly happier ending than mine). So, how do you turn that dream into a reality? You work your frickin’ ass off, that’s how.
For the last few months, I’ve made a commitment to improving my game. I’m taking part in the Iron Man Challenge, which forces me to sit down and play poker for at least an hour every night. And it’s been a great experience for me. I’m slowly learning not to focus on my short-term results, because the reality of the situation is that you can’t have a winning session every time that you sit down at the table. You have to accept the fact that you can’t win every hand, no matter how badly you want it. Losing is a part of the game, and I never take losing lightly.
I’ll admit it; I’ve had some tilt problems in the past. Bad, bad problems. Smashing my fist into the wall and visiting the emergency room problems. My poor knuckle will never look the same. I guess Andy Black and I are kindred spirits. But hopefully those days are behind me, as they are with Andy. The more poker I play the more perspective I gain. At this point, I feel like I can weather any storm and come through a better player.
And it’s working for me. I’ve managed to double my bankroll since the start of the year (insert standard anyone can turn $5 into $10 joke here). Even though I’ve run into a rough patch for the past couple of weeks and am running bad again, I’m not letting it get to me.
I feel like I’ve turned a corner here. There’s always the chance that I go on extreme mega-tilt and it all comes crumbling down tomorrow, but I honestly don’t think that’s going to happen. I’ve come so far as a player since I first started playing, it’s simply mind boggling. As far as I’ve come though, I still have even further to go. I’m not giving up on my dream, as unrealistic as it may be. I always play poker because it’s fun, but the part of me that wants to take down the Main Event and go swimming in a pile of cash will never die.
Now that I’ve got that off my chest, it’s time to get drunk. Enjoy your weekend…
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