Tuesday, October 10, 2006

So What Do I Know?

Wow, I thought the suckouts in Hold-Em were rough, but after playing HORSE for a week or so I'm almost longing for those beats on the river. I'm just playing for fun, playing different games just to be different, but Jesus, could I please not lose EVERY time to a boat on seventh street? Could I pleass not brick out in Razz when my first four cards are A-2-3-4? Pretty please? I'm playing tight, very tight, but I am getting KILLED. Now, it's true that I know nothing about optimal strategy in Stud, Stud Hi/Lo, Razz, and Omaha Hi/Lo, and that my grasp of good Limit Hold-Em play is what might called "tenuous". But still...Jesus!

The recent passage of that anti-American legislation or not, my poker career might be coming to an end. I'm coming up on my 3rd anniversary of playing online, and I don't think I've gotten much better. Maybe a little bit. But I don't seem to have the drive or motivation to get much better. Oh, I have lots of poker books on my shelf, and I've even read most of them, but have I truly understood? Doesn't seem that way. Overall, I'm a winning player, but not by much. Not enough to justify the time I put into it. And for me to get better I'd have to put a lot more time into it. Which I don't seem willing to do. I enjoy playing, but I enjoy writing and reading and riding my bike, and maybe it's time I made that last, final cash-out and stepped away from the table once and for all. I've been tempted the last few days, but I can't pull the trigger.

Nah, probably won't cash out entirely. Still working off a bonus. Still like to play. But whatever hopes I had to become a "good" player have pretty much fallen by the wayside. It takes work to get good at this game, and I don't seem to be willing to do that work. And I don't know that my attitude will be changing any time soon.

Plus I don't want to go to prison. That was one of my New Year's resolutions last years, "Stay out of federal prison". I'd like to keep one of my resolutions for a change.

posted by Gene @ 12:50 AM   |