ZERO SUM

I was hitting some dandies and was up $600 within a couple of hourse. I was just getting started, so I didn't want to quit, even though I now had more to lose by still playing. I switched gears into ultra-conservative and played in the background while I read a book. The first chink in my armor came when I flopped a straight from the big blind. I bet a small amount and hoped for action. There was a pot-sized raise, then another player went all in. It was a fair amount, but I knew that no matter what he had, it was not better than what I had, so I called. He had two overcards and a flush draw and hit the flush, which dented me pretty good.

I got back some of the money over the next couple of hours, but never again reached that peak. Then I woke up one hand with AA on the button and a ton of money going into the pot before me. I raise to $75, content to win it right there, or to court a caller. One player comes back at me all in. Again, I don't know what he has, but I'm certain mine is better, so I call. He held KK as expected. The sad part of my story is that he caught a king on the turn and raked a huge pot, bringing me back down to even on the day.

So, on I grind.