RIGHTING THE SHIP

Every time I come to THE NUTS to sing my praises, I end up in a tailspin. I was running really bad last week and I didn't feel like talking about it. Sometimes I get to the brink of actually finding other things to do, but poker is my mistress and always takes me back. I decided that a good cure for running bad is to cut down on my playing time. Whenever I am playing a tournament while others are starting up every few minutes, I always have the option of doing something reckless, because if I bust out, then there is another game waiting for me. I decided a good cure for that leak would be to target one event and play it to the best of my ability.

Even when I do well, I often flame out in the late stages of a tourney once I lose focus and become reckless. It may sound stupid, but I came to realize I was not setting the bar high enough. During last week's Big Deal, I was consumed with the thought of finishing top ten. I got to the final table and I was out moments later in tenth place.

During the Bounty Tournament, my overriding goal was not to win the event, but to be the last bounty standing. I outlasted djdaddio and then went down in flames moments later. Even going back to Monaco, I gave a televised interview in which I declared that I should have no trouble making fifth place. As soon as fifth place was up for grabs, I threw all my chips at a pair of eights like a moron.

Well, Saturday night, I played a $20 tournament on my laptop during the baseball game, just to try to get myself right. I went in with the goal of finishing first. In a $20 event, making the money doesn't even matter to me. Big deal if I squeak into the payout structure and pocket $55. I was playing to win and I wanted every decision to be made with winning as my goal. I played great, got some cards which held up, and sure enough I won the event. With 208 entrants, the payday was even nice - $1260.

I just finished another tournament, this time a $30 event with 109 entrants. I made the final table and was doing well. Part of my undoing was from technical problems. I wasn't always seeing both of my cards, I couldn't tell sometimes where the blinds were, and I even played several hands against an empty seat. When the empty seat took a big pot from me, I decided I needed to restart, which cost me several hands, as I was slow to connect and had been blinded away pretty good. The technical issues were gone, but I had become the short stack and I had to settle for 6th place and $212.

On a more dire note, my PC won't even startup today. It looks like the end has come and I can no longer access PokerStars until I buy myself a PC laptop. I suppose the impetus is there to finally start shopping for one.