Tao of Poker

I Really Enjoyed May

"Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is Enlightenment." - Lao Tzu

Thanks to Party Poker, I wiped out all of my Las Vegas loses, in addition to stopping a huge losing streak that took up most of the entire month of April. I am pumped for my recent success, but also mindful of the long term haul... this May's winning ways means nothing unless I can follow it up with a better June and July.

I am back on track. Mentally, my game is solid. When you win, you feel more confident in your game, that's for sure. I've been approaching my losses and bad beats with a lot less hostility. I try to forget the horrific, ball crunching defeats as soon as they are over, which is no simple task. Bad beats and river two outers are, unfortunately, a part of the game... and I cannot control those aspects of poker. I must be able to asborb all the bad beats, while staying patient and cool, awaiting my moments to play aggressive. I have focused on the positives of my game, and tried my best efforts to avoid slipping into the deadly, dark abyss of tiltdom. I've spent many a session on Party Poker under that foggy haze of Tilt. And lucky for me, only once or twice this month did I find myself in that bad place, and logged off as soon as I was aware I was hurting my bankroll with poor decision making.

I played a lot less per session, and took hit and run wins when I could, walking away when that voice in my head told me to... and it's paid off! I settled on the $25 NL ring games as a nesting place to begin my surge. And most recently, I jumped back into the SNG games... this time with a better gameplan, and a new level... the $20 SNGs. In my first 11, I won 5 of them and finished in the money in 7.

I fared well at both Ferrari home games, which added to my bankroll rejuvination. However, I realized that overall, I could play much better too. That's what is pushing me to having a better month. I also know my time is limited, with travel plans, but I hope to keep up the rush until I hit the road in mid June.

I played in 3 Freerolls in the past week, placing 219, 799, and 145 (last night). All three had about 1400-1500 players. My brother came in 92nd last night. He played great! Those multis are a grind, but with $1000 for first place, it was worth my time and effort.

OK, I wish I could write more... but I'm under the weather and have to go. I have a shitload to write this upcoming week and I need my strength for Al Can't Hang's upcoming visit to NYC. More reflections later.