Poker Doldrums

This time, I'm really done with online poker.

I say that because I've used up nearly every last point on both FTP and Stars the past week or so. I won 11 $T on Stars but failed to cash in both SNGs I played. I used the majority of my points trying to take down a SNG on FTP for a Midnight Madness buyin; finished second for no dinero. I've placed a personal ban on redepositing until I get a job again, but man, wouldn't I kill to just have another $5 on FTP, just to cure that fix.

Like I said on my last post, the itch is getting harder to scratch.

Anyways, I started this post after reflecting on my live MTT play recently, which upon further reflection, is an extension of the last month of two of my online poker play. To summarize: I've been playing like shit for a while now.

I wish I could pinpoint just what exactly has been my problem. I know part of it is mental; whatever confidence I gained from my MTT cashes in May has subsided. It might sound ghey, but I still don't know if I've recovered from the downswing I experienced this summer. I'm not used to those swings, and loyal readers of my blog might recall that it really threw me for a loop.

I know that I'm not a great poker player, and arguably, I might not be a good one either. I may be able to understand certain principles of poker, but my application of those principles is often inconsistent. When I find myself overplaying hands, failing to put pressure on my opponents at the right time, and calling off chips when I can only beat a limited range of hands, I'm not playing good poker.

My last post was a tongue-in-cheek, backhanded way of complimenting Cayne on his recent victory at the casino I've been frequenting lately, but truthfully, the fact that he's 1-0 and I'm 0-5 is bothersome to me. Not in a jealous sense, but in the sense that I should be able to do the same thing. When my game is on, I might not be some mega-skilled poker player, but I do know that I would be the best player in that casino. I just need to get to a point where I'm believing that again. I know there's other things I need to be doing to, like studying and reading more about poker, but I need to work on finding that way to stay confident when things go south for a while.

Anyways, that's my attempt at keeping this poker blog active during these times. Hopefully I'll find a job soon, and I'll get back to posting more poker content. Until then, unless you feel like shooting $5 to this poor bastard...you'll just have to live with my Fantasy Football posts in the meantime.

Ciao.