Chip and a Chair

Home game --- five players remaining. I was in the four seat, David to my left, table maniac #1 bounced first, maniac #2 to my right, and Mr. Uber-tight, formerly to my right, just bounced. Normally, I'd be happy, except that I was down to T70.

I started with a brutal card dead, and then I couldn't catch a draw. I blew a good chunk of my stack on pocket 10s -- unfortunately the flop was all overcards, and in this game, aces never fold.

Finally, UTG, I saw paint and pushed -- J4o-- normally, I wouldn't give it the time of day, but I needed to get that Harrington "first-in vigorish" working for me. My 4 paired up and I quadrupled up.

I pushed again in the big blind, and doubled up yet again. Suddenly, the future wasn't nearly so bleak. Cards started hitting. I stopped playing out of position and started stealing blinds. David pushed and I called; my pocket 9s held against his pocket 8s (ouch -- sorry Dave) and I doubled up yet again. Jason fell next. Finally, I pushed out the bubble, and I was in the money.

Against the remaining maniac.

Who had no idea how to play heads-up. He was aggressive, but he could be pushed out of hands if you pushed back. I figured it out early.

I started out having his stack doubled; unfortunately, he sucked out on me and I was behind. Instead of settling for second place and breaking even, I pushed the aggression level up, recaptured the lead and walked out with a nice win.

Any night where you go from T1300 to T70 and back to T9100 is a pretty damn good night, if I say so myself.

Confidence

I've been on a poor run lately; my bankroll is hurting and worse, my confidence has been shot. Shelly mentions this in a post -- bummer tilt.

With angry tilt, you at least can be aggressive and chase people out of the pot, but when you limp on AKs on the button and with no callers because you expect to lose, well, you're going to lose. Period.

But after watching your flopped set of queens lose to a miracle flush -- twice in a day, you start seeing pocket aces and flopped sets in everyone else's cards, and when you play scared, poker is no damn fun.

And that's where I was -- until last weekend.

I decided to play a freeroll on Party, and Christ, it was like walking into a Wild West Saloon on free whiskey night.

These idiots would raise -- and even better, call with any ace -- even if it didn't hit. All in with 1,000 chips - to win 30, was the order of the day. And as the game wore on, the play became tighter and tighter.

I was running along, building up towards a chip lead, when disaster struck. I tried betting second pair into a calling station and was nearly crippled, so I bounced in 60th or so place -- out of 1,700. Unfortunately, top 30 paid.

So even though there was no money for me, playing a game where solid play generally held up and fools would push all-in as frequently as they drew a breath, helped me see that losing isn't a foregone conclusion - or even a destined one.

Unless you put yourself in that situation to begin with. I'm looking forward to getting back into the money games shortly. Vegas awaits, and I need to build the bankroll.

Look Out, Byeeotches

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