This month's fun reads...

Nope, they're not table reads - although I did have a couple of great hero calls with bottom pair recently...

Here are some online postings that I found to be worth the clicks and reads:



IS ONLINE POKER RIGGED?
ah, that old debate...never gets old.  the guys at pokermanila make it interesting as always.



THE TRUTH ABOUT BEING A POKER PRO
thanks BERTO for this one!  Holy shit, here's something i'd like to read everyday like the Random Morning Bible Page (I don't do that anymore FYI)...
"Poker teaches you humility, emotional control and, most of all, patience. You realize that life in general is one big game of chance that you can kind of sort of control, but often is subject to just plain dumb luck, and that life is about how you react to that luck. To use an obnoxiously tired metaphor that's actually appropriate here, you learn that life will deal you a shitty hand every now and then (sometimes one after another for months on end). But when it does, you just have to toss the cards aside and wait for the next hand to come your way. The game goes on."

...I must say, however, that I do not agree with the "Guilt" portion of the article... when the author compares poker to a business, except that you don't bring home a TV after losing $500, he was unable to jump to a more proper comparison: the entertainment business.

When you fork over your money for a show, you come home with nothing but memories and an experience.  That's poker.  That's me selling you hours of entertainment, and a really good chance to win my money.  What other business sells you a TV and says "you can actually take my money too!"...



ADVICE COLUMN THIS WEEK
I get some really nice questions sent to me every now and then - this one is about a topic I frequently have to explain to even the most intermediate player:


hi

my starting stack is usually 10$ in NL10... when is it ok for me to stand up and find another table (since i'm still in the condition to play)?  i mentioned i already had 45$ before and lost it in a few hands...

when i get my stack to 20$, i keep playing, goes around 25-27...
but i usually get a hit later, goes down to around 12... and even lower when i get hit hard...

so, i wonder if it were wiser to stand up, move to another table and start with 10$ again.... i risk not getting paid more if i go back to 10$ but i also risk being the target if my stack is bigger, or lose a bigger chunk of the stack if there's a set-up.

like, i already have 25, the rest have 7- 12$... so, should i employ a hit and run approach?  Or at least have  a target to cash out from a particular table.


(my reply)

you have to be VERY honest with yourself when thinking about this.

Do I have the arsenal to change gears when my stack hits 200BB++?

--> This is a great spot to be in and I often will NEVER leave the table until the very last ounce of my A-Game is used.  There is a critical mass in effect here, where you will discover that getting from 100BB to 200BB is much much harder than going from 200 to 300, 300 to 400, etc...
--> If you feel lost as a giant stack and feel like you are just making mistakes, then by all means leave and start over.

this is also the bane of most SSS players - they know exactly what to do to double their 30BB buyin to 60 BB, but once they hit the full stack area of play, they just end up making mistakes and become short stacks again.  Their is some kind of instinct in our heads that will do whatever it takes to return us to our comfort levels, so once you feel uncomfortable, you will find yourself making plays that are designed to bring you back to where you know what to do... even at the cost of what you already earned!