When The Gods Favor You

As you may have read yesterday, sometimes the gods just wanna have their way with you. Fair enough. I can take it.

Because of bankroll management and the willingness to leave when things were going badly, yesterday's debacle didn't crush me. I just rebooted myself this morning and got back to work.

And guess what? The gods smiled! I hit my cards, only had two bad beats and added seven trophies to my Trophy Room! Almost won everything back from yesterday! Nice.

Good luck and don't suck,

-QAsRevenge

PS-Remember to check out the Thongs of the Day!

When The Gods Decide To Kill

As I said before, you will never hear me tell a bad beat story. Because nobody cares! Every poker player takes their share of bad beats. It's part of the game.

That said, days like today are the main reason I spend so much time talking about playing well within your bankroll.

The reason? Days like today just happen and there is nothing you can do.

For example: Today I was all-in going to the river six times with my opponent drawing to four cards or less. Twice drawing to one card. Guess what? I lost every single time. 6 buy-in's gone, even though in every hand I had better than a 9 to 1 advantage when the money went to the middle.

There will be times when you just can't win no matter what. So, the best thing to do is to shut it down, get some exercise, eat, get drunk, and have some sex. Poker will always be there, and by playing with less than five percent of your bankroll, you can go back tomorrow and resume playing. No real damage done.

Good luck and don't suck,

-QAsRevenge

PS-Don't forget to check out Thongs Of The Day!

Fear Part ll

Yesterday we talked about fears. Today we'll talk about fears related to Consequences of Failure.

We can use yesterday's example of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge again.

Why is it more difficult for some people to drive over a bridge than it is to drive on the regular road? It's exactly the same road; Two lanes-white lines-guardrails on the sides. No different than a million miles of other roads. The road itself isn't different.

The difference is perception and the fear of what could happen. The Consequences of Failure. You know, like plunging to your death. Which unfortunately did happen this summer, leading to the death of a truck driver.

First time in all the years the bridge has been there, but I'm sure it reinforced a lot of people's fears. "See, I told you that could happen!"

Try this experiment: Sit down and close your eyes (first read the rest obviously). Make yourself comfortable, then imagine, as clearly as you can, a 2 by 8 board-twenty feet long, lying on the floor. Now, bring all of your senses in and clearly imagine walking along that board. Notice how easy it is to walk on the board as it rest on the ground.

Now, I want you to imagine that the same board has been placed running from the top of one twelve story building to the top of another. You are now standing there on top of the twelve story building and have to walk across that same 2 by 8 board to the other building. With a drop of more than a hundred feet. Step out onto the board, glance down and clearly imagine yourself there. Use all of your senses to put yourself out on that board. Notice the change in how your body feels. If you have a good imagination, you may even find it too uncomfortable to continue.

Once again, you're thinking what the hell does this have to do with poker?

Simple:

Remember a time when you risked a large chunk of your bankroll. Enough where a simple bad run could possibly erase days, weeks or even months worth of work. Maybe even crush you altogether, leaving you having to start from scratch.

Did you play your normal game? Or did the Consequences of Failure get into your head?

Is a bad run just a step on the floor? Or is it a twelve story drop?

Think about it.

Good luck and don't suck,

-QAsRevenge