"don't give up what seems to be an important part of your life"


A very good point, Mary. Few of us would be on this website if we did not truly love to play poker. No one is going to take the time to read all this 2+2 crap unless they really like to play cards. Face it, Mason and Dave don't write books that are gripping or tremendously exciting, they are instructional books, meant to teach you how to play and think about a complex game. Therefore, if you take unreasonable risks, especially risks that could wind up taking you out of the game forever, you are playing with fire.


That said, Vince's point about playing with scared money is probably the most important thing you can learn when you are trying to learn how to "beat" the game of poker. We can all raise a draw for value, or fold 83o BTF, or slowplay flopped quads. The number of situations that come up that are truly borderline decisions are relatively few, and even when they come up, if they are truly borderline, then it really doesn't matter that much anyway which way you go. If you play the game well, you should not have to struggle too hard to make the correct moves when you are at the table. Any halfway competent player should at least be able to play with a small positive EV, at least at the lower limits.


The problem lies in the large element of luck found in these games. You can play perfectly for days, or even weeks, and still be a loser. It is possible to make no mistakes and still lose. Here's where the kicker lies. Jon "built up" a stake of 1400$. Then, Jon took his meager bankroll and went to the 10-20 game at the Taj. I have played 10-20 at the Taj. In my opinion, you should buy into 10-20 with 500$, with another 500$ ready to put into action if you lose. It's a big game, the money is FAR from trivial. However, Jon's bankroll was trivial compared to the stakes. He had a good bankroll for 3-6. He had a borderline bankroll for 4-8 with a full kill. There is no way around the fact that Jon was playing with scared money. Jon was also playing with fire. He was playing with his future in the game of poker. He was playing with his emotions, taking a huge risk with money that would be very painful for him to lose. Money that constituted his entire poker world at the time. Bad JuJu.


I am not the foremost expert on poker. Nor am I the foremost expert on self-control. Nor on proper management of bankrolls. Nor do I always win. There is one thing though. I have never played with enough money to where if I lost it all, it would hurt so much that I had to quit forever. Sure, I've taken big losses. I lost 350$ in 30 minutes playing 5-10 at the trop. Got three sets and several big pairs beaten almost as soon as I sat down. TOTALLY SUCKED. Needed TWO tubes of preparation-H that day. However, my bankroll at the time was over 1500$. I took a break, cooled off, ate lunch down at Hooters. After some hot food, and some nice eye candy, I went back upstairs and bought into the 3-6 game. I never got back all my money that day, but I didn't lose enough to knock me out of the game either.


Even Super-Geniuses (such as myself and Vince) need to know their limitations. I won't ever lose so much money as to knock myself out of the game forever, I just LOVE this game too much. And I love myself too much to do that to myself. Sure, I would like to take a shot at the 20-40 game at the Mirage, or the 30-60 at the Bellagio, but I can't afford it. I would be able to buy in, but if I lost, it would hurt too much. I might have to quit playing. And that ain't an option. Don't do it. Don't risk it all, trying to run it up. Grind it out. Discipline is the difference between the good player and the winning player.


Dave in Cali.


Dave.


The man.

The philosopher.

The Super-Genius.


Cali.


Where all the pots are large, all the men are strong, and all the women are good looking.


(sorry folks, just had to toot my own horn there a little! Imagine THAT!)