Vince Lepore is in L.A.

I just wrote an e-mail to Rick Nebiolo. Haven't sent one to Andy Fox yet but that will happen soon. I'm in L.A. I left Vegas last Tuesday even though i was running very good in the 15 Holdem Games there. Well Since Arriving in L.A. I have played at Hustler Casino, Hollywood Park and Today I played a the Commerce. I have played every day, albeit not a lot of hours on any single day. I have won almost 2k. I have not had a losing session. I am afraid to play!


Do you believe that? I am afraid to play. I hope John Feeney reads this. He may be able to make sense out of this feeling I get everytime I get ahead now. Everytime I am a few hundred ahead I start worrying about losing. The more often I win the more I do not want to lose. I have experienced this before. The end result was a big losing streak caused I believe by developing a f... it attitude after a while and just throwing money away. It's one of the reasons Dangerous Dan calls me Captain Tilt.


Anyway I think I am better at controlling that part of my game now. The tilt part I mean, but I am a little concerned with my hit and run play. Although I do not believe that one should stay in a game when they are tired just because it is good, I do not believe one should necessarily leave just because they are ahead and do not want to lose. I used to do that a lot if it were getting late and I was ahead and I didn't want to get stuck and then maybe try and get even. That's an o.k. reason to leave. Being ahead is not. Why, I've played in games where I was ahead a grand in the first 20 minutes. In situations like that I think it would be insane to quit. Well what do you think? I'm gonna talk to Rick about this when I meet up with him. I may even make an apointment with Dr. Feeney to discuss this side of The Poker Mind.


Well all comments are appreciated. See You!


Vince

By the way, the Commerce Casino is perhaps the most beautiful card room I've played in. It has plenty of action at all levels. The only draw back, the mid limit rake is high. 7/half hour for 15 Holdem. How much food can you eat? The rake may keep me playing at Hustlers or Hollywood park even though the Commerce has it all.


Vince

Vince,


I've got a cure for Captain Tilt, and it really works.


What you need to do is keep a diary of your sessions. At the end of each session, write down, how many hours you played, win/loss rate for those hours you played, and mistakes or distractions that caused you to play poorly, even if you won the hand.


I think if you keep track of how you are doing day by day, at the end of the year you should be able to figure out how you really did. Don't let short term streaks affect how you play. Once you add up the numbers for the year, you will see that the short term winning and losing streaks don't matter, as long as you play the game as a business.


The losing streaks last just as long as the winning streaks, but if you let Captain Tilt take control, you will lose more than you should when you have one of these streaks. If you want to gamble, go to Vegas and play Craps. You can lose a fortune in a few minutes.


Good Luck


Mark

You must have just missed me. I left there at 2:00pm today. Probably be back this weekend.


One advantage of the Commerce is if you are running good and make a big score, it's easy to jump into a bigger game like 20-40, 30-60, or 40-80. I think the games are so good there, and the room is so nice, that it's worth the extra collection. But the main reason I play there now is the hotel on the premises.


As for your tilt problem, just scream "YOU ANIMAL" at the offender at the top of your lungs. No one will even notice at the Commerce, and it will probably make you feel better. I know you don't get this, but ask andy when you meet him.

Vince,


I just returned your email before looking at this post. The "hit and run" follies would be a great topic as Hero suffers from this malady too. Maybe John Feeney can come up to bang it out of both of your heads.


Regards,


Rick

subconsciously, vince, you are afraid if you win every session, there won't be any poker games left to play in...do not worry big guy...yhey'll keep bringing in sacks of cash and keep handing them out..just keep taking...gl

^$^

Nice to hear you have surfaced, Vince!


I will be making my annual mid-winter trek to warmer climes in two weeks. Will be in Vegas for a few days from Feb. 17-19 and then driving to LA on the 20th. Staying in LA thru Saturday, Feb 23 and then returning to Vegas and flying home late Feb. 25th.


For sure will be hitting the Commerce in there somewhere , as their big tournament will be underway and maybe will get a chance to finally meet some of the other 2+2 posters. I met Rick and Hero last year, so need to round out my contacts!


What's your shedule likely to be toward the end of Feb???

These winning streaks, while obviously nice, do lead to mind games which in turn lead you to do counterproductive things that you normally would not do. I had a 34 session winning streak in 2000. While I was never "afraid" to lose in the way that you mean it, there were several occasions when I refused to accept a loss. That is, I played much longer than I otherwise would have just to get unstuck and keep the streak alive. My usual quitting time on a weeknight is 11:30 pm but the streak had me there on a few occasions until 2 am and once until nearly closing time at 4 am. Tough to sound coherent in front of the judge in court the next morning I tell ya.


As for the general strategy employed by hit 'n run artists...well, I confess that I don't get it. There is one goofy character in the Vancouver games who constantly cashes out if he is up a couple of hundred. He will then recycle his name onto the wait list and get back into the game some 30 to 60 minutes later. If he wins, he will do it again. If he gets stuck, he is there till he gets unstuck or the casino closes or he runs out of money. Sheer lunacy.


Then, of course, there are the characters who eat like birds and shit like elephants.


It's the hourly rate that counts. Play more to win more. Simple. Of course, this is subject to tilt problems i.e. if you truly do have a threshold of misery and cross it, you should get out of the game no matter how good it is.


Hope your winning streak stops at 33 sessions...lol....just kidding...keep at it big fella.

Brett,


Iris sits down next to me from the must move game. First hand she's dealt in, she raises, and the dealer says, "raise." Iris yells at the dealer, "Don't call out the action, I find it extraordinarily rude and irritating." She's beaten by an early limper who had 9-7o. She tells the limper "nicely played, did you think you were the blind? Christ! 9-7 offsuit!


Nice lady.