[steamboatin]

One of the most difficult things for me is to stay on my "A" game while watching junk hands drag huge pots.

Playing live is a much slower pace and it often can be a long time between playable hands and after hours of watching some of the stupidest draws and plays of my life and getting outdrawn without mercy, I sometimes begin to play stupid also.

Stupidity is highly contagious.

Playing $6-12 last night, I started out down and remained down the entire evening. About eight hours into the session, I was holding even about $150 down and for no justifiable reason, I started drawing and chasing crap just like the fish. Of course it goes without saying that this is exactly how not to play against Goobers and I end up down almost $400.

I get up and go smoke a cigar and think about why am I playing stupid when I know better and am I able to get my act together or should I just leave? I put $40 in a 2 cent slot machine and it pays out $250. All the sudden, I am no longer on tilt. I return to the table and to sanity. I recoup my losses except for $47 and on the last hand of the evening before they close to move to the new poker room, I get AK on the button. I raise, the BB reraises, one caller and I just call (normally would cap but didn't). Flop comes K high, I bet all the way to the river and the BB raises and turns over JT suited for a gutshot straight on the river. Down $86 over eleven hours of poker but my Jedi Slot Machine skills put me up for the session.

Early in the session, I had to guard against laughing out loud at some of the plays I saw but later on, I let it get to me and even though I know better, it is still a part of my game that needs work. ( I didn't berate the fish because that is bad for the game and just plain rude but I did let it influence my decisions and that is bad poker.)

Here is one that really got my attention and this morning I realized that I misplayed this hand also but here it goes. I limp in late posistion with A9c, no raises. Flop comes A high and two rags, I believe MHIG so I bet with four callers. Turn is a blank and I bet, button calls, SB raises and we both call. River is a K, SB checks, I bet, button and SB call. SB says"One of you have me outkicked" and turns over A4o. I say, "I only have a nine kicker." and the button says, "I have three of them" and turns over pocket K's for a set on the river. I think if you wrote instructions on how not to play KK, that probably would be included but I should have reraised or folded to the SB raise. Calling was a mistake. I would think the button would have laid down his KK if He had to call two big bets cold but you never know. He left shortly after that up about $4-500.

I am making this post for two reasons, one is for my own good and to help me figure out what part of my game needs the most work and the other is in answer to the numerous posts about how to love the fish or how to keep from getting mad at the fish, etc.

Playing against terrible players is highly profitable but if you struggle with discipline ( like I do), then it can be an emotional roller coaster filled with difficult decisions.

Okay on the last hand of the evening I gave that guy a bunch of [censored] for drawing to a gutshot but He knew I was joking and we laughed about it while standing in line to cash out. He said, "It was the last hand of the night and I was going to play it." You can't stay mad at a guy like that.