Re: Playing against friends
I think my story might be relevant. If not, thanks for letting me ramble.
Last summer I watched the reruns of the 2003 WSOP before the 2004 episodes started. I had seen them before, but didn't pay close attention, like the way one watches World Strongest Man competitions. (No offense, strongmen) I loved the way Sammy Farha carried himself, and the subtle moves of Dan Harrington. And I hated Moneymaker's lucky draws.
I played a few home games - 5-7 person SNGs, and donned my sunglasses and Hold'Em T shirt. It was mainly about the glamour, and I enjoyed myself. Also, I didnt know the difference between AQ and A7. I marveled at a story my friend told me about a hand in which he "knew" the guy was bluffing and called him down with bottom pair. At this point, I was hooked, but not for the money.
I went to college as a freshman in September, and sat down with some fish the first night. Lost with QQ to KK, and felt good about myself. Then, I sat down with a bunch of experience players for a $10, 14 person 2 table tournament. I knocked out the first 3 players at my table and acted very cool. I had a large stack, and one guy, who looked like he was playing to be with the guys, gunned for me. He took me for 75% of my stack, and I went to the final table as a short stack. I was dubbed "Broken Spirits" for the way I was crushed at losing the big stack. This guy turned out to be the most experienced player at the table. He took me for about $200 first semester, if you count tournament buy ins that he knocked me out of. I hated getting in hands with him, but loved it at the same time because I was dying to learn something from it.
Learn I did. With the help of another friend that taught me the 2+2 reality of poker, I have become a good player. I need help in some areas before I can become an excellent player, but I do well. My group of friends learned to play very well, because getting games together in a dorm is so easy.
Now that I am home, I've been playing with the same group as last summer. Only I am the only one who is educated at all in poker strategy. I play, and win, at cash games, but others don't hate me. I let them have their wild hands and stay out of it. I regularly cash out 2-3 times the original buy in in profit, and they seem to think I am a quiet killer, always magically building a large stack while staying out of the spotlight. In addition, my friends turn to me for rules and advice. What I enjoy most out of the games is not the money, but trying to help my friends grow as players. Two guys think I am stupid for trying to incorporate math, but I don't argue. I am trying to make the games better, and the only way to do that is to show them how their styles will consistently lose them money. My goal is to make it a challenge.
It's late and I just gave a very long winded explaination of why I enjoy my games. I love the financial aspect of poker, but I love the friendly atmosphere and glamour more. I didn't learn from playing fish, I learned from experienced players who regularly handed my ass to me. I don't think avoiding poker is the best method. In your case, I would say lighten up a bit, educate yourself more (your betting strategy seems a bit off), and become the dominant figure at the table. By holding to my game and avoiding the shitty or marginal hands, I have avoided bad beats for the most part. This is important, because bad beats can ruin your impression of your friends and ruin your desire to play. If you find a way to become a leader at your table, you can enjoy the games. Don't let them get to you, and with my friends, I find that even though some don't like my use of odds, I do get respect. It's ok for players to play their own game, but when you are in the hand, you should control the game.
Just enjoy yourself and remember why you decided to learn poker in the first place. Try to bring some of that back to the table.
Good luck.
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