Tell me what to do with $200....

[ElSapo]

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions so far. All of them are good, and all of them have given me a lot to think about.

I wanted to respond to some of Bob T's comments...


I think you need to figure out why it is that you are playing, and what made the game enjoyable. Then you can redirect your efforts, in a way that you find rewarding.

You're right.

I started playing at the beginning of the year, and made my first deposit back in March, I think, onto Party. After a small bump, I became a consistent winner. And while the money was always nice, it didn't seem the real -reason- I was playing. The game was new and novel, the other players not really a threat many times, and I was learning something new.

Fast forward to August-September-October, and it was a part-time job. I was basically making, playing 2/4 and 3/6, another 50% on top of what my employer pays me. I had some good weeks, some great weeks, a few amazing months. Like many posters, I started to up the hours I was playing and entertained (for myself) some unrealistic (for the moment) thoughts about playing full time.

To some extent, I burned out. You may recall a post from a month or so ago when I essentially played an absurd amount of hours and broke even, seeing lots of little ups and downs over the course of a session. But the problem wasn't cards, it was me and tilting, and being tired and frustrated at times.

I took a break, and then I took a vacation. Both times, the pattern was the same -- I'd return from a break, play well, post some wins, seem to be back on track and then fall into another slump. That happened twice.

I think my results, following running perhaps overly-good, led me to a series of unreasonable expectations. No longer was I playing because I enjoyed it; I was playing for the money, and if I wasn't winning it was frustrating.

I think that you might have found some things that seemed to work, and then tried to apply them mechanically to a lot of situations. Then the game got boring, you didn't play well, and you ran poorly.

One post stands out in my head right now -- the whole 57s debate v. two EP limpers. I think I read this post and thought about it, and tried to incorporate some of the ideas, and essentially misunderstood and misapplied some of the concepts. And then, when I would be frustrated, I think I would use ideas like this to play more hands when I should have.

A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing.

Frankly, at the limits I was playing, with possible exception of agressive 3/6 games, weak-tight can bring home the money. Weak-tight at Party 2/4 may not be good poker, but it works. But when I tried to really branch out and become more creative, more agressive, I found myself getting smacked around.

A return to ABC poker would get me winning again, and then I'd three-bet a late-position raiser with 99 (not that this is wrong)... In some respects I began, and am, trying to force things at the wrong times.

My game may still be improving, I think sometimes, and I'm missing a piece that lets me know when to make certain plays and when to leave it alone.

The funny thing is...

...on an intellectual level, learning limit hold'em is arguably one of the most rewarding things I've done in a long time. I've been posting on 2+2 for about a year now, and when I go back and look at my first posts they're almost comical.

These days I find I have something to say, reasons behind my analysis, and an understanding that not everyone will agree with me. People think differently, and the thought process on some of the hands is fascinating in an abstract, river-card-be-damned, way.

This is all quite a bit of rambling, I know. That may have been a long way of saying these days I'm posting better than I'm playing.

I have a lot of thinking to do. I am, I think, in a big slump. It may have begun with a bad run and I am continuing it myself. It may have begun with myself and been exacerbated by a bad run. It may just be me me me.

On the idea of playing one table: I agree, but frankly, after playing 3 tables, it's like having an attention problem. It is difficult to adjust to.

On dropping in limits: I am comfortable with the play at 2/4, and I don't think it's a matter of being outclassed (though some may say I'm deluding myself).

The problem with dropping back in limits is how it coincides with that first issue I mentioned... Money. I need to return to playing poker for the sake of the game, and let the money come. But this is a hard adjustment to make.

Sorry to ramble, I know this is long. You guys should just be glad you don't get the emails my friends here in D.C. get... now those are long.