Holding Steady

We are gearing up for a family vacation. With that plus work, plus birthday celebrations, plus family in town, I haven’t been able to focus much on my game. When I have found time to play, I’ve been tired and fairly unfocused.

Last night I was able to play for a while. It was a session of really cold cards, coupled with my inability to focus very well on my opponents play. So, I found myself just trying to avoid trouble, steal a pot here and there, and float along to keep even. Yuck. Then, on a couple of hands I got nut flush draws on the flop and found myself pushing and gambling.

It’s the type of play that I hope to see my opponents make, so I know that I was making bad plays. Or at least sub-optimal plays, since at least one of my opponents should have folded rather than calling with a relatively weak hand. As I was doing it, I was conscious of the fact that I was making gambling plays, but I couldn’t stop myself. I didn’t hit, so I was suddenly down two buy-ins. I hate playing for an extended period of time, floating along, and then dropping like a stone at the end.

So, I opened one more table to regain some losses, and I redoubled my effort to focus. Usually, a session like this ends with losses compounded on losses. Fortunately, in one big pot, I hit a lucky set on the river with jacks to come from behind and stack one opponent. It made up for a good chunk of the losses for the evening, and this makes up for some of the beats I’ve been through in the past. I’ll just count it as luck evening out. But, when you win though a bad beat, it’s a reminder that you’re making bad decisions and getting your money with the worst of it.

So, with the WSOP approaching, I’m a bit down about where things stand for me in poker, at this point. After my WSOP experience last year, my goal was to improve my game and return to the WSOP again this year. I had planned to play in the same $2000NL event as last year, or possibly a bigger game. I thought that there might be an outside chance that I could build up my bankroll enough to play in the Main Event this year, but I simply haven’t focused enough to work up to that level. I’ve also gone through a super-LAG learning period that took a bite out of my bankroll this winter. At least I’ve tried out several different styles and I have a better sense of what kind of play works the best for me.

But, our weekends are filled with activities through July and August. Its very unlikely that I will be able to make it to Vegas in July during the WSOP. And, even if I were able to make it there, it would be a significant bite in my bankroll to play in a WSOP event. I could swing it, but I would have to devote about 1/5 or 1/4 of my bankroll to one tournament.

I think I would be just as satisfied with playing a few $500 or $1000 events in Vegas, rather than one bigger WSOP event. A couple of noon Wynn tournaments, a Bellagio evening tournament, and a Caesars evening tournament, combined with cash game play would suit me fine. The poker energy in Vegas during the WSOP is electric, no matter where you play.