Eyes Wide Shut

If you can't quite see the computer screen, is that a good signal that you should stop playing?

I couldn't pull myself away, despite being half-asleep and a little bit drunk. The games were too good. It's the toothpick principle: the game was so good, I needed toothpicks to prop my eyes open.

To be honest, I probably should have stopped much earlier in the evening. Even against utter fish, it's hard to play anywhere near your best game in that condition.

Fortunately, I didn't need anywhere near my best game to make back some of the money I had lost earlier in the day. When I was done, I was happily surprised to find that I was close to even on the day.

I've been experimenting with the $5/$10 limit shorthanded tables on Eurobet. It's an adventure! These tables are generally much looser than full ring tables at any limit that I've seen. The level of play also seems to be quite manageable.

Shorthanded play has its natural consequences: more variance and a higher number of hands per time played. Not that I mind; shorthanded games turn me into an action junky. I pay closer attention because something is always happening. I've been limiting myself to two or three tables at a time because everything happens much faster than in full ring games. We'll see how long that lasts.

These games have been a good experience so far. I'm up a few hundred, and I think I can survive at this level. It's a lot easier for me to pull out aggressive moves in shorthanded games than I could in 3/6 full ring. Clearly, my mistake is not using these moves in the full ring games. But in 6-max, I feel like aggressive play is even more important, so that makes it much easier for me to convince myself to raise with second pair and a backdoor draw, for example.

Speaking of survival, I'm becoming convinced that that's all that's important. As long as I'm a winning player at a limit, I'll feel good about myself because I'm making money and staying alive.

Of course it would be awesome if I could pull down the 2.5 BB/100 that some people can claim, but I've never come close to that over a long-term period at any limit I've ever played. I'll be satisfied with myself if I can just beat the game. That's a reward in and of itself. I'm going to try not to worry about my winrate and concentrate more on continued learning and playing my best game. After all, winrate is the result, not the cause.

In conjunction with this trial-basis move to 5/10, I've decided to forego the Tuesday reload bonus at Empire poker that I mentioned yesterday. I read a post on 2+2 from a guy who said he made about $100/1000 hands anyway, so it wouldn't even be worthwhile to slum it for the sake of a bonus at a site that could potentially close his account without cause. I'm inclined to agree.

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