Back In Action

I've been out of the online poker world for the last few days because I made a trip to Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and Annapolis, Md., over the weekend. I visited friends and saw three fun baseball games.

But I also got to teach one of my friends how to play no limit Texas hold 'em!

I always enjoy trying to bring new players into the game. I'm not sure how good I am at it, but I like to convey both the fun and the potential profitability of the game.

The first night, we didn't play for real money and just used poker chips. It was a great time. My friend who was new to the game kept talking a big game and saying things like, "You have a big hand, little lady?" to my friend Brigid. It cracked me up.

Then we played for a $5 buy-in on the second night, and the cards ran cold for the new guy. It was too bad; I wanted him to win.

Oh well. At least I won! I hope my friend plays again and continues to enjoy the game. The only problem is that he's extremely risk-averse, and he hates losing even small amounts of money. That kind of attitude won't fly in poker. You have to spend money to make money. You have to take calculated risks based on the expectation that you will come out ahead in the long run even if you lose that specific hand.

Most of all, you have to appreciate the fact that upward and downward swings play a large role in poker. It takes some time to understand just how dead the cards can be at times. Fortunately for me, I haven't run bad for quite some time now. Let's hope I don't get my due any time soon.