Not Raking It In!

 

The definition of the phrase raking it in means to earn a lot of money. Unfortunately this is not what I am doing following my return to poker. Sure I am making some progress (and still playing with other people’s money) but ironically it is partly the Pokerstars fees (the rake) that is holding me back. I can’t seem to hit the $200 level which is my current target and where I feel I could step up confidently to playing $5 games as standard. Over the summer I have re-engaged with my old friend’s variance and tilt. Ultimately re-reading some of Jared Tendler’s work has helped me back on track somewhat. In life and in poker I am a big fan of injecting logic. As such it felt a good point to evaluate my game, to assess what is good and where I can improve. Why do I play and why does it matter so much that I win. Indeed, at times I am trying so hard to win these low stakes games that I forget to enjoy them. A week’s family holiday (me pictured at Zafiro Cala Mesquida, Majorca) facilitated a natural break from my online poker and an honest analysis of my game.

This traditional swot analysis of my game revealed some interesting points. The key one being that just because I am an above average player I can’t just turn up unfocused or tired and expect to win, even low stakes games. I also need to be as focused as possible, constantly gravitating towards the mythical “in the zone” state. I need to remember this is when I am playing well and with confidence not just when I am winning coin flips! I need to work on my game, checking ICM push/calls I am unsure on before and after sessions. Just using feel is not enough and weakens my confidence when things don’t go my way. I need to be clear on my aims, on why I play and have a plan in terms of types the games and levels I play at. I really need to embrace warm up games at lower levels rather than jumping in to tougher action. I also need to spread the timings of my games to balance intensity and restrict the potential impact of internet drop outs. Most difficult of all I need to focus on playing well above all else – if I lose but played well I should be happy! If I play badly but get lucky I should be disappointed in myself! Like I said, most difficult of all. If I can stay focused and make progress my next blog post should feature a roller-coaster style chart heading higher.  

Take care and good luck.