School is In

Real, honest to goodness, big bet poker has arrived in the sunshine state. I have numerous friends who have been around the poker scene in Jax for a number of years who have been absolutely killing it. I also have friends who, since July 1, have not been killing it.

I had a rough July, and had I been a bit more fortunate in just a few key hands I would have won much more than I did. As it was, for all of July and the first half of August, I won. But, it was not nearly at the numbers that some did.

I tried my hand at the 5-10 game. Now, I believe, and I have heard larger numbers and I have heard smaller numbers, but I believe you need to have 40-80k sitting somewhere at your disposal.

I do not have even nearly that much. But, I gave it a shot, trying to hit a big score and pad my bankroll. What happened is I quickly realized it was not a tightrope I wanted to be walking. The possibility of a moderate losing streak busting me was all too real for my aging heart to handle.

Seriously, it was more stress than any man should have to endure. See, the backing of a bankroll, and the realization that a huge mistake was not going to cripple you, allows a poker player to free up his or her game.

You can make the occasional bluff without fear of being busted. In fact, in order to play correctly you MUST make the occasional bluff. If you never bluff then you will never get paid off when you actually have a hand. Your opponents, even though they make some of the strangest bets, calls, and raises, are not idiots.

Also, the fearless poker player is one to actually be feared. These guys can have any two cards at any time. Calling these guys with one pair, for $2000, on the river, is pure hell on earth.

So, I dropped back down to my regular 2-5 limit and got to work. I had a great two weeks at the end of August, and September has started off with a bang. I'm running good, and things are cruising along as planned.

It's sort of interesting to see how people handle their losing streaks. Many players, particularly those playing for too high of stakes, simply go broke and disappear for a while until they are able to rebuild their bankroll and get back to it. The players playing in the correct game for their bankrolls are usually still there, grinding away, but they are much more solemn.

During a losing streak you just know the next card is going to be ugly. You just know a guy is going to make his flush. You know the board will pair when you have the nut straight. Observant opponents will notice your fear, and like sharks to blood in the water, will swoop in and make a huge bet on any scare card. They will put you to the test again and again.

When you've lost the last nine hands, when someone has caught a card on the river, you begin to suspect they always have it. The players who can deal with the pressure of the situation, and the bad things that happen to all of us, are the players who make the most money. The one's who can't handle it go on 'tilt'.

When a poker player is on tilt he chases cards, spews chips, and basically plays way off balance. People wait in line to get on a table with someone on tilt. The strong will survive in this game.

The thing is, we've all been there. If a poker player tells you he has never gone on tilt, make sure you never lend him money because he is telling you a stone cold lie. Therefore, since we've all been there, there are no sorry feelings for the tilting player. He is on his own, just like we were.

It's stressful, but it's not dismal. Not anymore. A good safeguard, and one I will always use, is something called "going on lockdown".

Lockdown is sitting there, and folding, and folding, and folding until you get a premium starting hand. If you think you have the best hand you need to take down the pot ASAP. Win the hand, don't give people a chance to catch the death card.

To me, the psychology and sociology of poker is a much more interesting topic than the math of poker. There are so many pitfalls, so many wrong paths. The only thing that actually teaches a person about the game is experience.

Many people have written, and I have read most of it, about the dangers of tilt, and the effects of a prolonged losing streak. I read it all years ago, but I didn't learn much. It was only through real world experience that I could truly begin to understand what the magazines were telling me.

Poker is rough. It's a lot of hours, and sometimes a lot of travel. There are late nights, and time away from family and friends. The pressure and stress are, at times, mind numbing and back breaking. Relationships suffer, attitudes change, and one's outlook on life becomes cynical.

Thank God they always deal another hand. We all know you're only one hand away from being on a rush, and who would want to miss that?

Codsey out.