Tonight, WWdN West Coast Warmup #2 is happening at PokerStars.
Yesterday, I got heads-up in a $22 SNG, and had my kings cracked by 84d
(!) when the flop came 6s-5s-9h, and he turned the 7h for a gutshot. On
the very next hand, I had AKo. He raised, I called. When the flop came
Ah Jh 9d, he checked. I made a small bet, he raised and I pushed,
confident I was ahead, and hoping he'd put me on a tilt-push and call.
He called, and showed Ac 8d, and I was about a 4:1 favorite. The turn
was the 5d, improving me to about 9:1, and the river was the 8h,
reducing me to 0:1.
So what I'm saying is, I used up all my bad luck yesterday, and I'm dangerous tonight. If you're going to come play, I suggest reading two posts I did for CardSquad this week, Blissful Buckets parts one and two. They are about enjoying the game, and having fun at lower limits:
Is it a coincidence that I just wanted to have fun, and I finished the night way way way ahead?
Maybe. But I know this: I had as much fun when I was losing as I did when I was winning. I enjoyed the company of my fellow players, and I did not take a single moment for granted while I played with people I like.
So I am left with a few points, which will guarantee low-limit and small-stakes SNG success, as I've defined it. This assumes that you have a basic skill set, and understand things like the Gap Concept, the Dominated Hand, and the importance of position in no limit hold'em:
- Always play within your gulp limit.
- Don't play with the rent money.
- Do whatever it takes to enjoy the company of your tablemates.
- Don't be afraid of Monsters Under The Bed.
- Read Zen and the Art of Poker.
Hope to see you all there tonight! The game is at 7:30 Pacific, and is in the lobby under Tourneys -> Private. Password, as always, is monkey.
