Friends=Win?

In my last post I stated that I had some thoughts that might have helped contribute to my win. After talking to a few people and thinking about it some more I think there may be some truth to it. I had a winning a session and at the beginning of that session I got a chance to sit next to a Harrah's friend that I hadn't talked to in a while and we were able to just shoot the proverbial shit and kill some time between hands. This was a hugh relief of some sorts and not an opportunity I have had in a long time. It has been a while since I got to play with people I consider a friend and it relaxed me at the table. In the midst of me still struggling with consistency I started to think back to the days when I was running good and playing a lot and the one recurring thought was the steady appearance of a friend at the table or near by. I'm not sure what it is about having a friend at the table or at least in the poker room with you but apparently it can cause some good.

I'm sure we've heard the cliche' that confidence breeds success....I'm fairly certain that the opposite of those words are true too. Well maybe there is a lot of truth in that...a cliche' becomes a cliche' because there is usually some truth involved. I haven't had that friend to travel to the poker room and put in a 10 hour session with or sit down at the same table and battle. I've been putting in time at the table by myself with my own thoughts and nothing to break the monotony. Only giving myself the chance to dwell on being card dead or the shitty beats I've taken. When I'm winning I'm thinking about the current hand being played out and how I would play it against each person at the table. Problem is that winning hasn't been a big part of my card playing life lately and the negativity is always creeping into my mind. I try to stop myself and stay focused and remain positive and then I get dealt AK and raise and totally miss the flop and start thinking like the douche bags at the table about "how I can't ever hit the flop with this hand"....In the past the thought was that it was just another hand the dealer will give me a new one shortly. It's not that I'm a pessimist or optimists...I pride myself on being a realist, it's a trait that I've had since I was a little kid. Always been able to see the next logical outcome oppose to trying to convince myself that the positive would happen or completely assume the worst was gonna happen. Realist is often misconstrued with pessimist but if you have any common sense and don't think with blinders on then you can obviously distinguish the difference (I needa stop using cliches).

I'm not quite sure why I play better with someone at the table or when I travel to play with someone but I do have some ideas. I'm a pretty competitive person...I've used to flip board games, throw cards, break controllers, crack helmets, snap golf clubs (in fact I have no 3 iron in my bag b/c it's in the water on hole 7 at Ellendale), when my friend and I used to coach a 13 yr old travel baseball team it wasn't uncommon for me to get into it with the umpire. With that being said, I'm sure you can tell I don't handle losing very well..I think it's because I never did it very often..haha. Whenever I started playing poker it wasn't any different and I used to tell people how bad they were and it got to the point where my friends didn't enjoy playing with me...I think it was because I won all the time. I have always worn my emotions on my sleeve (damn it, I used another cliche') I've learned to control myself at the table and not blow up on my competition, it took sometime to harness those actions but I basically learned that you shouldn't berate someone for being dumb b/c why would you want them to start thinking and trying to play better??...This really became clear when I used to deal a pretty big game in Houma and I'd see really shitty beats and there was one guy in the game who imo was obviously the best player and he'd just take it in stride and complement the guy on the hand, not drag it on, take out some money to reload and keep playing his game without pressing...just understanding that it's a swing and maintain thinking about the long term. I know I'm not quite there yet, I still pop off on occasion but I've definitely gotten better. But maybe the out bursts at the table allowed me to vent and move on. Maybe I didn't dwell on the beats b/c I spoke my mind and moved on and now I'm holding it in. Regardless, I'm not gonna go back to that b/c we all saw how classless Mr. Hellmuth looked on TV and I personally give anyone the right to kick my ass on the spot if ever do anything like that....and if anyone ever did that shit to me I'm not sure I'd kick their ass but I guarantee I'll get the first punch in.

When I first started playing tournaments in bar rooms or with people I didn't really know I played better b/c I had something to prove. I wanted to win but I didn't make a lot of mistakes b/c I was locked in. We used to do last longer bets and that was always fun because it gives a bragging right and nothing is more fun than taking money from your friend because you out performed them. That worked for tournaments but the cash side of it is totally different. When sitting at the table with a friend I know they had a confidence level for me and they expected me to win as I did for them. With that expectation looming things seem clearer because for me, I didn't want to look like an idiot in front or my friend..weather it be a really close friend or a friend at Harrahs. Everyone has an ego and some people need their ego fed different ways. Some need to feel smart, some need to feel tough, some people need others to like them...I need people to respect the way I do things. When I used to walk into Harrahs poker room and approach the table and see someone say something to another player about me I knew I had their respect and now I didn't wanna do anything to make myself look dumb. Now when I walk into Harrah's not as many people recognize me and the ones that do, just ask where I've been....that's fine and it's not like I NEED acknowledgment, but that was my edge..it kept me focused. When I ran into Ryan a couple weeks ago it gave that me the other kind of confidence b/c we used to play all the time together and experience those shitty beats and big wins and it didn't allow me to press when I lost.

Some people feel the complete opposite and can't stand being at the same table as friends because they don't wanna snap their friend. That's prolly another thing with me...if you're one of my friends and you're at the table, you're prolly not an idiot b/c "almost" all my friends who play poker are better than average players and I have to be fully alert to what their doing in the hand. Not saying that I'm not focused in a hand all the time but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't paying a little more attention if one of my boys is in the hand with me. I'm not sure if anyone cares about any of this or if it pertains to anyone else's thoughts but it is something that has been rattling around in my head and I decided to post those thoughts. I guess in the end it boils down to finding what works in order to be confident at the table. I've made mistakes with friends at the table and I've made great plays without friends there. This post could be total b.s. and have no merit at all or maybe it's Davey and Ruttley's fault that I'm not winning like I used to win. They stopped playing and then I started losing and not being as interested and now I can't get traction again...haha..anyway, I'll keep grinding away and keep looking forward and just try to have fun with it and I'm sure good things will happen.

Aside from this I'm pretty bummed I won't be able to participate in the IP Poker Tourneys due to insufficient poker funds. With all the fall and winter poker tournaments in progress and on the brink it's pretty frustrating not to be able to play. My new goal is make sure I'm ready to go for January for the wpt event at the Beau, the Main Event is right around my birthday. Maybe I need to find one of those backer people or maybe I'll try that lottery thing this Saturday...that would prolly help too. Anyway, good luck to all who are traveling to the coast. Keep It Real Homies.