1. 2008-01-24 13:38:49

   I HATE POKER...

   ...OK, not really. But I hate variance! And I hate big downswings! HATE!

   It figures since after my last blog entry focused on things like tilt that I would go on a big downswing. What a test of my reaffirmed tilt control. I was determined to keep my cool, and I must boast that I played better than I ever have under such circumstances. I really didn't miss a beat or get that upset...for the first few sessions anyway.

   But by the 4th day of missing every flop and getting bad beat or coolered whenever I did hit, I was ready to punch a hole in the wall...seriously. December wasn't a very good month. Does January have to be bad as well? Then came day number 5. Right at the start it was more of the same. I had recently made a withdrawal and was starting to feel (feel, not think) like one of those superstitious conspiracy theory nuts. "Why do you think you ALWAYS go on a downswing after you withdraw? They don't like you taking money off the site! If you're gonna be taking money out then they will want to get it into the hands of someone who will leave it online. Besides, it's not good for them if all the fish go broke. If the sharks eat them alive too fast then the site doesn't make as much in rake!...." Yeah...that's only a small sample. There's lots of crazy ideas out there.

   So Jason messaged me while I was playing about his upcoming visit to Vegas. I was right in the middle of losing session number 5 and didn't hesitate to whine. He said I should blog about it. ;-p I decided that was fine. I didn't have to come up with something that interesting or teach a lesson or something. I could just...BITCH! I'd hate to be one of those people who has to tell everyone about every bad beat they take....but this....COME ON! This was SICK! As if things weren't already bad enough, I sit the 5/10 NL ($1000 max) and almost immediately lose a whole stack when I flop a set of 7s...middle set...the second nuts...the other guy had top set of course. No one outer for me. But this downswing wasn't all bad beats and coolers. It seemed nothing would go right. If I made a big bluff that would often be good given the action, it would just so happen that my opponent had flopped an unlikely full house or something of that nature! A full list of hands would be long and boring, but you get the idea.

   Then...like manna from heaven...a little justice. I caught the stacks of a couple people on tilt, made a couple of hero calls, and pulled off a few well timed bluffs. Next thing I knew I was up over $2100 for the session. This by no means makes up for the downswing, but it's a good start. And it did a good job of easing the wall-punching mood, as you might expect. This is why I have a bankroll. I can honestly say this crazy swing could have gone on for much, much longer before I would have to think about maybe dropping down in stakes. But regardless of my safety net....IT STILL SUCKS.

   When times are bad it's good to have another poker player to talk to who's been there. And my friend Jeff has definitely been there. He lives just across the apartment complex from me and my wife, and shared the moving van with us when we made the trek to Vegas. He's had some runs that would make anyone sick. At least I know I'm not alone. He's actually the one that got me into poker in the first place back when we were playing weekly at Jason's house in Vancouver, WA. Make sure to check out his blog. It's bound to be insightful and amusing. (no pressure ;-p)

   Saving chips is the same as earning them. Making a good fold is just as important as making a good call. That's been the center of my focus when I start to get upset. I need to be happy with losing the minimum. As I mentioned many times last entry, it's all about the long run. But it's not simply a matter of waiting for my OWN top set vs someone's middle set. It's about making the most of every opportunity, even if the only opportunities presented this session amount to just losing as little as possible. If I'm paying attention I see that's something most of my opponents are not doing well. And that means cash in my pocket...eventually.

   Posted by uzjedi at 2008-01-24 13:38:49

   View all posts

Comments on “I HATE POKER...”

1. • Posted by Phuck Yeu (unverified) g 2011-06-03 05:41:37
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   • FUCK POKER!

2. • Posted by XANAX (unverified) g 2011-05-25 21:33:05
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   • Hahaha, some true, braindead drooling retards in this comment section.

3. • Posted by TalkingMammal (unverified) g 2011-03-19 15:40:45
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   • I too am a 'I Hate Poker' googler!!!! If you think hold'em bad beats are terrible, try playing some Omaha......

4. • Posted by Stewarty (unverified) g 2011-03-02 00:08:21
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   • This is brilliant to read, i was another who typed in i hate poker, spent hours playin solid and built ??40 to ??260 then lost it all in one hand..... dealt pocket 10s....flop comes 4h 7s 8d.....opponent raises, i re raise, he pushes all in, i call, hes sittin with pocket 8s n hit a set...horrible

5. • Posted by Tony Gags g 2010-11-29 02:41:30
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   • Maybe you should follow the patterns and min Mirrons. Easy game if you know what card is coming next

6. • Posted by Lisa (unverified) g 2010-11-24 21:17:43
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   • Its fake dumb ass! You will win for a while ..just enough to get you to dump more money into it. It's computerized they can do anything they want to the cards. They will give you cards to piss you off..get you hooked. REPEAT IT IS NOT AUTHENTIC POKER..GET A LIFE BEFORE THEY TAKE ALL YOUR MONEY! I can practically call me cards...everyone gets a little something going for them to keep them in Straight, flush and the winner is A PAIR!! Watch the patterns..complete Bull shit!

7. • Posted by Andy (unverified) g 2010-10-23 10:32:05
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   • I just searched for I HATE POKER in google and this came up
     fuck
     i had my aces cracked by a stupid bitch who called me proflop with KING QUEEN for 800 bucks in a 5-10 game and made a miracle runner runner straight, FUCK MAN!

8. • Posted by Jason M g 2010-09-21 07:35:57
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   • i think that guy was confused about the difference between a webSITE and a webPAGE. and then of course he didn't really get what this page was about either, but whatever :p

9. • Posted by Luke g 2010-09-20 19:47:40
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   • "this site is for people who hate poker" LOL

10. • Posted by Jason M g 2010-08-13 07:09:13
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    • That's the way the cookie crumbles :/

11. • Posted by Chris (unverified) g 2010-08-12 04:57:24
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    • I swear the 'pro's' as they call them are a handfull of people who have been lucky enough to flop the nuts and win millions getting lucky. The millions of people who play of course you're going to have a handful of lucky ones. I myself went from $30 to $200 winning game after game then from $200 to zero in the same fashion. My game hadent changed but my luck surely did.

12. • Posted by Pot Luck Scuba g 2010-07-14 22:49:59
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    • The guy got crushed for a $1? Hahahahahaha :)

      This guy's swings could barely afford dinner at McDonalds, but you're probably better off not losing it their either.

13. • Posted by POKER HATER (unverified) g 2010-06-20 22:48:55
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    • Logged onto jokerstars again.

      Booked a $5.00 loss in the past 2 days

      I will never log onto jokerstars again

14. • Posted by Poker Hater (unverified) g 2010-06-19 08:31:48
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    • I built my bankroll to $80 today. Moved up to .05/.10 and got crushed for $1 after 100 hands. Moved back down to .02/.05 and lost another 3 blinds.

      Then played a $6.25 HU SNGs to recover, my specialty.

      First hand villain shoves AQ pf, Hero calls KK. Doesn't hold

      I HATE POKER. Will never log on to jokerstars again

15. • Posted by DUDE! (unverified) g 2010-02-26 10:36:47
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    • aqhearts raise preflop. flop comes a 10 diamonds and 9 spades.
      i check, dude bets i raise all in he calls.
      jj diamond club
      king diamonds on turn im feeling good laughing inside at his jacks.
      the river A QUEEN!...................of diamonds...................

      and yes it was on pokerstars after a few hours of bad beat after bad beat.

      i have been playing poker for 2 years mostly just play money for practice. but im not going to lie i have lost 200$ so far playing for cash.

      in this instance though i won .22 cents from a freeroll and got up to 7.00 dollars playing fixed limit. I WIN AT FIXED LIMIT!

      but i love no limit....and i ignored my past few months of training my bankroll management skills, and got greedy

      lesson learned. stay within your bankroll expect suckouts every hand.

      it is 100% percent skill. it is exactly as "iheartphilhelmuth" said

      "The gamble is the way the cards deal. The skill is in having the knowledge and instinct to know when they've been dealt in your favor."
      and also STAYING WITHIN YOUR BANKROLL and if you cant (i had .22 cents) stay with fixed limit until you can. with fixed limit you know when you have been sucked out(most of the time) and you cant go all in before all the cards are dealt.

      so yea thats my bad beat and the reason i typed " i hate poker" into google

      no one to blame but me i didnt have to risk my entire bankroll short stacked at a no limit table.

      but i had been playing for 6 hours slowly losing chips to donkeys waiting for the best hands. and i got sucked out on the river at lest 12 times on big pots. i see why everyone calls it jokerstars. haha and i was thinking the conspiracy theory crap haha. especially because i was playing with free money from pokerstars pocket.

      FCK!

16. • Posted by Tony Gags g 2010-02-01 08:24:14
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    • LOLZ this is so full of gold weeeeeeeeeeee

17. • Posted by Jason M g 2010-02-01 03:14:16
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    • hahahahahaha. wow, if only this guy knew...

18. • Posted by Johnny Christ (unverified) g 2010-01-31 19:10:26
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    • UPS PWNAGE 'you should know poker is a zero sum game. All you have to do to beat the house is find a game with other players that provides you this edge. ' you dont even know what you are wanking on about. Are you and JasonM a couple of poofs who work for the poker industry. Fuck off out of this site as its for real people who HATE POKER.

19. • Posted by Tony Gags g 2010-01-31 16:57:32
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    • Im gonna go with extreme level by the ghost of Johnny Carson

20. • Posted by Jason M g 2010-01-30 19:45:55
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    • I think I know who that poster is! Has Johnny Chan been around for 40 years?

21. • Posted by Tony Gags g 2010-01-29 23:23:05
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    • If you have been in the gaming industry for so long you should know poker is a zero sum game. All you have to do to beat the house is find a game with other players that provides you this edge. Being a craps dealer or a keno attendant for 40 years doesn't qualify you as a poker expert

22. • Posted by Johnny C (unverified) g 2010-01-29 23:13:08
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    • Have to laugh my tits off at the fucking lot of you. YOU STILL DONT KNOW WHEN YOURE BEING CONNED. iVE BEEN IN THE ' GAMING ' industry for 40 years and the idiots keep on coming. Wise up morons the only winner is the guy who keeps his cashh in his wallet ....

23. • Posted by Tony Gags g 2010-01-28 21:50:34
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    • Hahaha damn cut and paste. Oh well my point is even one of the best pchess players ever believes poker is a great game.

24. • Posted by Jason M g 2010-01-28 20:17:10
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    • thanks gordo :p

25. • Posted by Gordo g 2010-01-28 13:58:04
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    • PokerSoup is great. I love wasting precious time posting and reading about poker. Jason M & upspwnage, you are the best... and for the '?' poster: read a book. I believe the one from Phil Helmuth is pretty good. Either that, or go onto a new site: PokerChili.. Cheers! may yard cards be live.....

26. • Posted by Jason M g 2010-01-28 07:57:02
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    • yuppers!

      yuppers!

      :p

27. • Posted by Tony Gags g 2010-01-27 08:59:33
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    • " But while chess is a 100 percent information game--both players are aware of all the data all the time--and therefore directly susceptible to computing power, poker has hidden cards and variable stakes, creating critical roles for chance, bluffing, and risk management.

      These might seem to be aspects of poker based entirely on human psychology and therefore invulnerable to computer incursion. A machine can trivially calculate the odds of every hand, but what to make of an opponent with poor odds making a large bet?

      But while chess is a 100 percent information game--both players are aware of all the data all the time--and therefore directly susceptible to computing power, poker has hidden cards and variable stakes, creating critical roles for chance, bluffing, and risk management."

      "These might seem to be aspects of poker based entirely on human psychology and therefore invulnerable to computer incursion. A machine can trivially calculate the odds of every hand, but what to make of an opponent with poor odds making a large bet?"

      • Garry Kasparov

      Few experts from Kasparov's new book.

28. • Posted by Jason M g 2010-01-27 06:03:33
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    • i got a bad beat playing chess once. i fell out of my chair and hit my head on the table.

29. • Posted by Tony Gags g 2010-01-27 02:55:27
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    • Pokerstars is rigged! I hate over a million plus hand sample I have gotten aa every 220 hands or so and am pretty close to even when it comes to all in ev (actually below a few grand lol) Yet somehow I have managed a positive winrate. You have to really understand how tough online is compared to live play. Some of the best players can go through 100k hand breakeven stretches. How many hands have you played to back up your claims? I thought so. I am so tired of noobs complaining things are rigged. No RNG is every gonnna be TRULY random but common. Yes I am on UNverified poster forum tilt. Ah I feel better :)

30. • Posted by bob (unverified) g 2010-01-25 04:27:39
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    • You should take up chess. There's a game without bad beats.

31. • Posted by mikey C (unverified) g 2010-01-16 19:57:05
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    • Fuck Pokerstars man....i can't take it anymore. I play in all types of event...cash games, tourny's, sit and go's, Free Poker Player point tournys, and I keep on getting bad bad after bad beat after bad beat. It's fucking ridiculous and I am totaly now convinced the shit is set up. I do understand bad beats happen, but seriouslly not all the fucking time.

      AA's losing to 2 3.....trips losing to straights, AK losing to KQ...i mean common. And All the time? FUCK POKERSTARS Seriously

32. • Posted by Jason M g 2010-01-07 19:19:28
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    • you wouldn't believe how much people search for that. it's crazy. we could have a lot of fun with this ;)

33. • Posted by Tony Gags g 2010-01-07 16:20:56
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    • ahahahaha. I consider the above comment to be now in my top five for Pokersoup. "i just had a bad session and typed i hate poker into google" that is awesome man

34. • Posted by Anonymous g 2010-01-07 07:54:14
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    • just about every post here is retarded... i just had a bad session and typed i hate poker into google read this blog then read these comments which were worse than the beats i just took.

      also i have to say this i prefer playing live 1-2 w/ idiots that couldn't beat 10NL.

35. • Posted by kabelis (unverified) g 2009-12-07 21:29:38
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    • Seriously, those guys (or rather a guy) who keeps bragging about his beats probably has a sample size of like 5k hands.

      It's all about the long run.
      And NO, long run isn't a month.It isn't even a year.

      You can suffer worst bad beats one month and go broke if you suck at bankroll management and play stakes at which you shouldn't be playing.

      Bragging about Online Poker Riggedness and talking about bad beats it's just a way to not admit to yourself that you aren't as good as you'd like to think you are.

36. • Posted by Tony Gags g 2009-12-06 17:15:24
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    • No you win live cause the players on average are a lot worse. That is if you win live which I doubt due to the ignorant nature of your post. I think we are being leveled here

37. • Posted by AJ (unverified) g 2009-12-06 15:20:58
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    • WHo knows what percentage is skill or luck ?
      Li ve I win cause I can see people and get a read. On-line I have seen the sickest beats ever happen far more often than live and NOT just because we play more hands on line either.

      Until there is government regulation of on-line I will sit out.

      Ever notice how you have a good run straight after depositing funds before then only seeing bad beats ?

38. • Posted by Tony Gags g 2009-11-24 15:18:32
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    • LMAO might be another one

39. • Posted by Jason M g 2009-11-24 05:27:28
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    • lol is right. what else is there to say?

40. • Posted by Tony Gags g 2009-11-16 06:34:46
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    • lol

41. • Posted by pokerfish (unverified) g 2009-11-14 23:02:34
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    • You guys are complete ignorant wankers douchbags, talking like poker is game of skill. Its about probabilities and probabilties are just that probable not guaranteed. So, bet on a horse race, on the favourite, same odds, no skill, just probabilities.
      The biggest crock of shit is on TV, they will show you the exciting hands, not the boring 8 hours of play waiting for a hand, or even people smacked out on drug abuse, alcohol or gangsters, on tv its glamourous.
      But let me remind you nobody, ever ended a millionaire playing the game they all eventually end/ed broke - twice.

42. • Posted by iheartphilhellmuth (unverified) g 2009-10-07 07:57:27
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    • "Not everyone has the skill or learning ability. Some have it but lack emotional control. It takes a strong mix of these and some (a lot) of patience..."

      Exactly. Someone who says there's no skill involved in poker definitely lacks it. Or are too emo when they lose a sizable hand they just all-in anything out of rage. The gamble is the way the cards deal. The skill is in having the knowledge and instinct to know when they've been dealt in your favor.

43. • Posted by Tony Gags g 2009-09-13 06:26:23
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    • A fool sometimes visits luck, and it is usually against me.

      -Stable proverb

44. • Posted by Foster g 2009-09-11 01:47:31
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    • "Luck sometimes visits a fool,but never sits down with him"
      -German proverb

45. • Posted by Foster g 2009-09-11 01:43:03
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    • I tried bluffing once. True story

46. • Posted by Tony Gags g 2009-09-09 01:19:33
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    • I bluffed someone once. True story

47. • Posted by Jason M g 2009-09-08 17:20:56
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    • i agree poker is gambling in the sense that you "taking a risk for the chance at a favorable outcome". all the casino games, including poker, are "gambling" according to that definition. however, consider it from the casino's point of view. they are gambling, too: they are not guaranteed to win. however, in the long run, they win, and they win big. being a skilled poker player is like being the casino. you will win, eventually, if you follow certain rules. the casino has betting caps (i.e. $1-$200). poker players have bankroll management. these are in place to control the variance. poker is gambling, but if you are a skilled player it's that good kind of gambling that, emotions aside, guarantees a profit.

48. • Posted by Ihatepoker (unverified) g 2009-09-08 04:47:33
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    • lol ok but ppl gotta admit that there is soooo much luck involved in poker.
      There is enough luck involved for you to constantly keep missing the flop everytime you don't get complete crap hands.
      There is enough luck involved for you to go all in preflop with AK suited to force a fold and for some reason this idiot calls with 3 4 offsuit and he pulls a miracle straight.
      There is enough luck involved for you to have 3 of a kind on the turn and you know for sure the other guy has top pair so you go all-in and he calls cuz he's stupid and ON THE RIVER HE PULLS OFF A MIRACLE TOP 3 OF A KIND.
      The list goes on.
      BUt seriously I don't see how even the best poker player in the world can win when he keeps getting complete crap hands and when he DOES get decent hands he keeps missing the flop EVERY SINGLE TIME.
      What's he gonna do? Call raises/Bluff when he doesn't even have a pair? and there's always gonna be someone at the table that raises that DOES have a hand.
      I know that skilled poker players make money in the long run but still there is enough luck involved for that skilled player to lose all the money he won with a long string of bad beats and huge downswings.
      And that also means hes capable of the opposite at times when he's lucky.
      AND THAT IS WHY IN THE END POKER IS GAMBLING

49. • Posted by Ole (unverified) g 2009-08-15 21:45:09
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    • I always win in real live poker, my friends must hate playing with me. But online, I can win one or two tourneys, with 20-100 or so players, in a row, then lose a dozen torneys with less players in a row. Poker is way too random online. I wish they would invent another game.

50. • Posted by Jason M g 2009-05-27 18:34:15
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    • Amen to that Mr. uzjedi, whoever you are! :p

51. • Posted by uzjedi g 2009-05-27 07:04:04
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    • It's certainly not a game for everyone, but I can assure you it IS a game of skill. Anything can happen in the short term, but in the long term the better players always come out on top. Sometimes things happen that seem unthinkable. But those things happen to everyone if you play enough hands.

      Since I posted this blog I've been through the same things and worse. It's all about handling the situations better than your opponents. In the end I come out ahead of most and am still making good money.

      Not everyone has the skill or learning ability. Some have it but lack emotional control. It takes a strong mix of these and some (a lot) of patience to make a living doing it.

      It's not always glamorous and it can be frustrating at times. There's no shame in discovering that it's not for you... but I promise you, skill always wins in the end.

52. • Posted by Mike (unverified) g 2009-05-26 15:58:42
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    • Really weird that I'm just reading this at this particular moment because I just lost at the casino with the EXACT same cooler. First of all, I want to state that I gave up poker for a long time, permanently swearing off it and just like Matt Damon in Rounders, decided to try and make a comeback. Well, this definitely is not a movie because reality hit me hard. After a month or so of no poker at all, I come back and lose within 5 hands of play. Just like you, I flopped middle set with 7's. Flop came 738 rainbow. All in on the flop and guy turns over set of 8's. I just couldnt believe my luck, 9 people at the table and it happens to me!!?? So ok, no problem, I have a little money left in front of me, I can build it back. So very next hand I have KJ off, limp in and flop top pair. I'm all in and get called by a flush draw and the guy nails it on the river.

      I didn't say a word to anyone, got out of my seat and left quietly, never to play poker again. This just sealed the deal!

      Here's my take on the game. It's evil and its gambling in its purest form but the general public doesn't want to believe it. T.V. has brainwashed us to believe that there is skill involved and technique and all this other bullshit, but just like anything else, its a business and customers are needed to play. Poker is nothing but people losing money back and forth to each other and the ultimate winner in all this BS.......the HOUSE!!!

53. • Posted by grndhstlman (unverified) g 2008-04-03 09:56:09
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    • you should complain about the game, it happens. i played 10-20 and 20-40 holdem for 2 years made a very good living from it (except the fact that i could get my ass off the BJ table) but i took my bad beats gave bad beats also. it was better then working i tell you that. i was my own boss, first six months of playing i won 30k then it was a steady 3k a month(cut my time from 60 hrs to 35-40 hrs a week of playing). couldn't complain when i lost my job,i had 200 to my name and got lucky in a home game and walked out with 900 and then started to hit foxwoods and for about 2 1/2 years i played professionally. but the game got bad when tv poker started appearing all over the place. everyone started thinking that they where all pros. so i gave up the game. got a 9-5 now but i think i should make my real return to the game (played it once this year and it was horrible). but maybe if i play in the early morning with the old folks that has been around the game for a while, maybe i would see better results instead of night playing when all the idiots are out of work and first stop poker table.

      GOOD LUCK WITH THE GAME!

54. • Posted by Jason M g 2008-01-24 18:15:04
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    • Nice post, dude. I don't play for that kind of money, and I certainly don't depend on poker to pay the rent, so it's hard for me see it from your perspective, but it surely seems you are handling it well - hole in a wall or not.

      I'm glad it turned around for ya at the end of this session. I want a follow-up post about how you raped everybody for the next week :D

55. • Posted by Nick L (unverified) g 2008-01-24 18:00:56
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    • I would be super pissed as well but you have a great outlook on things man I wish I was in your shoes with that bankroll. I have started from scratch and grinding it out. But I am still working full time so there is a difference but I have my goals that I would love to accomplish also, I enjoy reading your blogs I think you have a lot of good stuff to say.