It's always been true on this chosen profession, there are long periods of nothing at all, followed by a few hours of crushing insanity. I'm bored now, which should be obvious, because the show is a few hours away and the producers shoulder the burden now. Usually, it's in times like these where everthing goes berzerk.
FRIDAY
I'm off on Fridays, and the wife's off too, she's the chapperone for the oldest daughter's field trip to a North Carolina apple orchard. Great setup for success folks: the house is empty and I have a few fresh Granny Smiths in my future. I play better when the house is empty and without distraction, except for the TV. Today is gangster Friday.
I've been bad at poker lately, not unlucky, just bad. I've misread my opponents intentions, so that, even when I correctly perceive weakness, I misread their ability to fold. Worse still, I'd gotten bored with NLHE, bored with the patient tight-agressive monsters I have to play against donkeys, bored with the same pot odds and basic math that seemed so thrilling just one year ago. It's as if, bored with good play, I've played poorly just for the kicks.
My friend Maigrey says it's like therapy sometimes, to drop down to mico-limits and just let the inner moron out. I actually tried that for a full week, I blew away a bill with a new login, at a crappy poker site, calling down almost anything with everything. Somehow, I won much more than I should. That helped a lot.
On Wednesday, I played in a tournament with BadBlood, the Mark, Otit, and Frank. The play, with the exception of the names above, was perfectly awful from the start. I decided to play it straight. In the beginning we had 2 tables going, 6-handed each, and I ran all over mine. When we condensed, I made what I thought was a very well executed move on a maniac, and my tourney was over. I knew the kid would call, I was just bored. Bored with a good chance to win is bored just the same. It WAS a good move though.
So here I was, the laptop already warm, the house quiet except for the sound of my dog chewing the hair on his ass, and a renewed focus on decent poker. I signed up for a $20+2 on PokerStars.
(By the way, if you care, a very long review of that site and a few others is forthcoming. I have a few complaints, namely with the lack of a 'dead button' during tournament play, but it IS an excellent site. No, Otis isn't paying for that coment)
With 800 players, I finished 17th. I was shortstacked for a very long time, but it's amazing how many people will dive in front of a bullet. I had a dozen or more secret service mates at my tables, and each time they took the elimination meant for me. I appreciated that. The payout was a somewhat decent $126.
That night, I entered a $10+1 on the very same site. I recruited Blood, CJ, Drizz, and Helixx too. Austin April joined late for a positive rail. I finished that one in 5th. Payout $520. Not bad for 4 hours. I lost when I pushed with 9-9 and the man to my left called with rockets. I was very, very happy with my play.
Better still, I logged winning sessions in the $50NL games all afternoon. I was making good laydowns, and trusting my reads. It's been some time since that felt good.
THE LESSON I LEARNED
What I didn't realize until last night, boredom is tilt. Usually we associate it with anger, but that's a tilt I can usually control. The boredom was harder to reign in. By dipping down into the itty-bitty limits for some wholesale moronity, I was able to recharge the excitement meter. That's made all the difference.
Now I'll be back in the saddle, prepared for another vicious swing of variance, but ready to hit the .01/.02 PLO8 at a moments notice.
If you see me there, I'm not broke. Just bored.
At work, I'm still waiting for the show. But somehow, it's not as boring as it used to be. For a long time, I've looked at other careers and considered abondoning the one I've got. That's over now. My boredom was tilting my perspective. The show will start in about 90 minutes, and I'm packing my A-game. I'm back baby. Watch and learn.