Time to Tap the Glass

Yeah, I know it is -EV but it can be so satisfying. I’ve managed to avoid it in the chat and no blood vessels burst in doing so. At times I’ll be sarcastic with a collection of WP, NC OM, etc. But, most of the time I ignore the chat. Probably miss some sarcastic WP’s coming my way as a result.

The other day I was ‘back up’ to break even on most of my sites. While I’ve had better high points, of late, break even has been the high water mark. I just can’t get past mediocrity. The galling part is that it seems to be happening where my game, to me at least, seems improved over points of past success. Even with all this indication to the contrary, I still think it is the case.

I’ve had dry spells. I’ve had heaters. I’m usually able to avoid the emotional part of both. Occasionally that fails but I usually maintain a pretty even keel. I think a lot of that is that I’m truly a recreational player. I don’t have a lot of my self worth invested in the game. Although, like most bloggers talking about playing, that can get hidden.

Over the years, I’ve described myself in a lot of differing ways. Gambler really hasn’t applied in the sense we use around here. Poker player has never been in the top five. So, why the investment over a number of years? I guess part of it is that it replaced a bit of the work challenges that disappear when you retire. And, I’ve always made big commitments to hobbies. As my hobbies go, playing poker is a cheap one.

I can’t really chalk it all up to bad luck. I’ve been a lucky person throughout my life. I fell into a lot of good deals and the bad ones weren’t of the costly or life changing nature. I can be competitive – at times you can preface that with too. And, yes, ego can, at times, rear its head. But, by and large, I’ve maintain the middle road.

Most of my success at poker has been as boring as life can be. My real success was at SnG play. In poker, that is about as simplistic as poker can get. It is a series of beginnings, middles, and ends. Like school, you get a grade at the end of each session. It is more an academic approach with it own GPA.

If you play ring, there is no short term success. That is apparent in the blogs I visit. The fellows over a G-Vegas have contemplated that of late. Real money play is a roller coaster event. But, unlike the Silver Flash, you don’t just get on for a single circuit of the track. Like the pundits say, “It takes a lifetime to master.”

That’s my problem at the moment. I’m not playing in a life altering situation. But, I’m playing where there’s no easy GPA to reference. Some chart their long term success with program or records that they dwell on. I’ve always been a proponent of the KISS principle; (Keep It Simple, Stupid.) and on that basis there isn’t a real answer. Humans are always looking for answers. Poker provides few if any.

So, what to make of this? Other than I a boring old git, not a lot. But, contrast it to Pauly’s latest:

Poker. Drugs. Sex. TV. Internet. Booze. Cigarettes. Church. Love. Food. Power. Starbucks. Shopping. Sports. Narcissism. Anger. Misery. You name it. Vices surround us at every moment. And hedonistic dens like Las Vegas cater to every addiction and craving that your heart desires. William S. Burroughs said it best, “Whether you sniff it smoke it eat it or shove it up your ass the result is the same: addiction.”

I guess poker and life are what you want to make of them.

ADDENDUM:

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This entry was posted on Monday, December 3rd, 2007 at 9:20 am and is filed under Journal. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.