The twins are here.
It's been hectic. It's been crazy. It's been, at times, chaotic. But it's also been fun. And it's left me a little time for poker. However, even just a couple of weeks after they were born, I don't play exactly the same way I did before they joined us.
Here are some trends I've noticed that have crept into my play and how I'm trying to beat them. Remember, too, that it doesn't take twins to throw off your game. A new job, a move, preparing for a marriage, final exams or even just having one newborn (strange as that sounds) will probably offer up the same trends I've seen.
As I said in my last article, I'm playing exclusively cash games for now. I generally multi-table three games at night, and a session usually lasts an hour or so, unless the twins are demanding daddy time. Here are those trends and how to beat them: How to beat it: How to beat it: How to beat it: How to beat it: How to beat it: How to beat it: How to beat it: How to beat it: How to beat it:
• Money means more - Playing cash poker means exploiting every edge for profit.
But suddenly I'm having a harder time justifying throwing in a bunch of chips even when there's a 35 percent chance I could lose. It's understandable. That $50 is a whole lot of diapers. But that's also bad poker. If you aren't willing to put your money in with the best of it, then you shouldn't be playing.
How to beat it:
1) I play $25 NL as a part of a bankroll challenge to build $200 on Ultimate Bet into $1,000. I'm glad I do now. I'm comfortable losing that much money. I used to play $50 NL exclusively, but now that I'm counting my dollars more, I wouldn't feel comfortable at that level right now. Bottom line: Drop down a level until you feel comfortable getting your money in. This is just good bankroll management anyway, but those little ones give you a good excuse to do so without compromising your poker prowess.
2) I have learned to play a little tighter. You'll be leaving some money on the table that you could have had with some well-timed aggression, but it's also easier to put your money in because usually the odds will favor you.
3) Give yourself a bankroll challenge. Chris Ferguson just wrote about building
a $10,000 bankroll from nothing. You won't mind playing smaller stakes if you are working toward a goal. Hey, if Jesus can play $5 NL, so can you.
• Poker means less - Ironically, money means more, but the game means less. My girls are just too cute, and a tough, sometimes unfriendly game with online douchebags isn't as appealing as it once was. This happened when I had my first child, who is now 2, and it's even more true today. I still love the game, but it's not my world anymore. Unfortunately, this can encourage bad calls, screw-it pushes, and even increases the chances of tilting off part of your bankroll.
How to beat it:
1) Play shorter, more focused sessions, when all you do is play the game instead of chatting on yahoo.
2) Play with play money for a bit. If you just can't do that, Ultimate Bet has games that you can play for your frequent player points that can nab you merchandise. Those points are valuable, but they're not money.
3) Take a break. There's nothing wrong with not playing poker for a bit. You might
play better when you take it up again.
• Suck outs suck even more - I can't play poker as often, and while that's not a
bad thing, it's frustrating when your big favorites can't seem to hold up, as is
the case for me right now. Opportunities to double up don't come very often, especially
in cash games, and they come even less when you can't play very much. Seeing those
opportunities snatched away by a bad play and a 4-1 underdog are therefore even
tougher to take.
How to beat it: Find a small pillow to punch and learn the art of cussing and venting under your breath. Then remind yourself that you are contributing to the poker economy and keeping the fish in the game during this tough time for online poker. We all have to do it. No matter how much it sucks.
• I'm tired, so I'm not as focused - When raising twins you are, ‘see how energy much you have,' as Yoda would say. That sentence oddly makes sense to me even though I haven't seen "Return of the Jedi" in a while. Raising newborns is a tough, mind-numbing job. And if you're not as sharp, you're less likely to make the great lay downs that every no limit player must make to win in the long run.
How to beat it:
1) Play limit - Yes, I know limit is not an easy game, but the amount of money you'll lose by making the occasional bad call is significantly less than calling a big bet in no limit. Limit doesn't give you free reign to play a lot of hands, but it can save you money on the hands you do play.
2) Play ABC poker - You can win playing straightforward, solid poker online. Phil
Gordon advocates it. I do too. I'm proof. I win and 95 percent of my play online
is solid poker that isn't fancy or pretty but gets the job done. And it's much easier
to play this way when you're tired.
3) Play shorter sessions.
• I'm distracted at times - Last night I played while I held one girl on my lap and fed another with a bottle. Yet I still only lost one big pot, a cooler when my flush lost to a higher flush with only three on the board (J-high too).
How to beat it: I managed to do that because I multi-tabled. Multi-tabling prevents me from getting cute. It prevents me from stewing about that cooler. And it prevents me from getting distracted because I'm already distracted. I'm not putting too much thought in one game, and that means I'm not over thinking a hand. Level 9 thinking isn't needed at $25 NL. It's usually lost on your opponents, and it can lose you
a lot of money.
• I'm bored of the grind at times - Cash games are fun by they can be a grind at times. There's rarely all-in pushes, and cash games are more about winning small-to-medium pots and occasionally bluffing for the blinds. But cash games are what you have to play when you have newborns. They're convenient.
How to beat it: Learn a couple other games other than Hold Em and play those games at micro-stakes. I play $10 Omaha and Stud and they are fun games that refresh me.
• I long to get out of the house - Online poker is not live poker, yet for the most part it's all we new parents have. Sometimes I really want a live game with my buddies while we listen to hair metal and eat queso and chips.
How to beat it: Find a chat room and talk to your buddies in there. The poker blogging community helps keep those quiet nights alive.
• Poker is an escape - Poker, like a lot of things in your life now, isn't a top priority.
How to beat it: Enjoy the game even more now. Poker, after all, is supposed to be fun.