Saving money when you’re playing wrong
One of the big things that separates the winners from the losers in long run play is your ability to minimize the losses: the smarts to get up and walk away when you’re playing wrong. I can’t count on both hands the number of times I’ve taken a bad beat or two in a row and then proceeded to donk off whatever I had left with me at the table by throwing money around trying to get it back–even when what I had left was half of another buy in, enough to buy a tank of gas and dinner for two.
Recently I’ve also watched good players go to crap at a table just because they couldn’t get over one bad loss. People often openly admit they’re about to give the rest of their money away because they want to now, because they’re so steaming they just have to do it. In specific, I can remember one time I had built my bank roll from $200 to $2500 on Ultimate Bet in about 8 days playing $1/$2., which at the time for me was a great run. What did I do with that money? I took three beats in a row, losing about $500 in the course of 2 hours. Then, so angry at the ridiculous beats I’d taken, I threw the entire rest of the $2000 off just playing angry donkey poker. I threw myself into my closet door. I beat my hands numb on the ground. But if I’d simply gotten up when I knew my brain was skewed, I’d be $2000 richer.
So here’s the argument, which is as much as challenge to myself as anyone else: when you know you aren’t playing your A game, STOP. Sure, it feel fun to throw money around and try to get lucky, but why not take that money and use it for next time, when you’re actually going to play good poker? It’s hard for me as anyone, I often can’t get past my steaming moments, but to be a truly great player, you have to be able to cut yourself off.
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