Last spring I started working allot at a new job and my focus shifted a great deal which didn't leave much time for poker. So with the exception of the occasional cash game, I have essentially taken over a year off of playing poker.
That all changed this last week when a friend of mine won a buy in to a WSOP event. I went to Las Vegas with her and was on the rail for her. She played for about 5 hours before busting. While her bust on the first day was a little disappointing, it was her first WSOP event and she played well all things considered. I can’t imagine the stress. She can usually pull an all-nighter without breaking a sweat but she said with the stress of playing in such a big event, she felt like she’s been playing all day after the first hour.
After she busted, I myself got back to the table in a couple of uneventful cash games. The next day however was when things got interesting. I really wanted to play a tournament so I looked up a few and we chose to play the daily tournament at The Mirage. It was a reasonable $60 buy in and I was pumped and feeling really good.
The tournament was allot of fun and I really love the atmosphere at The Mirage. I ran okay in the tournament but was short stacked for nearly the entire thing because a good, aggressive player at my table was making it difficult for me to steal blinds and pick up smaller pots. I spent most of the tournament countering her strategy which paid off for me big time when she doubled me up a few times although one of those double ups I caught a super lucky river which kept me in the tournament.
I made it to the final table and when we got down to 6 players, we opted to split the prize pool. We each walked away with abut $360. The tournament was tons of fun and I had found my love and knack for poker again.
Since then I have been playing and studying hard again. My reads are still not up to what they were but my strategy is better than ever. I just got back from the casino where I played a cash game and raked it in there too; more than quadrupling my money.
The book “Power Hold’em Strategy” by Daniel Negreanu is definitely the easiest book to read and then immediately apply the reading to your game and it has done wonders for me as I am getting back in the game. It’s written for advanced players and specifically for tournament strategy but applies to cash games as well. With the things I am learning from his book, I am better able to lose less when I have the worst of it, and get my money in when I do; in the mean time, I end up playing lots of small pots to keep me afloat.
Anyways, I am definitely back to the game and excited to start playing on a regular basis again.
