Going around in WSOPE circles

Pud's Poker Progress / Matthew Pitt / 12 August 2008 / 5 Comments

I am becoming ever frustrated with myself lately, as I simply cannot seem to concentrate on poker at all. I have logged a few sessions of 2-4 tables and although I have felt more in control and made some good reads and notes on players, I just have not really enjoyed playing.

I have wondered to myself if I am suffering some sort of poker-burnout! It sounds silly that a micro-stakes player could suffer from playing too much but I think that is the case. On a daily basis, I must read around 20 different blogs, at least three forums, and research articles for the Betfair WSOPE site (more...). When I am not doing this I am either reading poker magazines or chatting poker with mates over MSN etc and I think it has all become a little too much.

Whilst my game has come on in leaps and bounds, due to all of the above, my bankroll has stayed the same and I have not really progressed as well as I should have done. I remember when I first found Rossi's blog (more...) and we were playing similar stakes. Fast-forward to the present and he is dropping hours at work to play NL200/NL400 whilst I play for pennies at the micro-stakes. It is pretty disheartening to be honest.

It does not help that I had some sort of mini-crisis a year ago and blew a lot of cash partying, which resulted in me withdrawing some of my bankroll. Then, when I finally sort out my mental state and start to build a semi decent bankroll again my computer dies and I have to withdraw my entire roll to buy another one. It just seems like the Poker Gods (amen) do not want me to progress as something always seems to crop up to knock me back three or four steps when I have moved up one.

I am my own worst enemy sometimes as I have to be the best at something if I enjoy doing it and when my plans do not work out it really winds me up and infuriates me. I guess the best thing to do would be to take a back seat and stop playing for a couple of days and start playing when I want to rather than just when I can. I know I have the skills to beat this game and make a decent crust from it, I just need to sort out my attitude towards it all otherwise, I will be a micro-donk forever!

As always, thanks for reading and best of luck at the tables!

Comments (5)

1. Luckystraights | 12 August 2008

   I've been feeling the same, non-poker issues at home, always add an extra heavy burden to my play as well.

   Best of luck xxx

2. Mair | 13 August 2008

   Pud, you are one of the good guys! Your poker skills are brill and you have so much potential for really getting a good roll and doing good in MTTs.

   Keep at it, work out a strategy that is best for you, plug away at it and take the swings that go with it and push through the bad times, you will come out shining at the end.

   Probs talking a load o bollocks here, but I know you Pud and you have the strength, determination and skill to be a top player.

   Tata for now.

   Mary

3. Daniel S | 13 August 2008

   You sound similar to me mate. I get pretty down/ annoyed when I read how so and so is now making a living from poker and I'm still donking around the small limits. I try to focus on the writing more than the playing sometimes as I'd much prefer to have more writing work, but obviously making a packet from playing would be nice.

   Just keep plugging away mate and it will work out in the end. Well that's what I keep telling myself.

   Daniel S

4. Rossi | 16 August 2008

   Alright mate,
   thanks for the mention mate, it aint all roses here i can tell you. On the back of a $4k downswing and still waiting for the powers at be at work allow me to drop the hours. Pretty stressfull at the moment!!
   Yeah i remember though when we were blogging about the same levels, we must be blogging veterans, dont think there are too many blogs about that started when ours did. I get sick of reading in the magazines about so and so that started last year and is now a $millionaire playing $300/$600.....annoying aint it. Remember all the people that have lost everything playing in that time too that you never hear about.
   I heard myself saying the other day after another bad beat "i hate this fucking game, might as well just fuck it off".... a bit extreme but it just shows how stressfull it can be. But we ALL know life without poker....well fuck that!!!
   keep going mate, why not just play a 20 buy-in rule and grind up through the limits, i bet you would be up to $1/$2 before long if you just stuck to it.
   

5. Pud's Poker | 23 August 2008

   Thanks for the comments guys, always appreciated.

   I seem to have got my head together again and it should show in my next couple of posts!