It's a Cat!

“Your Joy is your sorrow unmasked. When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy.”

Poker continues to frustrate, but I’m trying to maintain a positive mental attitude as I fight the fishes at the low limit tables on the IPoker Network.
Really am not sure what’s happened to me or my game over the last few months. Played for a while last night and eventually turned the tables off and spent an hour or so going through my hand history looking for faults.
When 80% of your losses come from:
AA v KK (twice)
My JJ v villains KK on a J high flop (he rivered another K)
Getting frustrated as my AK v 67 on a KK6 flop lost to runner runner flush in a 10$ SNG on the bubble
The final straw was my AK v K8 on a 226 flop, and when he called with K8 – there was utter frustration as the 8 hit the turn and I bubbled another 10$ SNG

So, I’m not sure where or what I can do to change my current form. All these hands were just damn unlucky, I know. But there have been so many I’m getting real depressed with playing – as you will probably have guessed from recent posts.

Sorry for the depressing tone, I do try and keep it upbeat usually – but I guess it is eroding my confidence and desire and I really feel I will benefit from not playing for a while.
Having said this, I love the game, and playing and I guess the losses are bedfellows with the wins – as the Kahlil Gibran quote above so eloquently puts it.
I am cutting right back on my online play, to the point where it may well not play a part in my future poker play. I have cut back my accounts and will not play another hand at Joker Stars again after suffering in the blogger tourney where yet more 2 outers hit the river in the only 2 hands I played a flop with. I have £50 left on the Crypto network and this will be my only BR for the foreseeable future.

On a positive note, I have bought a few poker books to read and look forward to tucking into Harrington and Gordon. I’ve found out that my local Rileys Snooker Club have branched into Poker and are licensed to run tournaments and have a growing base of members. There is a beginners Tournament night on Sunday so I have booked myself in and will try out the small SNG type format and see how it plays. Although I am no beginner, I am relatively inexperienced in live play, having played only a dozen or so home games with friends.

The weather added to my woes over the weekend, and as it’s my main time with Mia, it’s tough sometimes to be stuck in the house with no park or outdoor activities possible. We had some fun drawing – she is getting really good at doing pictures of Mummy and Daddy and Grandma and Grandad – and her colouring in is getting closer and closer to the lines! She is also really into her Playdoh – though Daddy is not very artistic and the cat I made for her promptly had her running round the table doing cow impressions.

‘It’s a cat, Mia – they go ‘miaaaooowww’ I said.
‘Silly Daddy’ she replies

She is still insisting on sleeping on the floor, but has allowed a blanket and cushion – so at least is more comfortable. I finally got out of her that she thinks her bed is ‘broken’ – not sure how she has come to this – but made an effort to dismantle parts of the bed and rebuilt it showing her it can take Daddy’s weight (just!) and said ‘Daddy fixed it’ a lot. Didn’t work last night, but will keep trying.

Anyway, good luck at the tables – apologies for the downbeat nature – hoping that normal service will be resumed shortly :-)