Big Downswing

My decent run of late had to end sometime I suppose and last night was an awful night at the tables.Bet big or go home is how I like to play and considering how quickly my bankroll has grown over the last month I reckon I was due a downswing. $263 to be exact.Bankroll now at $1072.

Played the first big hand I lost correctly I feel.At my usual $1 nl table when UTG raised to $4.I reraised to $6 with JJ to see where I was and was reraised back to $8 .His reraise made me rule out AK,AQ and lower PP's than mine and I called hoping to hit a set. Flop comes rag,rag and a golden J.I check to him fully expecting him to bet with his KK or AA and he doesn't let me down and pushes all in for a further $60 which I call in a flash.Of course the turn is an A and his trip A's take down my trip J's.

Ok thats poker and I had to work really hard at putting it behind me and staying on an even keel emotionally.Played a tight game and held it together well for a while but then decided that as I wasn't tilting I would move up to $2nl determined to play solid tight aggressive poker.Self delusion at its best.To fair to myself I didn't go wild at $2 nl in my first few hands.I did play a tight game but tilt can be very subtle as well as very obvious and when I looked back at the pot that cost me I was fuming with myself for playing it so badly.

Ok here goes.... I had AcJc and limped in to an unraised pot.This was only about my 6th hand so I had no reads on anyone. Flop comes Jh 7h Js. I check my set and its folded round to the villan who bets $7.I call thinking I was still well ahead and hoping he's got KJ.Turn is a Qd and I check to him again and call his $7 bet.River is a 10s and I finally bet out $20 hoping it looks like a bluff and hoping my slowplay has worked and I'm raised $90.

Alarm bells should have been ringing but with only 30 seconds to think I ruled out him holding AK for the straight due to no pf raise.Ruled out 89 as very unlikely. I had been thinking that he could have been bluff betting the flush draw as I was calling his bets but his large reraise on the river was no bluff.I had to think he thought I had missed my flush and was bluffing at it or I had A7 and that he was trying to punish me with his KJ. J10 and QJ crossed my mind too but I couldn't lay it down and felt like I'd been kicked in the nuts when he showed QJ to take down a big ( for me anyway) pot.

Why oh why did I not reraise his $7 bet on the flop?Why if I knew he wasn't bluffing didn't I give his river bet more respect? Greed is the simple and honest answer.I said before that I like to bet big on my made hands and make anyone drawing pay yet I let him decide how much he would pay to see his winning Q on the turn.

The other simple truth is of course that I should never have been at a $2nl table with my bankroll.Its nowhere near big enough to withstand the swings that come when I'm playing my A game let alone when I'm on my Z game.

Now comes the character test.Last time I lost over $200 in one night I contrived to repeat the dose the next night.I must not allow that to happen again.

I mentioned Pokertracker and how I've heard it can be used in real time at Party.I didn't think it could import hand histories until a session was over but now I've learned that aswell as my own reads ( radar in for repair just now) I can use PT at the table I'm at.I play 26 hands first then set PT to import recent hands from all players I've played over 25 hands with.Go to PT's gametime option and bingo I've got stats on all the players at my table.Now its only a snapshot as 25 hands is only 2 1/2 table orbits but any edge is useful.Players do come and go but if a few don't then after 100 hands I will repeat and PT will give some quite useful information.

Sadly good as it is PokerTracker doesn't declare in an electronic voice "You're playing like a monkey.Please switch off your pc immediately and do not return until the tilt monster has been slain".

I just hope it has.....