$50 Hangover

Had a great night with our friends on Sat night.I almost managed to stay off the tables but did play Ladbrokes freeroll for a couple of hands managing to get all in and all out before Mrs A came down the stairs.( me playing poker whilst friends are in = swift boot in chuckies).

A lazy Sunday was in order and I lay about the house playing on my PSP and not doing much else.My car radiator had been playing up and I think the cooling fins are gubbed.I topped it up last night and there was steam coming from under the bonnet by the time I got into town this morning.Booked it in for tomorrow morning.Can't leave it or I risk my 24v engine being as useful as an ashtray on a motorbike. £200 5 weeks before Xmas.Hmmmm nice!

Hit the tables around 10pm and decided to take it easy at a full ring nl table instead of my usual 6 max.After many hands of nothingness I check my 64 o/s in the BB and my heart starts beating that wee bit quicker when the flop comes 5s 7s 8c.I bet out and get 2 callers.I bet bigger on a blank turn and then I take a brain flip.The river is a spade and its obvious the one caller left has chased his flush ( without odds) and hit so I checked.Or at least I check now when I replay the hand in my head.I bet $17 and he called with his Jack high flush.Doh.I was pretty angry at myself for that.

I managed to hold my tilt monster back but I think folding KJ to two all ins and seeing a J on the river which would have won me a $35 pot tempted him ( my monster) out of hiding.That $35 pot would have brought me even again."You should be level not down" the monster screamed in my ear. My reply of "but it was KJ v 2 all ins and I made a sensible fold" was drowned out by laughter and smirking.

4d5d a few hands later and something snaps.Its my damn turn to hit my flush.If it was good enough for Mr Fishy to win with earlier then the poker gods better ensure I hit my diamond on the turn or river... No diamond.....No buy in left!

$90 down and managed to chuck away a quick $15 at Pokerroom before coming to my senses and going upstairs for a long hot shower using my special anti-tilt shampoo to wash away my self pity.

Back 20 mins later feeling better.Lit a large smoke and bought into two 6 max .25nl tables and ended up down $15 on one and up the same on another.

Closed them both after an hour and opened a .50-1 nl 6 max table with a high average pot.My head was right again and my tilt monster locked away but it was a stroke of luck which stopped this post being titled the $100 hangover.

I get 6s7s and call a $2 raise with 4 others.Flop comes Qc 2c 7d.Preflop raiser bets out $4 and gets raised by a friend of mine.( well he felt like my best friend after the hand).I'm tapping ash into my ashtray and moving my mouse over the fold option when I call by mistake.Preflop raiser folds and there's 2 of us in this pot and only one of us taking it down...

The turn brings a rag 6 and gives me a lucky 2 pairs.I'm considering how to play it when my new friend pushes all in! Now I'd picked my usual loosey goosey crazy table so it wasn't entirely unexpected but what could he have? I'm dead to trips but I don't give him Q7,Q2,Q6.My best guess is that he had top pair on the flop and was defending against the flush draw so I call and his Q9 ( no clubs) remains behind to my 67 two pair.

Now convinced the poker goods were on my side I left Ladbrokes at 01.20am down $36 and feeling like I was back on my best game.Not often I finish a session $50 down overall but feeling good but last night I certainly did.I'd defy any poker player to say they absolutely 100% never ever tilt and to come through it having slain the monster and only $50 down I was relieved more than anything else. Of course like the end of all the best horror films I know the monster isn't quite dead.He's just lurking again waiting for the right conditions to strike me down again.

Watched another player on tilt blame someone else at the table for being a "bot" and taking his money.I was tempted to tell him that going all in with your 3rd reload with J10 soooted and getting beaten has nothing to do with bots but while its car crash poker to watch, tilty players are golddust to the rest of the table and I don't play poker to be nice to people only to take their money.( I even muck monster winning hands like quads for fear of giving away any info to my opponnents!)

Good result for Scotland V USA at the weekend although it was a fairly pedestrian 1-1 draw.Not much point in the US or any other team going to the world cup in Germany next year because England beat Argentina 3-2 in a friendly and if you believe the hype then FIFA may aswell hand them the world cup right now and save all the other teams from having to waste a journey!
One word for any English folks reading this:Brazil!!

Be lucky and never tilt!