Friday, July 10, 2009

No Fate

With the exception of a couple of $22's last night I've had a few poker free nights recently.On Wednesday I was at the cinema to see Terminator:Salvation and although it's a different type of film to the other Terminator movies, ( more Matrix/Star Wars than the first three films) I wasn't exactly blown away by it.A Terminator film without Arnie or Linda Hamilton just doesn't seem the same.It was no surprise that the ending left room for more of the same, but there were no legendary scenes like the start of T2 ( Bad to the Bone) or the "I'll be back" police station scene from the original film.

Jumping back to the poker I downloaded the latest Pokertracker 3 update and realised that the reason my tourney stats are all wrong is because I've not been downloading the sng summaries.I tried to do it manually but failed miserably.Any tips on how to do this quickly and easily would be appreciated!

No word back on my proposed sabbatical from work and I reckon it could be 7-10 days before I do get an answer.I wrote in my last post that even if I had the skills/mental capabilities to play poker for a living ( and I'm not saying I do) I didn't think a life spent mashing buttons on my own would be much fun.That doesn't mean I don't have great respect for players that do grind out a living from the great online cardgame we know as No -Limit Holdem.

Aside from the fun and social factors I'm also not sure I have it in me mentally to cope with dealing with the daily swings which come as standard when playing a lot of sngs.I work hard at my day job but I'm a lazy git too and I doubt I have the stamina required for being able to put in a ton of hours at the virtual felt.Something Shamus posted recently ( see his July 8th post) also rang a bell with me.When comparing his feelings on live poker v online he wrote " When I play online, I almost never feel that sense of satisfaction, win or lose. In fact, I often feel something very different, something more akin to self-loathing over having “wasted” my hours in a non-creative, unproductive, empty pursuit.".

His words really hit home and I wonder if there's something within me that feels that way about grinding at the virtual felt.Playing for say 8 hours and not making any profit does feel like a complete waste of time and yet I'll play PS3 games for long periods without feeling the same.(no reward at all other than getting to remind the s-man of the Immortal badge I earned for winning a ranked race in Pacific Rift...)

I've also banged on for years about how I'm terrible at actually starting to play poker even when I've plenty of spare time to play.I'll surf the net,watch tv and mess around, although once I do start and get into the zone,I feel like I could play all night.This usually leads to me starting around 11pm and not wanting to switch off and go to bed at a reasonable time.Maybe that reluctance to begin play comes from the feelings Shamus described.Perhaps I'm just making excuses for being a lazy git or I'm just mentally weaker than the hardcore grinders.Who knows!

Ok,time for a quick Arnie scene.Back after the weekend...

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4 Comments:

At Saturday, 11 July, 2009, Blogger Unknown said...

To update your SNG results in PT3 just request your "Tournament Results" in Poker Stars, and they will email you the results. Then cut and paste the entire email onto notepad and save the file. Then open poker tracker, go to manual import, load file, and choose the file you just saved. This works for me, although Stars only sends the results for the last 200 games.

Grinding SNGs.....I understand the pain you're going through. :) You've probably already read this book but if not check out "Sit 'n Go Strategy" by Colin Moshman. It will improve your game.

You may want to consider cash games as well. Harrington on Cash Games are great reads if you're thinking about switching it up a little.

Peace.

-Slick

 
At Saturday, 11 July, 2009, Anonymous Anonymous said...

oh man, i could soooooo do with a fucking sabatical .... about 15 fucking years would do ....

regards

theLurker

 
At Monday, 13 July, 2009, Anonymous Anonymous said...

A job is a job, the only difference about playing the virtual felt versus a traditional "day job" is human interaction. If you had a few "work colleagues" playing online in the same location (i.e. office) how would it be different? You take some bad beats, you vent to your fellow workers on the spot, you drive home, work over!! You take some down, win some cash, you glory in the details with your fellow workers, you drive home, work is over!!! Kind of sounds like a stock brokers job….. The unfulfilling part of online poker when played in a house alone is the fact no one is there to share the gratification or disappointment, or to just interact with because you’re having a boring day, unlike a “day job”. I reckon that’s why live poker can be perceived as different, you go with your buddies or you meet folks at the table – like minded individuals that share your experiences, emotions or desires in a game of life – poker or “work”.
Ultimately most people/personalities need social interaction – you’re not a loner and you’ve got lots to give to others, so find a way to have the social interaction and play poker and you’ll never look back!! Whether that’s an online poker club that all play in the same house/office or a live game that will (in mind drunken mind) make the difference.

Yours truly
The Connecticut Cod (aka San Jose Salmon, aka Miami Marlin… etc..)

 
At Monday, 13 July, 2009, Blogger Littleacornman said...

Thanks SH.I tried that and it seems to work for Stars.Just need to work out how to get Party stats right.I've not read Moshman ( read Shaw's book though) but will do at some point.Re the cash games,I was a $50nl 6 max player until I discovered the joy of sngs...

LOL Dudley.

Cheers CC.I think you've pretty much nailed it mate.If ( and it's still a big if) I do get the time off and I hate it and don't make $ then at least I'll have given it a go with the safety net of a job to go back to and 1/4 wages whilst I am off.

 

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