Tilt Control + Confidence

The ex Mrs A popped round last night to clean the flat.After grabbing a pizza and dropping her off I headed home to hit the virtual felt.Thankfully my man flu is getting better and only a nasty chesty cough remains.

I ended up messing around reading forums and watching poker clips before eventually firing up a couple of $16's just as the US presidential debate started at 2am.I don't follow US politics closely.Obama reminds a bit of Blair in '97 although I'd probably favour him over another Bush clone.In the debate itself I felt McCain came across as the stronger more sure footed candidate but I didn't find either man very inspiring.

At the tables I crashed out of the first $16 when my AK fell to A8.In my other game I had about 1200 chips and looked down to Qc6c.Someone limped and for a brief second I considered shoving before realising my tilty inclination and folding.Obviously an all in and a call followed my fold and although I would have been dominated preflop ( KK and 1010)I would have rivered a flush and my Q6 would have won me a huge pot.Folding hands which turn into monsters has always been a tilt trigger I need to keep an eye on and before I knew it just a couple of hands later I found myself calling all in with AJ soooted v Mr/Mrs Tightest Nittiest tight nit in nitland.I was up against QQ and didn't spike my Ace.Stupid tilty donk call.Served me right!

I took a ten minute break before coming back and taking a 4th and 2nd place in my last two games before bed.It gave me food for thought though.I was annoyed at myself for making a tilty call and the old saying about a mans character being reflected at the poker table came to mind.

I'm certainly nowhere near being manically depressed or anything like that but I do sometimes seem to be full of zest,outgoing confidence and energy one minute and lethargic,bored and introverted at other times.At the poker tables when I'm doing well I feel I could happily take on any of the regulars at my levels and ( cards willing!) win.I feel in the zone and able to make instant correct decisions and yet at other times I'll move sites to avoid the regulars at my usual $16's and when I look down at a hand I feel like it's the first one I've ever played.I suppose I've only really been at the sngs for about a year and although more and more of my decisions are quick and are based on previous experience and pattern recognition,there are always going to be marginal situations where there's no easy set path.

Ok,I've got Nacho until Tuesday.Time to go and walk him before the rain gets any heavier...