Tips and Tales (positive)

THIS BLOG IS FOR NEWER PLAYERS OR MEMBERS OR THOSE LOOKING FOR POSITIVE THOUGHTS. IT WILL TAKE A FEW MINUTES TO READ. If you are planning to win the WSOP this year or are an accomplished player with little use for low risk play, you might not get a thing from it.

But if you are looking for reasons why to play at SpadeClub or want hear why I think almost a year here has been worth its weight in gold, read on.

I will keep it as short as possible. There are a few accomplishments and a few hard truths I had to face in this story. There aren't any bad beats, or stories about losing the farm. There are no embelishments or falsefacts. There is no "Now I am pro!!" either. Its about my experiences, but many might find some common goals. The details are important in providing you with some possitive motivation.

I have been playing for 3 years. Besides SC, I play live at casino and at home games. My smallest buy ins are $10 my largest has been $230. I mostly play $40-$60 tournements and 4/8 limit or 1-2NL. My track record on SC and live and is nothing to be ashamed of, I have managed to stay in the green for 2 years. So far at SC I have won about $160 more than my membership fees. About one good hand at casino.

So far I am hardly advertising, not gonna make a billboard out of this blog. That said, many players made more playing poker at SC last year than I did live. But lets talk abit about why I think its an awesome place.

Last August, after busting out of $180nl, I sent SCKenny a question. He told me he "hated the way I played that hand!" Bruise to the ego??? Ya think. But I did learn something from his feedback. Still, next time I sent him one again. Again I was set straight. Little offended again? Truth hurts sometimes. By now I was blogging up a storm and hearing all sorts of opinions. But there was alot of good in them. My last ask Kenny question he almost sounded tired of explaining things to me. I know thats not how he wanted to come across though. He said something like "If I was to play that, like any other hand I would raise...........". My eyes opened a little.

I started reading my poker books again. Started thinking about all the discussions me and the community were having. I started to put concepts together. I practised then failed, practised then failed but hey! It wasn't costing me anything. Then it started to come together.

I started going deep in tourneys more. My next question had to do with end of tournement play.
I lost a few so close it hurt. But by now I trusted the advice of my friends at SC. Between October and December, I cashed for $2000 and ended the year $3500 ahead. I din't play casino very often, once or twice a month tops. I had 4 top 3 finishes which included 1 win & 2 chops. What I didn't have was great cards or luck.

Before we all got together and asked SC for a heads up table and practised through friendly competions, I always thought of it as a coin toss. Now, I welcome the battle as my favorite part of the game. Its not easy to get this kind of practise. If you are heads up everyday in money games, you probablly don't need it.

What else does SpadeClub have to do with this? Well the ability to build confidence without worrying about money was one key. Having the advice of many talented players was another. Now I like that with good play, I win a little loot to buy into my home games, then use a little of that to play casino. If I get sloppy, I can start over. But learning to manage my points to try for big events like the Bellagio and to earn tokens has taught me to manage my bankroll, so I don't often start over.

With that said, at the end of December, I started to lose a little. Through this last year, I have learned to recognize when its time to step back. In previous years I blamed the "donks", being card dead etc. This year I sat back and found at least 5 leaks had sprung. Not huge leaks, but things that needed to be fixed. Bad habits like playing to tight or too loose, useing the wrong play against the wrong type of opponent or in the wrong situation.

So why now? I have always had poker buddies, but we had egos and competition and each others shoulders to cry on. Whats different now is I have a community with goals to stop making excuses and start getting great. I have friends that are in it for the long haul, not just until tommorow.

Are you gonna have to deal with loose play on a low risk site more than other places? Yes and no. But learning to adapt to players with nothing to loose is a pretty strong training ground. You are forced to stay one step ahead. This works on any table. You learn how to be in control of different player types and how to cut your loses. You learn how to lead these players right into your traps.

Along with playing live, I have had the oppurtunity to talk to many proffesionals and attend many different stakes of games. Some of these players I have met through my friends here. But thats another blog. The types of players will be the same at all stakes. While there are fewer of some than others at higher levels, it always only takes one to send you to the rail. Learning to be prepared and out smart all types can also be done on the SpadeClub felts. You just have to learn where to find them and recognize them when you do. Practise makes perfect and you can practise risk free!

Now I told you this isn't a Cinderalla story. I'm not looking for one. I have a long ways to go in this game. What I have finally found is a place to start.