Poker News

John Carlisle

The past two NL Hold’Em tourneys I’ve played in produced these two results: the first was a win, the latest was an ousting on the bubble. If I were to measure the quality of my play on results alone, I would have to assume that I played better during my winning effort. In reality, though, I feel that I played much better during the tournament in which I lost on the bubble!

I made a couple of key mistakes in the tournament that I won. As the bubble approached, several players tightened up in order to reach the money spots.

I caught a run of good cards just then and got little action, winning only small pots. When I found two red Aces as my hole cards, I played them slow to get some chips into the pot.

When the flop showed 10- 10-8, I figured I was still in good shape. Then a tight/ aggressive player in seat 7 pushed all-in, a huge over bet of the pot. I thought for a bit, talking myself into an idiotic call on the prayer that he had only a pair of 8’s. Everyone at the table knew he had the 10. It was clear. He didn’t want to leave any opportunity for me to hit a bigger set/full house to send him packing on the bubble… I called and was embarrassed to get runner-runner diamonds to complete a lucky flush to send him home. I later put way too much money in the pot after the turn on a draw. Again, I hit a lucky flush. My old high school basketball coach would’ve have labeled the entire tournament an ugly win.

On the other hand, I was completely card dead on the night I got bounced on the bubble. I was very proudof my play. I stayed tuned-in, made some great steals from the button and small blind, and made some tough lay-downs in the correct spots. As the blinds began to raise to a dangerously highlevel, I pushed my stack to stay alive much longer than I should’ve.

We have to remember that poker involves two key factors: luck and skill. I find that way too many players measure themselves and their play on one factor only: the money. This may be a helpful indicator in the very long run, but we have to find a more accurate self-evaluation for shorter time spans. I’ve played solid poker for days and weeks and still come out behind. I’ve played sloppy poker and pulled profits, too. This means that I must be keenly observant on some other factors in my attempts to gauge my play.

Whether you are playing cash games or tournaments, you should be self-evaluating during play. As the dealer shuffles the next hand think through the last pot. Did you maximize your winnings/minimize your losses? Are you still focused? Are you tilting? Have you identified the styles of each of your tablemates? Are you confident?

At the end of the night, never assume that some extra cash in your pocket means that you played optimally. Think through your play for areas that could’ve been improved upon. It is imperative that we each find a way to measure our play in ways other than profits and losses.

Now go make it happen.

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