The bankroll thing

Apparently, those of us who expressed disappointment at the poker blogging ‘community’ need to ‘get over ourselves’. Personally, I think that advice applies rather more directly to those members of that ‘community’ who thought it appropriate to call a woman a ‘c*nt’ over her criticism of a poker hand. Its been quite bizarre to watch; like ‘Don’t diss da community’... ‘Criticise one of us, you criticise all of us’. Anyone would think that stripper had called everyone’s mother a ‘ho’ rather than having made some blinkered, mild criticisms of the playing of a goofy poker hand.

I should also like to point out that I, for one, was not ‘whining’ about being disappointed – if anything, I was sneering.

Oh well. If nothing else, the whole overblown episode has at least provided evidence that people are still reading my stuff - I got some actual to goodness comments – and I won’t try to bashfully pretend I’m not pleased. However, I do think my content has gone downhill over the last few months. It would be nice to have some striking new poker thoughts or experiences, but for the moment I can’t see myself jumping around into different games or anything else that might stir up some reflective material. My biggest aim this year is to move up in limits, but that goal is in tension with my ongoing need to withdraw bankroll funds for food and beer and train tickets and whatnot.

The forthcoming need to pay rent will not exactly help the quest to build the bankroll, either, although it may be balanced by the opportunity to play many more hours once I live in my own space. Its all most frustrating, the bankroll thing (or, more accurately, the debt thing). If I hadn’t been stripping the bankroll for the past six months I would be in the comfort zone to play significantly higher than my present, bottom-feeding environment.

Talking of bottom-feeders, my friend and I got conned in London by a guy selling something which proved not to be what he said it was. I expect you catch my drift. It would be nice to be able to buy such things from legal, licensed vendors.

On a slightly related note, I have smoked only two cigarettes in the last 48 hours. I started reading the famous Allen Carr book on quitting smoking, and even though I haven’t got very far in it does seem to have lowered my motivation to smoke quite considerably. I hope this will continue.

And finally, sports. New England face a tough AFC Championship game next week, against Pittsburgh. The Steelers are one of the only two teams to beat the Pats this season, and I think may have inflicted two of their last three defeats. Should be quite a match.