Vitriol

I’m still trying to get my records back in shape, only one or two holes to fill. Its obvious I’ve not been getting the hours in like I used to – a recent complete week featured only nine hours of poker (for $94).

I’m feeling lousy – tired, achey, sneezing somewhat. Not ideal when I have to spend the next two days at an huge event in London talking to countless visitors at an exhibition stand.

I’m surprised, bemused… and a little disappointed… at the vitriol that ‘stripperbynight’ has received this week from the poker blogging ‘community’. Calling her a c*nt and a troll, ridiculing her poker ability, sneering that another blogger ‘could buy and sell her many times over’; it all seems a most disproportionate reaction to her comment mildly criticising the glorification of playing ‘the hammer’, 7-2 offsuit.

Of course, it isn’t really about that at all. It is actually because 'stripper' has criticised popular blogger Felicia Lee a number of times for having a negative outlook.

So, on the one hand you could say ‘she started it, ner ner!’ On the other, you could say that bloggers criticise other people all the time for all sorts of reasons – Iggy on Dutch Boyd, PokerChronicles on most poker writers and the endless ‘chumps’ and ‘idiots’ he plays against. Frankly, I find it a little alarming to see this ‘community’ (OK, a number of these bloggers have met in real life) reacting like a playground mob, resorting to profane insults and ‘she’s got more money than you’ and so on.

In the end, none of it concerns me directly – or even indirectly. I guess I have just always been quite resistant to communities, groups, gangs. Plus, having a passion for intelligent, logical argument, I don’t understand how so many people can mock somebody’s poker ability when that ability is earning them a living and that person has the courage to put Real Numbers in their blog.

Enough. Not sure why I am even writing about that, except that I read many of the blogs on a very regular basis and this has been a disappointing day of reading.

This might be a good moment to waffle on about which ones are my favourites, since I am never going to get round to sticking a load of links over there --->

Iggy – so much poker content dug out from all corners
Cards speak – Usually interesting, although a bit more technical hold ‘em cash stuff than is of interest to me
Poker Grub – Can write, and is painfully honest about slots addiction
Tao of Poker – A blog that rambles all over the place in entertaining fashion
Gambling Blues – Barely a poker blog, which is fine. BG opens his heart, brains and veins for the reader. Makes me feel good about my love life, present and past!
F Train and doublea’s – For some reason I always get these two muddled up; both are well-written and full of interesting tournament strategy musings
Stripperbynight – Not an absolute favourite, but its nice to hear how a female online pro is doing. I envy these ‘get up when I like’ people
Whiskeytown – different, morose, lyrical, admits to losing. Latest post mentions getting ‘noticed’ in the blogging world about as little as I do. A good or a bad thing?
Internetpokerpro – A fellow Englishman, chockfull of insight into Omaha, posts his numbers
Camelpoker – English pro, football fan and sports bettor. Doesn’t post enough
Pokersoft – Brilliant stuff, has a sharp mind both in and out of poker
Negreanu – I won’t pretend I am not fascinated to read about the lifestyle of a wealthy, successful pro
pokerchronicles - Arrogant, amusing and interesting. Oddball refuses to wear jeans apparently

There are plenty others I check out, but those are the ones that spring to mind.

Well, it promises to be another poker-free few days, unless I can squeeze in an hour or two tonight. I envy these ‘get up when I like’ people – did I already say that?

Lazy Skull

My game-selection and record-keeping suck. Here’s why:

Last week I was sat in a six-max PLO8 game, doing ok. An acquaintance of mine (have met him in real life after chatting at the tables) who plays online for a living sat down, followed shortly after by another good player. And I stayed there, like a complete blithering idiot – when two of my five opponents were better players than me. Possibly only marginally better - at that game - but better. I have to get it into my thick, lazy skull that game selection encompasses leaving games as well as joining them.

The record-keeping; well, actually I am quite good on the whole. But since New Year I have ended up with notes from each session jotted on about five different pieces of paper, and now I can’t find them all or work out what order they come in, or anything. Unless I can face the dreary prospect of getting it together very soon I am in danger of thinking ‘aw hell’ and giving up. It wouldn’t be a good time to do that, since I have a relatively new game (PLO8) in which to assess my effectiveness, and am also playing a fair few two-table sit and goes at present.

My general impression is that I am doing quite well at PLO8 and having horribly bad luck in two-table tournaments. I need to check the figures of course, but since refreshing some sections of Bob Ciaffone and reading some decent online material I think I have cut out some errors and begun playing pretty well in 8-or-better. As for the tournaments, I’ve not recorded great results, but things really do seem to be going against me. I came fourth the other day, but a flush draw hitting the river denied me going into the last three with a workable stack, fourth being barely worth the effort). Last night I managed to get all-in pre-flop with 99 versus what turned out to be K5h (I dunno what he was thinking). I’m a 2/1 favourite, but a King fell on the turn and that was the end of me, leaving me with two big blinds. I’m also proving incapable of winning a ‘race’, eg. AT versus 66 or vice versa.

Beyond that, life is not bad thanks. I would love to be playing more hours but there you go. Just wait ‘til I move into my own place…