Took my first beating

I'm a small time player. I'm not rich, so my bankroll for the local riverboat casino is usually $300-$400. But, since the casino's poker room opened up last year, I had been a few times and had always walked away up $200 to $300 more than I had arrived with.

Well, I guess my head got too big for me, because a few weeks ago, I took my first loss, and lost everything I took.

The night started off poorly. I didn't get great cards, and when I did, they were cracked. Each time I thought about leaving, I'd win a decent pot and decided to stay.

Then, it happened. Around midnight, a rather large man took the seat to my left. (He looked like a sumo wrestler.) This guy was a maniac. He played every pot. He raised every hand, and caught more cards on the river than a human being should be allowed to.

I knew that he was trouble, and I knew that in my position relative to his, he was going to force me to fold a boatload of hands. I should have left when he sat down. If I had, I would have broken even for the night.

But, I didn't. My stack dwindled and dwindled and dwindled. I was determined to leave after the big blind passed me one more time. The guy straddled me when I was the big blind (raised the bet before the cards were dealt). I looked down and Ace-King and decided I was going to take the jerk down.

In the end, it was me and him. We capped the bets on each round. I never caught and Ace or a King, but felt like I probably could win the pot with Ace high. The river came, and a third diamond hit the board. I was a little worried, but hell, I had all money money in the pot. Might as well stay in with Ace High.

The bastard made a flush with Q-2 in the hole.

I was completely defeated. I left the boat at 4 in the morning, feeling like a complete idiot. I have read the books that tell you when you should get up and leave, but I couldn't convince myself to do it.

I haven't been back to the boat yet, and I don't know if I'll go. I think I'll stick to the online stuff for a while.