Running For Cover --- Transforming This Manic Gambler Into A Poker Player.

#1 15th June 2010, 6:37 AM

I hate to make a big story of it, but its all leading into where I am now.

I started playing cards online at a couple rooms when I was 15. I started with $50 in the account and got on a run of cards and turned it into nearly $2000. Twice as fast as I made it I lost it. After another month or two of winning and losing at cards I began handicapping my true passion in life, sports. Waking up a year later half way through the 11th grade I was making calls to to New Jersey, Las Vegas, Australia, England and Costa Rica with my daily plays. Not knowing really what I was into or knowing how to handle the money that I had coming in I stopped going to school regularly and began playing live games across Calgary at various casinos (remember, it is 18 years in Canada, I was 17 at the time but no one suspects and under aged minor to be sitting $2/$5 no limit at 11am in the morning with a stack of hundreds in his pocket) After nearly 3 months of grinding out point spread winners and cards on the felt I was offered a job at a sportsbook/poker room in Malta. I officially dropped out of school, took off half way across the world and ended up on a flight back before I was even out of Glasgow Airport. After facing the consequences I spent the rest of the year at home not attending school still advising sports wagering moves to clients across North America. I made the choice to finish my schooling packing 4 extra classes into my senior year which officially finishes with graduation this weekend. Things were fine and rolling along and a return to cards seemed unnecessary until April 25th/26th when the Milwaukee Brewers were hosting the Pittsburgh Pirates at Miller Park. The biggest wager of my career came on the Brewers as a -140 fav. on the 25th, A 1 run lead in the bottom of the 9th was blown by Trevor Hoffman and the Brewers saw defeat. Devastated the clients pressures for another winner. Encouraged to back the Mets the next day (Who won 4-0 thanks to Johan Santana's complete game) I ended up backing the Brewers again against my initial feelings. Like a bad movie, Hoffman had a one run lead in the bottom of the ninth after the Brewers recorded 7 scoreless innings in a row he let the Pirates tie the game. In the 14th inning ESPN which I was watching in school showed Jim Edmonds score the winning run. Relived and estacic I took off home with a grin on my face only to find out the report was wrong, Edmonds was out at home and the Pirates scored in the 15th inning to win by a run.

Sports betting was done, so was my future career. It was everything I had done and everything I had wanted to do. With a month to finish school, I was literally, Running For "Cover". A term which a friend of mine in New Jersey would say when he was betting the Monday Night Football, his team "Covering" the point spread meant the difference between paying his bookie or being paid by the bookie.

Recently I have built up enough a bankroll to begin playing cards again. My plan is to play online as a Prop and earn rakeback as my source of income. I have graduated with a B+ average and had an offer for Broadcasting Scholarship in College. (If you haven't noticed, im quite the talker.) It is not what I want with my life, as amazing as I am as the announcer at the hockey game or filling in for the local late night radio show, I don't get excited unless I am playing cards.

I will get into my Prop/Rakeback situation later on as I still have a week before I plan to make my inital deposit.

As for now im fooling around with some money left on Titan, here is where I seek help from you guys here.

I am an all over the place, free living, laid back guy. On the golf course, basketball court or baseball diamond I am the most talkative, competitive fired up son of a gun you will ever meet. I drive people crazy. I am always in the game but never really "focused" if you know what I mean. When I play cards online, I am so zoned in, I have no clue what is going on around me. Normally you say, that is a good thing. Here is the problem, When I finish a session, I remember absolutely nothing except how much money I started with, and what I finish with. I played micro no limit yesterday on Titan for six hours. I had a total buy in amount of $75 and a profit of $180. In those six hours, I didn't eat, I didn't talk, I didn't answer any phone calls, nothing. I literally remember nothing. I get so zoned in I don't even think at the table. I play extremely quick and slow play the death out of strong hands and over bet the weaker hands to steal the pot. When I have a made hand Im like a deer in the headlights, if people are betting into me, all I see is the call button.

For one example, I had a stack of roughly $40 in $.10/$.20 NL. I had 5 5 in the small blind and limped to see the flop with the big blind. The flop came A 9 5 rainbow. I checked and had the guy fire back $.50. I just called. Turn came a 9. Guy fired $4 at me, I called again. River came a 6. He bet $10 at me, I called again. He turned over 6 6.

I didn't realize the full extent of what had happened until 3 or 4 hands later and how poorly I played it.

As locked in as I get online its even worse in live games.

I was playing at the casino, after three hours I decided to pack it in. When I stood up I was light headed. Why? For whatever reason, I look down the entire game. Im not talking straight down but my eyes go from my cards, quick glance at peoples faces then at my chips and stay there. The weird part is I can get reads on people by how they are betting. I rarely look at the peoples face but you can feel out what they are trying to do by how quickly they respond and the amount of their wagers, just like online tells.

Maybe this is just a rare case of me being tunnel-visioned (if that is the word for this) at the table, or perhaps this is common? Why am I so locked in and zoned out at the tables?

I know I need to get rid of this and start playing the right "mental" game at the table when I start playing for keeps late this month. I hate to rant on but this is serious and any help I can get would be great as it will improve my game in a big way.

Does anyone have advice on this or any comments to say. I would appreciate it.

Thank you for reading.

#2 15th June 2010, 3:09 PM

Thank you for sharing your story first off.

As far as getting reads in a live game without looking up...
Clearly you are not taking in all the information you can if you aren't looking at your opponents and this in some way handicaps you, however more important than doing the textbook is doing what works for you. So maybe you've found a mental system that you can master using only the information you gain from the factors you mentioned. You pay very close attention to time to bet, amount of bet maybe even how they toss the chips in the middle. If this is working for you at the level you want to be playing at then I wouldn't recommend straying far from this philosophy for the time being. You could of course benefit from reading material out there on live play and cash games. Another reason I say stick with what you got is because I think some players experience "information overload" when playing live. They'll look at their opponents bet, body posture, history of plays etc and they will get a conflicting story which ends up costing them $ in the end. If you have a simple read that is accurate, then stick. BUT, be sure that your read is accurate and you aren't being over-confident... we all have much to learn.

Stix

#3 15th June 2010, 5:12 PM

Hell of a first post.

Has anyone suggest you are compulsive? If it wasn't sports/cards, it might surely be drugs or alcohol.

Congrats on returning and finishing school. It would be better in the long run if you accept the college offers and treat gambling as a side show.

#4 15th June 2010, 7:13 PM

"Technically" I am not compulsive. I went to a psychologist after I returned from Malta, it was a couple hours of talking then there was a test, it ended up being labeled more passion then an addiction since my life is not worse financially, im not hurting anyone and have no signs of depression ect.

This is what bothers me the most, im a loud talkative full of life bouncing around kind of guy, but when im playing cards its the exact opposite, its like im acting.

I don't know if there is such a thing as playing out of your personality or not, but it may be holding me back from my full potential. Is it really bad to play on feel and not the math or odds perspective of it? I don't think I can be successful if I am never intimidating at the table.

Look at Phil Ivey for example, he sits there and stares you down, filled with confidence and is a very intimidating figure. His play reflects that, people respect his hand and lay down hands simply based on that.

If im stuck playing like I am now it may hurt me in the long run doing this every day for a living, will it not?

#5 15th June 2010, 7:42 PM

Adrenaline is an addictive "drug". Risk taking has a physical effect upon a person. If you feel that rush in your stomach when you hold a big hand and are about to make a big bet, it is adrenaline. The same feeling comes when your big bet gets raised. The excitement can be similar to a drinker's buzz when he has his first drink of the day. A lot of people chase that when playing.

#6 15th June 2010, 7:45 PM

There is a 1-800 number in your future, and it is not the good one. Sounds like ur kinda hooked on what ever u do, so be carefull and manage ur bankroll, that is the number one thing inpoker and the only thing.

#7 15th June 2010, 8:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mig2169

There is a 1-800 number in your future, and it is not the good one. Sounds like ur kinda hooked on what ever u do, so be carefull and manage ur bankroll, that is the number one thing inpoker and the only thing.

No disrespect to the OP but the 1-800 line is great. LOL

#8 15th June 2010, 8:12 PM

I am a compulsive gambler myself and I'm afraid to tell you whether you want to hear it or not you are too. There were several parts of your post that sounded just like many of the thoughts I've had over my life.

A detached handicapper would not lay so much on the line for one game. Sports handicapping is about the long haul and putting so many eggs in 1 basket is a sure sign problem gambling.

Not trying to preach to you hear, but compulsive gamblers need to be told straight up how things are.

Your having trouble with poker because it's the one form of gambling that you are involved in personally. With a sports bet your studying, but once you place the bet your part is done. With poker it's all up to you. Your zoning out because your mind is on the money aspect of the game and not the players/cards.

You may not think your having a problem now because you still have money, but your day of reckoning is coming. It does for all problem gamblers. I've gone on good runs before and won tens of thousands of dollars in a matter of days only to blow it all back just as quickly.

To be honest I don't have much of a solution for you because your problem is a compulsive one and I'm not a psychiatrist, but I do honestly wish you well and hope your road doesn't take you down the same path that mine did. Good Luck.

P.S. I know the Pirates stink, but the Brewers ain't exactly the shit either. How could you make this your play of the year?

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