Being in the zone, where reads are right and crushing it.
This is definitely a great feeling. Just now - I called a big raise from the button with A/9 s
I felt like he was betting big with a pocket pair, probably 99+.
Flop comes AJ9. Bam! Two pair - Guy 3/4 pot. I'm about 85% sure he has Jacks now.
I call - reluctantly.
Turn is an 8, making 2 to a flush, Guy shoves. I have him covered by nearly double so I pouty face call - because I got two pair darn it, although I'm about 185% positive he has Jacks, could he have A/x, or Q/T, or a 9/8 - Nope - I just knew. I should of folded my flopped two pair - but I'm terrible at folding, so I doubled him up.
The crushing it part - is when my reads are correct making accurate - callable bets for my opponents, and they call - when they shouldn't have with top pair - and they pay me off.
Still working on that - but it really feels good building the stack with accurate reads.
I also enjoy being at a table with someone with a large stack and they are raising non stop and stealing chips. Makes me feel good when I just sit and wait and that moment hits. Since they are the aggressor at the table I just let them feed me chips in a hand. Often if you hit them hard enough, It puts them on that famous "tilt".
This is also a great feeling. I'm able to feel this roughly once a day in the Venom satellites. There is always one total AGGRO player who breaks the LAG status - those players often have huge stacks - but can never hold on to them, and it's a real treat to be the one that takes 3/4 of the chips he lucked into - and have them tilt off with J/5 suited. HA!
* Knocking out every dislikable person during cc events *
Do you have a list?
Am I on it?
Agree - there are a couple - that provide a bit more enjoyment than most others. :stupido3:
I feel good when I don't make mistakes, regardless of the result.
I would love to make this a goal of mine some day however I think if I made that my current bar - I would feel quite bad about my play nearly every day. (I've still only been playing for less than a year).
The best day I ever had - just a couple months ago - I can remember two specific errors I made during one of the events I ended up winning. The one that sticks out is near the final table - with about 20 players left I made a bad call on the turn with 2nd pair and the bottom end of a straight draw. Villain had a set - and I totally misread his hand. Although I won the event - that particular hand sticks out to me.
For me it's being on my game .. making good decisions ... without having to even think about them ... kind of that automatic pilot thing where I just do the right things and can't do wrong ... and it does feel pretty good ...
Yes I have experienced this a couple times - and it is quite pleasant.
What makes me feel great when playing is when my hands hold when they need to and the beats don't completely negate hours of work for days running but that's the extreme side of variance and those downswings are eventually counterbalanced by playing well.
You definitely have to always question whether poker is giving you back what you're putting in (if not in monetary then in entertainment-value terms) so I think it's great to think about what makes you feel good playing the game
Yes - I like to think about the good feelings - to counter all those things that make us feel cranky.
Sometimes - similar to your description - I get quite irate when making great reads and collecting chips, after leading a tourney for well over 1-2 hours, breaking into the money and ending up cashing for less than EV due to 1-2
hands where your set was rivered by a straight/flush. Those moments are quite frustrating when 1-2 hands totally destroy 4-8 hours worth of hard earned work.