The Virtual Rail

It's equal parts frustrating and exciting to follow my friends as they make their way towards big buy-in final tables. It's very disappointing to me that I haven't made a major breakthrough yet. Listening to Paul and Alex talk about their experiences in these events is eye opening. It shows me that I have the mental capacity to compete at their level. It also shows me that right now, they're far better players than me. How I have played in the past, and how I am playing now, is not good enough. These guys got chips by playing strong poker, listening to their gut, and not backing down. Time after time I've bled away chips by playing scared and trying to be sneaky. Sneaky is good up to a point but in tournament poker, power is more important.

The good news is
a) they're good guys and deserve their success
b) I've tricked them into trading percentages with me
c) I get 3 more shots next week in Indiana and about twenty this summer at the WSOP

Sooner or later I'll get there.

In the meantime, Come on Fish! He's 18th with about 70 left. Today was the roughest of his three days so far but he still finished the day far ahead of where he started it. Saturday is the crucial day and it will be another long one sitting on the virtual rail.

___

Friday afternoon: -116

YTD: 85,697