Tax Holiday Rampage: Day One

Well, I had to alter the plan a little. I got up early and drove down to Hollywood Park, hoping to ease my way into a Stud game that been going all night. That way I could pick on the tired old people that played poker to augment the income they receive from the government. If it sounds wrong that I intentionally prey on these elderly folks, just take a look at your latest pay-stub and see how much Big Brother takes out for Social Security and Medicare. I’m just trying to get even.

Unfortunately, there were no Stud games available. The casino was nearly deserted, and the people there were all playing Hold ‘Em, in some form or another. Actually, there was a game of $20-40 Stud going, but my bankroll isn’t quite ready for that kind of action just yet. The floorman convinced me to wait it out for a bit, so I sat down in a small Limit Hold ‘Em game to pass the time. I lost my $20 buy-in within about seven hands. Not too much fun at all. I realized that it was going to be awhile before anyone showed up to play, so I decided to drive across town to the Commerce.

I didn’t really have enough cash to play $4-8 (the lowest bet limit at the Commerce Casino) – only a little over a buy-in. But I wasn’t going to risk my money playing Hold ‘Em. On the way over, I got lost and ended up driving in circles for about an hour. This turned out to work to my advantage, because I got all the anger out of my system before I sat down to play. I tilted enough for an entire day before any of my money was at risk, and so later on I was able to take my bad beats in stride.

I played solid poker for about 5 hours. I forced myself to take breaks every hour, and to eat, and it was good for me. I felt better playing. I brought a notepad along and kept track of how many hands I played, on what street folded, how often I brought it in, etc. I was disciplined and steady, and at the end of the session I walked out up $225, and thinking that I could do this everyday. I could be a professional, if I wanted to. I had made my money not by winning every hand, but by winning my fair share of hands and not chasing too much. Maximize profit, minimize losses.

Anyway, I took off about 3pm, and I still had a few hours before I was supposed to meet my girl. I decided to drive down to the Bicycle and play a little No Limit Hold ‘Em, as I had planned earlier in the week. Long story short – I forced myself to play tight but it didn’t help. I kept being dealt quality starting cards, and either missing the flops or missing my draws. I dropped $60 over the course of 45 minutes, and then bolted out of there as fast as I could.

Overall, I won $145. Not a bad day’s work, for 6 hours of playing the game I love. I make about $180 a day at my other job, for 8 hours at least. But my wins and losses are very telling. I made $225 playing Stud for 5 hours. I lost a total of $80 playing Hold ‘Em for 1 hour.

The lesson for Day One of my Tax Holiday Rampage? If I want to be a professional someday, I should stick to Stud, because Hold ‘Em is holding me back.

The lesson for you? Play your best game, and play it to the best of your ability as often as you can.