Something of a hiatus
And no sooner do I announce my presence to the world, than my computer dies. In fact the time between pressing 'Publish' and the computer descending into uselessness could be measured in minutes. Hopefully this is not an omen.
Maybe it was taken as one by my subconcious though, because I then lost all interest in my poker blog (although not poker).
I don't know why, but I'm now ready to start writing again.
*Deep Breath*
So having watched the poker on late night TV and been entirely engrossed it was but a short step to playing on-line. Being the meticulous person I am I did some research and discovered that one could get various sign-up bonuses and so it was that I ended up with an account at Totalbet (I now know this as a cryptologic skin).
Totalbet offered me the enticing offer of a 100% match bonus, which to me seemed a bargain. Free money. Sadly a conversation with their support department gave me an understanding of the wagering requirements, and it was pretty clear to me that I wasn't going to be seeing the bonus any time soon. Still, I wanted to play poker, dammit, and play poker I would.
There were a couple of problems.
1) I was hopelessly under-bankrolled. I had decided to deposit around £25 ($50) and I think the lowest limit game on offer was £0.25/0.50. I was blissfully unaware that other sites (Stars primarily) offered games with blinds of 0.1c.
2) I didn't really know how to play. I knew the rules, but little else. I also had only seen STTs on the TV, but elected to play limit ring-games to try and make my bankroll last longer.
Consequently the first evening of playing poker didn't last long. My wife and son were out somewhere, and so I approached the computer with trembling hands and sat down at a table, posted my first blind and received my first cards.
I wish I could say that I played brilliantly, and instinctively knew how to play, but I did not. Nor did I understand fully how the site worked - there was (and still is) an option about whether to show your card at a showdown if you lose, or if you win a pot uncontested. Virtually all players either show no hands, or just the occasional one, but the default switch is to show all your hole cards in all cases where you don't fold and I left that on. Consequenly I was playing like an amateur, and, worse, showing everyone at the table I was.
I remember four things about the session.
1) Asking myself whether I should be betting or calling with a draw (any draw).
2) Looking desperately for an excuse to call bets, the possibility of runner-runner straights was certainly good enough
3) I won a couple of big pots early and my funds rocketed to £40. I realised that I didn't want to leave so soon though so carried on playing only (inevitably) to lose it all.
4) Mostly though I rememer how much I loved the game. Few things in life have ever given me the buzz of playing poker on that occasion. I played in my study. Alone, with the lights down, and watched the screen as the adrenalin coursed around my veins, and my heartbeat seemed audible. Sure I played badly, and I lost money but it was really, truly, thoroughly good fun.
After having lost my deposit, I vowed to play again, but this time to study before I did, so I would have a chance of playing properly. I was only going to play poker if I made money at it, and I wanted to be good. Or at least adequate.
It was time to buy a poker book.
Maybe it was taken as one by my subconcious though, because I then lost all interest in my poker blog (although not poker).
I don't know why, but I'm now ready to start writing again.
*Deep Breath*
So having watched the poker on late night TV and been entirely engrossed it was but a short step to playing on-line. Being the meticulous person I am I did some research and discovered that one could get various sign-up bonuses and so it was that I ended up with an account at Totalbet (I now know this as a cryptologic skin).
Totalbet offered me the enticing offer of a 100% match bonus, which to me seemed a bargain. Free money. Sadly a conversation with their support department gave me an understanding of the wagering requirements, and it was pretty clear to me that I wasn't going to be seeing the bonus any time soon. Still, I wanted to play poker, dammit, and play poker I would.
There were a couple of problems.
1) I was hopelessly under-bankrolled. I had decided to deposit around £25 ($50) and I think the lowest limit game on offer was £0.25/0.50. I was blissfully unaware that other sites (Stars primarily) offered games with blinds of 0.1c.
2) I didn't really know how to play. I knew the rules, but little else. I also had only seen STTs on the TV, but elected to play limit ring-games to try and make my bankroll last longer.
Consequently the first evening of playing poker didn't last long. My wife and son were out somewhere, and so I approached the computer with trembling hands and sat down at a table, posted my first blind and received my first cards.
I wish I could say that I played brilliantly, and instinctively knew how to play, but I did not. Nor did I understand fully how the site worked - there was (and still is) an option about whether to show your card at a showdown if you lose, or if you win a pot uncontested. Virtually all players either show no hands, or just the occasional one, but the default switch is to show all your hole cards in all cases where you don't fold and I left that on. Consequenly I was playing like an amateur, and, worse, showing everyone at the table I was.
I remember four things about the session.
1) Asking myself whether I should be betting or calling with a draw (any draw).
2) Looking desperately for an excuse to call bets, the possibility of runner-runner straights was certainly good enough
3) I won a couple of big pots early and my funds rocketed to £40. I realised that I didn't want to leave so soon though so carried on playing only (inevitably) to lose it all.
4) Mostly though I rememer how much I loved the game. Few things in life have ever given me the buzz of playing poker on that occasion. I played in my study. Alone, with the lights down, and watched the screen as the adrenalin coursed around my veins, and my heartbeat seemed audible. Sure I played badly, and I lost money but it was really, truly, thoroughly good fun.
After having lost my deposit, I vowed to play again, but this time to study before I did, so I would have a chance of playing properly. I was only going to play poker if I made money at it, and I wanted to be good. Or at least adequate.
It was time to buy a poker book.
posted by PP at 10:27 PM
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