Bad Karma

Well...my free ride is just about over. I'm about to start playing my own money again. I played a $5/9 person sng and a $10/9 person sng tonight. Bubbled both. I then sat down at a .05/.10 NLH 6 handed table.

I've really worked on being patient, but I seriously doubt that I can win again. The hands I've busted on are just maddening.

In the first sng, I have 10 10 in BB and about 9 BBs left. The 2nd shortest stack at the table is in the LB. He does his usual min raise. I'd let those go weak so I could trap him when I hit a good hand. This was it. I pushed. He calls. He's got AK. You'll never guess when came on the flop.

2nd sng, I was about as card dead as anyone could be. In 35 hands, I had one Ace (UTG with an off suit 3) and 1 king. No, it didn't have a very nice card either and was WAY out of position. I play patient poker and steal enough to stay alive. I get down to 7 BB and squeeze JJ...I push (remember, I've folded almost every hand for 40 minutes). I get 2 callers. Being the short stack, we see the flop. Of course! There's an ace. One of the caller raises and the 3rd person folds. He turns AA. The player that folded says they fold JJ. You've got to be kidding.

So I sit at the ring game. I play tight and stay in small pots, until I raise to 3 BB from middle position. I get reraised from the BB. This guy had been an idiot for a little while...so I pushed my entire stack in and had him covered. Well...of course he calls...he's got KK. And just to show you how shaken my confidence is, I get ready to stand up from the table. How could my AA beat that. He flops a K. I'm broke.

I really need some help here. My money goes in ahead and I can gurantee...it will get beaten. This just can't be variance or can it. Do other people lose everytime they play? I mean really? How can you just continualy lose with the best hand? I build up a stack in the beginning of a tournament only to watch my cards go cold...until...I get a big hand but just not as big as everyone else...or...I lose a friggin' 2 outer!

I have a vacation coming up. Maybe that will help turn the corner. I had been reading Brian Townsend's blog. He was in a serious rut. Now, I'm not saying I'm him, but he seems to have been able to come out the other end.

I'd like to learn to grind it out in the cash games, but I gotta tell ya, I've lost a small fortune putting my money in with AA or KK and watching them just fold. This isn't the first time I was all in (calling) with AA only to watch it lose. I'm not sure I have ever won with it in a ring game. I play loose to get action...BAM...variance. I play tight to protect them...BAM...variance.

How does this game work?