Changing it up...

Just finished up the freeroll. I had no hands at all and was able to build my stack through pushing and stealing blinds of people that were not playing. I finally picked up 99 on the button when we were down to 71, there was a standard raise of 1200 and i pushed my 6000 chips into AA...board showed 10 J Q K and my straight was second best. Hoping to log some hands tonight.

I need to change my blog up from daily bitch sessions to constructive posts. everyone goes through bad stretches and bad beats, but no one wants to read about them...i am going to post less frequently and with more substance.

I have been dealing with variance and the effects it has on my confidence and play. I just moved up to a new level and believe I am at least a break even player. However, I hit a stretch where I was getting good hands to open with, but missed every flop and every continuation bet I was either check-raised or someone lead out at me so I would have to call with my AK or let it go. I was always in a bad spot. To make matters worse, I lost 4 straight hands in which I flopped a set, and had a few river beats. Yes, I said I was going to stay away from bad beat posts, but that really isnt what this is about. Concerning yourself with those hands and the results is exactly what I shouldnt be doing. The fact I was able to get in good is proof enough that I am setting myself up for positive things. I need to continue to play my game. It is sorta ironic in that you can put yourself into good situations, lose, and then question your play. Confidence is what I need to maintain and always remind myself.

Now, humility is something else that I must keep very close to the surface. I have an urge to play a lot of hands and need to keep it in check. I feel like it is arrogance when I let myself play too many hands - my solution has been to open more tables. I know it sounds counterintuitive, but for me it work. I open up a few more tables and then I am very careful to keep myself from getting too active. Opening a few extra tables, as long as I can maintain discipline, has worked well for me in that it helps me log more hands and get the action I am looking for.

Tonight taught me a lesson in patience. I made one call that was questionable, but I saw the guy get it all in when he 4bet KQs. I got my 77 in on an 8 high flop and he had 99. Overall, my play seems solid and my confidence is growing. I still need to get a good sweat session with my coach to help me with situations where I get 3-bet preflop and also how to proceed postflop when I miss...I know I have a lot of work to do in those situations.