Sunday, May 28, 2006

Sometimes, I'm too honest

”Felicia Lee” just wrote a great post on being honest with yourself when you play poker.
I agree with every word, as I usually do when I read her.
Sometimes, though, I carry it too far.
Sometimes I'm too honest.

Editor's Note: Felicia is actually a sweetie and not quite the cranky blogger she makes herself out to be. I got to speak to her for a bit and she was very nice. I love her blunt honestly in her blog but if you ever get the chance, say hi to her. She probably won't bite your head off. :)

Lately I have tried to expand my game by bluffing more than I would normally bluff and calling when I wouldn't always call. The calling part is dangerous. The bluffing part is a way to improve. When I'm too honest with my own poker play, I tend to play far too tight. Tight poker is winning poker at my limits, .25 NL and occasionally .50 NL, and $5 SnGs; but I"m trying to win not only more consistently but move up. To do that, I can't just wait for a 10 percent hand and play it aggressively.
When I"m too honest, that I still can't read other players as well as I would like (it's improving but still not there) and that I tend to play scared far too often, I tend to follow my honesty instead of pitching it aside and trusting my instincts.

I've never been a totally confident person in some respects.
I am with my writing (although you wouldn't know that by reading this blog. Blogging, in my mind, is not writing, unless you are Joe Speaker or Pauly or Felicia. I am a much better writer than blogger. And I'm really not dismissing blogging as an art form when I say that. Blogging is its own skill). I am in my ability to play Halo. And I am in my ability to think through a problem and solve it.
I am not confident in my athletic ability. I plan to run the Bolder Boulder on Memorial Day, one of the largest races in the U.S. and a 10K. I think I can run under 50 minutes. In fact, everything I've read says I can. But I'm not sure I can. I'm warning people I may not. I'm warning myself I may not.
I'm too honest about it.

Honesty is a way to improve yourself. Honestly is still the best policy when it comes to many things, including poker. But honestly, sometimes I wonder what would happen if I wasn't so damn honest.

3 comments:

Felicia :) said...

Smoking crack is really bad for you. You should probably lay off the pipe.

Thanks for the shout out, and good luck today in your run.

Felicia :) said...

Sometimes you can out-think yourself..

When I was 13 I read half of the book "The ABC of Relativity". I was so into science and physics in high school, that I was reading Scientific American and asking questions my professor couldn't answer (he was a priest in training tho, had to teach, wasn't really qualified).

I was surprised as heck when I failed Physics II in college; and that the stumbling block, was relativity. However, it was the math behind it, and the fact that there were 2 planes of reference. Once I thought I had it, I would out-think myself later. I used to love the fact that I didn't need (or want) to memorize any math formula because I could reprove it. Physics II made me realise that sometimes that's just too much (not to mention out-thinking and getting the proof wrong too many times).

Sometimes you have to be confident, even if you have to fake it. Remember the kids tale of the train: "I think I can... I know I can!"

Positive thinking works.

When you're preparing for that race, just repeat, "I know I can..". Then do it! :)

~Glenn

TripJax said...

For the record, I think you are a great blogger. For me, you've kept things interesting. I say nice job, sir.