Going to Play Live this Weekend

I did not play in the BoDonkey last night because I played in our regular Tuesday night home game. I had a good night and cleaned up at the table. My buddies were generous and I plan to put those winnings to good use. I am going to play live in Louisiana this weekend. It’s going to be my birthday and what could be better than heading out to one of the nearest (4+ hours away) cardrooms. I will be following my own advice (see previous post) and staying away from the table games and other such distractions. I am going to focus solely on No Limit Texas Hold’Em cash games. While I am a realistic person and know that anything could happen, I am going with an expectation of winning. I have been thinking about poker, writing about poker, and working to improve my game by reducing the times I play when I am not on my “A” game. I will be well rested and sharp. All of these exercises to improve my skills, as well as, playing as often as possible have helped me to have an unprecedented level of confidence in my game. I do not feel overconfident but I am no longer fearful of “sharks” lurking everywhere and that I may be playing out of my league when I go to a casino. I will play conservatively because that is just me but I will also play strategically and look for opportunities to exploit the mistakes of my opponents. I will also employ the semi-short stack philosophy Ed Miller recommends to keep my decisions relatively easy and straightforward. This worked well for me in Las Vegas and I hope it will serve me well in Louisiana, too. Wish me luck, and, of course, you may expect an obligatory trip report sometime next week.