It's in the cards

Haven't talked about poker much because I haven't played much lately. I took a 4 month hiatus from my regular game because finances are just too tight to risk losing. However, I played a few weeks ago and looked back at my "poker log" and realized that playing poker (in my case) is rarely not profitable!

I've been playing with the same group of guys for over 8 years. We typically have a $60 buy-in. Depending on how many of us play, the winner usually takes home about $200. We'll pay 3 positions if 6 or more play - 3rd just gets back his buy-in.

When I played a few weeks ago it came down to Robert and me. We both knew we'd make money, so we decided it was late and we'd just split the top two positions - each of us got about $125. I'm going to use my winnings to play again tomorrow night.

When I got home, I entered my winnings into my poker log and realized that I had just exceeded $7,000 in gross winnings since I started keeping track! I've got a net gain of just under $5,000, and I calculated that I either break even or win money 59% of the time I play.

What's more interesting is my success in "big" games. We used to hold a 64 man tournament every year. I played in it twice and won it all the last time (about $2300). We stopped that tournament about 4 years ago, but we still try and have at least one game of 24 or more guys. I've made it to the final table, meaning I get paid, in 4 of the 7 times we've played - winning it all once, finishing 3rd another time. I also won the only casino tournament I've ever played in at the Stratosphere in Las Vegas.

Many will argue that poker is luck. Not really. There wouldn't be professional players if it just came down to luck. I play an aggressive game and I'm good at reading my opponents. I win more hands forcing others to fold when I know they have a better hand than me. From what I've watched and read, this is what seperates the pros from the joes.

Another observation I made (no surprise here) is that I play better sober - not a drop. I stopped drinking at all while playing a couple of years ago. In the past, I'd have a beer an hour - no, I've never driven home even buzzed. I just don't concentrate as well.

I'm not gonna get rich playing the 6 guys in my group, but I usually like my odds of being able to treat myself to a nice dinner that weekend!