September Summary

It's good to talk.

The relatively small amount of poker I had been playing this month had been going pretty well until last weekend - the results of which I documented previously.

The upshot of that disastrous session was my entire profit for the month was eliminated, and I was well into the red.

Had the month ended then, this would have been one depressing summary.

Fortunately for my sanity and bankroll, not to mention that of you, my tiny but loyal readership, there was still the chance to stage a rescue mission.

Stage one of that mission was purging my demons on these very pages. Above all else, this blog gives me an outlet for thoughts and frustrations that would otherwise gnaw away at my innards for a great deal longer than the time it takes to get them into electronic print.

Stage two was getting involved in a thread, initiated by another poster on Blonde Poker, discussing how to play aces in Omaha. Bouncing thoughts and ideas off infinitely more skilled players, and learning from their, as well as my, experiences, gave me the motivation to get back to the tables and apply the harshly taught lessons.

Stage three was the return to the tables. In the last week, I managed four sessions of Pot Limit Omaha on Poker Stars, and posted four profitable results.

Just enough to put me back at break even for the month, and that's a genuine break even - not a poker player's definition of break even (lost an affordable amount).

Most encouragingly for me, I do feel my game has taken a step forward in the past week. Several hands I played in the last few days had outcomes different to that which would have occurred last weekend.

'Frustration calls' - where I just knew I'd been outdrawn but couldn't bring myself to acknowledge it - have been excised from my game, for the time being at least. I even folded the nut flush to a very likely full house.

My patience has been restored. When opportunities arise, I am attacking ruthlessly.

If I can maintain this discipline in the long term, I am optimistic about the impact on the quality of my play, and ultimately my bankroll.