Poker-less days are like a cold sun on a Winter's day

It does make you more grateful when you are playing the game doesn't it?  Believe me I am very grateful for the opportunities we have at our whim and call when it comes to technology.  We can play poker on a huge number of platforms with players around the globe, we can write blogs on thousands of blog sites (not even including social media platforms) and we can buy pretty much anything from anywhere in the world if we want to, but boy do I miss playing when I can't even login.  I hope the issue can be sorted.  The trouble is, problems arise when the online systems don't work for whatever reason, and this is where the spiritual discipline comes in; breathe, relax, accept the situation and try to see the bright side!

UPGRADES

It is probably about time to upgrade the iPad 4 to a generation 6 with a better iOS and having built up the bankroll to an incredible £715 as we speak, including football bets, it seems a wise investment to buy something much more capable.  It seems strange to think I started with £130, and although my bankroll was like a see saw at the start of the November venture, in the end, with persistence, self belief and determination I somehow managed to get to this point!

        BANKROLL HAS BECOME SUBSTANTIAL!

    NEW TECHNOLOGY ON THE CARDS FOR ME?

Its been a real November venture - November has always been my favourite month of the year :)

BACK TO POKER! Well..talking about it atleast...

By being patient and disciplined and building a bankroll, as well as reading certain poker texts, the fear of losing or being embarrassed and making a 'perceived' bad call vanishes along with your ego...

Thanks to Sklansky & Malmuths' book "small stakes hold em how to crush the game" and admittedly a number of winning football bets I no longer fear losing or being embarrassed if I do make a perceived bad call because most of the time it is correct to call with a decent hand, unless you are 90 percent sure you are losing.

(Page 240 miscalaneous topics) "While many poker players invent 'logical' rationalisations to play passively with strong hands, their real motivation I see usually to avoid bad beats.  The YouTube eschew raising with their premium hands because they fear the emotionally pain of losing a big pot.  'Winning a small pot is better than losing a big one."  Obviously that is true but it is just as true that winning a big pot isn't better than winning a small one.  More importantly, neither of those platitudes evaluates the expectation of raising versus calling.  Do not allow your emotions to make poor poker decisions for you.  In loose games all your premium hands have a large edge.  You cannot recoup your lost preflop expectation simply by keeping the pot smaller.

If your goal is to win the maximum, you must build big pots with your best hands.  Do not say; "But I'm out of position," or "Maybe if my ace-king were suited," or "My big pairs nevertheless hold up."  If you get an edge, push it.  Poker is a gambling game; timid play is not rewarded.  When you have much the best of it, be willing to put the chips in.

Sklansky & Malmuth - Small Stakes Hold'em

Next up: Don't be a cynic!  Pocket Jacks