Running for the red line

So I still haven’t got my grip on 10NL yet, I have been doing ok at 5NL and it’s important to me to think back on the migration from 2NL to 5NL, and how it felt then.

My skill level since joining DC and starting out at 2NL has definitely improved significantly, I’m much more aware of my thought process when betting, and identifying value spots that I would have passed over before.

I’m not immune from Tilt though by any means, although I think I’m becoming more aware of aspects of my mental game that I never classed as Tilt before. Impatience, expectation, arrogance, distraction. All negative emotions that affect my decision making in ways that I was never previously aware of.

I’ve noticed it’s interesting to review a hand history, and identify mistakes, and then try to recall the thought process that led to the mistake – and identify the emotions that contributed to it:

Full Tilt Poker $0.02/$0.05 No Limit Hold’em – 6 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

BTN: $6.59
SB: $3.76
Hero (BB): $5.00
UTG: $5.00
MP: $9.22
CO: $4.50

Pre Flop: ($0.07) Hero is BB with J J
3 folds, BTN calls $0.05, 1 fold, Hero raises to $0.17, BTN calls $0.12

Flop: ($0.36) 7 7 7 (2 players)
Hero bets $0.36, BTN calls $0.36

Turn: ($1.08) 5 (2 players)
Hero bets $1.08, BTN calls $1.08

River: ($3.24) A (2 players)
Hero bets $3.39 all in, BTN calls $3.39

Final Pot: $10.02
BTN shows A 2 (a full house, Sevens full of Aces)
Hero shows J J (a full house, Sevens full of Jacks)
BTN wins $9.36
(Rake: $0.66)

Villain was 64/9 and had a little earlier doubled through 75bb with A2o which made trip twos on the turn versus my pocket 9 overpair, so he’s cetainly one of the trappy fish and knows I will do all the betting given enough time

Thinking back on this hand I recognised that my JJ were likely the best hand versus his range, and that if he held the case 7 I would disregard that, and I also disregarded QQ+ after he open limped the button.

So I’m potting it for value trying to get him set up for the river shove, when the Ace came.
I distinctly remember the emotion, which can easily be summed up as “f*** you I’m still shoving”

As soon as I did it I recognised the tilt, I knew that when I put this into pokerstove it would tell me I was in trouble.

I’m still not sure whether I could check fold that river. Ignoring the results would it have been correct to check fold the river?

But I do know I had a 30 second time bank, 5 mindful breaths to take, and that I didn’t even blink.

So I’m calling it Tilt, and even if I HAD dragged the pot I would have been wrong.

Pigmy Hero started a thread I’m nominating for thread of the week. Real chicken soup for the soul:

What am I going to do with all this run good