The Convenient Accident

With nothing to do this evening I decided to log into poker stars and play an online tournament. I think that by playing the big tournaments with small stakes I can get to play (and practice) a lot of poker for a small amount of money. So I found a game for $1.65 including the rake with 558 people in it. So with that amount of people I know that I should be playing a lot of cards, and the worst thing that can happen is losing $1.65, so all is good.

The convenient accident came when the first cards came down and I noticed my raise-o-meter wasn't there. It suddenly dawned on me that I was playing limit poker as opposed to no-limit. What a stupid mistake to make, not realizing what game I was playing before it started! But this mistake might have turned out to be a good thing...

As I was playing I could see that my style of play was a lot more suited to limit poker. Before I started this blog and therefore this monumental mission of becoming The Future Poker Star, I played a few tournaments online, and the main problem I had was the blinds and antes. You see I play tight, not chasing the straights and flushes, and go in for the kill with the good hands. Patience is a virtue and all that. Well the blinds and antes always killed me, not the other players. But the blinds went up at a nice level tonight and there was no antes, so I could play the gameplan that I wanted to play.

And play I did.

I got to 26th out of 558 players comfortably and won $4.16 (£2.08) which isn't a spectacular result on paper, but I think that the $1.65 (£0.83) was well spent to learn the lesson that poker isn't no limit hold 'em, but no limit hold 'em is just a part of poker. With so many different variations of poker out there (Omaha, Raz, 7 card stud, 5 card draw, HORSE etc) then maybe along this journey there will be a game that's just right for me, and to be The Future Poker Star I need to explore these all with the same dedication that I will for no limit.