Lax-idasical

One inescapable fact about my poker playing that I’ve learned to live with is that I am a total sucker for a slowplay of the nuts. Almost every time I bust early in a SnG, I push myself into a confrontation against a slowplayed hand. It used to bug the hell out of me, now I just tap the virtual table, take a quick note on the player, and leave. No tantrum, no tilting, no nothing.

Last night, I ran an overpair to the flop into a flopped straight. Considering I had raised to 3xBB from MP and he had called from the BB with A4o, rather an unpleasant surprise, though he could’ve easily had 22, 33, or 55 to call the preflop raise. Not a huge deal. After all, it was a $10+1 and I had already won $65 in a two-tabler earlier in the evening. But a couple of years ago, I would’ve been pissed off and bitching about his loose call.

I’ve gotten rather blasé about these SnGs, perhaps too much so. I’m not sure whether it’s because of financial/job stability or the knowledge that I’m significantly ahead (hey, $2k up is significant to me) in my online poker career, but I’m blowing off SnG losses like Bill Gates blows off $1M donations. Maybe too easily. I might need to tighten myself back up to avoid the possible hemorrhaging of my poker bankroll. To quote a basketball player "We be lax-idasical out dere."

I suppose I’ve earned some of it. I’m financing baseball for my son, softball and dance for my daughter, maybe I’ve learned the right to play with money a little bit. I treat poker as an avocation, a lark, a fun way to kill an hour of time. I always have fantasy baseball teams, fantasy football teams, and WhatIfSports teams running also. It’s all wtf money.

I suppose if I (or my wife) ever sat down and did a full accounting of all my various online sporting/gambling spending, I’d probably be alarmed by the amount of money that exchanges hands. But I’m also pretty sure I’m net-positive for the last few years as well. If not, I certainly am close enough to even that the entertainment value has far exceeded any expense. And like Scurvy said, it’s about the entertainment value.

Now, if I win the HORSE satellite, then it'll become WORK.