Satisfy your Lower Level Needs Before playing

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Last night I got out played. I was furious, I should of call this guy, I sniffed a bluff from the start and I couldn’t call his end bullet. I’d like to say it was because I was out played but I really just layed it down because I was tired and drained.

I was playing $1/$2 at Star City. Smalls stakes I normally play $5/$5 but was having a break from losing a streak that was damaging my bankroll as of late.

The bloke came in with a raise of $16 pre flop from an early position. The button called, small blind called and me in the BB called.

I had 9 ♥ 7 ♦ off suit. I have no idea why I even called it was stupid to do so anyway.

The flop came:

10♦ 7♥ 5♠

The SB checked, I checked he fired out 20. Button folded, SB folded. And I thought he was full of it and I called. The turn came

4 ♦

I checked, He fired 35, I called, knowing that I would have to call a river bet and psyching myself to do so.

The river bought 2 ♣ - (BRICK)

The Final board read : 10♦ 7♥ 5♠ 4 ♦ 2 ♣

I checked and he put me all in. I had roughly over 140 left behind me. The pot had swelled to $144. I was getting 2 : 1 that he was full of shit. And I folded. He showed AQ

Getting Bluffed hurt. I hurt so fucken much, I ended up just blowing my remaining stack on being stupid. Going on tilt and knowing I was. I should have picked that reaming 140 and took my girl out for dinner.

What happened? I would normally make this call in a heartbeat; I knew I was in front. But I didn’t want to lose the remaining of my stack as I was playing with a limited Bankroll. I played a stupid hand, out of position and didn’t not follow through with my tell. He put me to the test and I failed. And good on him for doing so.

I played tired, and hungry for six hours before. And had made a similar call about 30 mins previously and it was a total misread. All this shit was going through my head and I didn’t stick to my guns. I didn’t ask how big the pot was, and was too tired to go through the hand in my head again before making the call.

I’m good player, better than most, but I don’t know when to quit. That is my weakness. I was up 200 at a stage where it was a good time to leave, I was hungry tired, and there was a party waiting for me to attend. I could always come back at a later day refreshed and a couple of hundred up on my Bankroll. But I couldn’t leave. It sounds stupid, but that’s the gamble in me taking over. Not knowing when to quit and then loosing. One of the hardest things about being a poker player is seeing that line and not crossing it.

Barry Greenstine Says in his book Ace on the River,  that he never plays if he is tired or hungry.  I can’t leave a table that is full of juice – hungry or tied if the game is good and I think I can dominate I'm there. Maybe that it is his expertise coming through, and my novice side seeping through me. I’m sure he must have had massive sessions, no one gets to where he is without them. But you have to realise that you have to satisfy your lower level needs for your higher skills to function properly, Maslow said that, and he is correct.

Poker isn’t a gamble, even though it involves gambling. It is battle of psychological warfare engaged over a felt table and if you can’t bring your full artillery to the table and you are not mentally capable of backing yourself, for any reason, it’s time to get up and leave. There is always another had.

And that’s a $200 lesson that I’m sharing with you J.