Identity Crisis

Who am I?

As I sit here after 1 a.m. on Wednesday morning, I'm asking myself one simple question...who am I? Specifically, who am I as a poker player? I've been playing for several hours a day, nearly every day for quite some time. I go through spells (like we all do) of playing well and winning, playing well and losing and even winning sometimes despite myself. I've recently begun to play more ring (cash) games and fewer tourneys & sitngos. I made this change not because I was looking for a change, but to try to take advantage of a promotion on Full Tilt offering bonues for earning more FPPs, and that was the quickest way to rack 'em up. Funny thing, the first several days were awesome. I was racking up points and winning money too. Then an even better thing happened...they started another promotion 3 days ago offering double FPPs ring game play through the end of the year. And that's when everything changed.

In the past 3 days I have lost $50 playing nickel/dime pot limit holdem and dime/quarter limit omaha hi/lo. So the question is....what changed? My playing style? Not really. My luck? Maybe a little. But the major change is my attitude. I was grinding it out before and was happy to break even while getting my 50 points a day. Then I started trying to push for 100 or more and expected to win in the process. I've taken some brutal beats that cost me four or five bucks in a hand in the past couple days, but I think that's the result of my problem as opposed to my problem. I have to get back to folding the marginal hand....calling instead of raising....keeping the pot small until I know I have the goods. Stop relying on luck after the money's in the pot.

Answer to my opening question....I'm a poker player who is better than how I've been playing lately. A player who should be the best at the table at almost every nickel/dime/quarter table he sits down at. A player who is gonna go back to the basics of what got me where I am.

Funny sidenote...I checked poker-edge.com to see how they were rating my play. I expected to see some negative feedback based on my recent demise. Actually, the reverse was true. Check it out if you're interested. My ID is budgetcoach.