Tough days at the table can drive you crazy

I'VE played a lot of poker recently and have had an
indifferent time of it, despite finishing last week on a high
after doing quite well on the cash tables. The trouble has been that my hands will just not stand up when I'm all-in.

In tournaments especially, the thing that hurts most is when I
get involved in a pot with a hand I wouldn't normally have had any intention of playing.

The sort of hand I find when I'm on the big blind in an un-raised
pot and check to see flop. It seems to always be the way; you have some complete rubbish that you'd never expect anything to come of but connect with the flop and find yourself in a predicament.

The nature of the subsequent action will invariably see you
all-in as you're pretty sure that you will be winning as long as
there's no flushor straight potential. My two pair was useless by the time the river arrived and my opponent knocked me out.

I tell you, it's the curse of the big blind and guess what, it
works both ways. You limp with a pair of aces and two players
come along for the ride, including the big blind, who checks.

Betting goes back and forth until you and the big blind are
all-in and you guessed it, he has hit a flukey two pair.

I know this is all coming across as a bit of a rant and in a way I guess it is. Despite having played the game for years, it still never ceases to amaze me at how unpredictable it can be,
which is part of the fun if the truth be told.

Those tough days are balanced out by the times when the going
is good.  The good days make it all worthwhile and despite those frustrations, it's a game I will always love playing.