TOM BOYLE

Weblog: Playing his cards right . . . some of the time

Comfortable with poker game plan despite results

Well the headline is that I didn't win the Racing Post Poker Open. In fact not only did I not cash, I barely featured on the graph. But it was not all bad news from a personal perspective.

We make decisions all the time in a game of poker.  One has to select whether one is going to call, raise and fold. But the toughest moves are made under pressure.  As well as battling opponents we have to battle with our own ego. On paper my evening was not a grandstand success - but I can tell you I was pleased with most of the moves I made.

There was a good bit of liquidity on the night. The30 players started with 4,000 chips each and blinds began at 25-50. With that kind of set-up the plan was to play a long-ish game and my thinking was boosted when a number of my rivals got involved in some grizzly action early on.

The trouble is that no matter how smug one feels sitting on the sidelines there is no great pleasure to be had in folding all evening. I finally got involved in a tasty-looking pot. By the time the turn arrived I was pretty sure I was second best to the single player left in the fight. I was anxious not to chase my chips but at the same time thought I might be able to face-off my rival. I determined the best tactic was to bluff it - the chap in seat six said 'no can do' and my starting pile was reduced by nearly fifty per cent.

I reverted back to plan A and play rolled on.  An hour and a half into the tournament a 15 minute break was called. The pause in play gave remaining players an option to purchase 1,500 chips, and here was were the old grey matter was tested again.

I anticipated a cold war-style arms race and knew that in order to stand a chance I would have to supplement my below average stack with a few extra chips. I resent the notion of having to 'pay to play' twice in an evening if one doesn't believe one stands a fair chance of getting into the money.

I did a few calculations; the time was about 10pm and the journey home would take one-hour.  Enjoyable though my table was the prospect of returning home with no payday at late o'clock didn't appeal.

So I determined that I would go all in should I receive anything like a hand. Success would see me double my chips and I knew a further chip acquisition would boost my position further. But failure would not be the end of the world - at least I'd go with bang and be guaranteed a tube home.

Well it turned out to be an early night - a pair of pocket fives were no match for a pair of tens. There was disappointment to be going home of course, but also a degree a of smugness. I'd been comfortable with the thinking behind all my big moves before setting them into play.

Poker is a great mental workout and satisfaction can be gained from deciding a strategy for good or bad, setting it in motion and retaining self-control.

Next time I might take the journey out of the equation and get back online.