A Heat Check and how to lose and still pay the mortgage
When I used to play in home games in Minneapolis in years past there was a guy famous for “Heat Checks”. Most of you likely know what I mean but if you don’t a heat check is when you are checking to see if you are on fire from everywhere. As you may or may not recognize after that first sentence this is also the article I promised everyone on losing. Some people think I get carried away on losing, that it is negative, quite the opposite actually. Knowing how to lose is more important than knowing how to win in poker. Rarely do you make the mistakes winning that you do losing. People who know how to lose are the best gamblers.
That was on the 26th. For the next 2 days I struggled. One of the best feelings is when you play your best game but break even without going off big when it seems like the deck hates you. Its easy to have a good mindset when you are winning. I am most proud of myself when I am struggling through adversity and actually still moving forward. I am still looking for a break in the action, the first sign that my streak is over I will likely take about a month off. I am not sure what I am looking for but I should know it when I see it, I have struggled with headaches recently and I can use a little break. I am heading for Amsterdam in April maybe I will take that month off of poker.
On a side note, I am really having a fun time being back playing quite a bit and I appreciate everyone stopping by and saying hello. I know it must be baffling watching people 4 bet with bottom pair and it being good but that is the nature of HU. Anyway, I think losing is one of the most important things to know how to do well. Anyone can tell you how to play AK, not everyone can help you stay even when your AK doesn’t hit 10 times straight. I hope that is what some of these articles can accomplish.