To play at or near your best in poker, you have to be hitting on all cylinders. Just last night, I made a big mistake in playing when I shouldn’t have. The game is a good one and I almost never miss it, but on my way yesterday, my throat started hurting. I know a few people who have had a bug lately that kept them pent up for a few days feeling sick and it seemed likely I had caught the same thing and was just starting to show symptoms.

At that point, I should have just turned around, called it an early night, and went home. But I’m stubborn, wanted to play, and hated to miss a game as good as the one I was heading to. So, on I went, thinking that even feeling bad, I could and would play plenty well enough to be a big favorite in the game.

Instead, I got crushed. I put up my biggest losing session in over a year. Losing is part of the game and with my style, big wins and big losses are not uncommon, but chalking up a big loss on a night when I knew I wouldn’t be at my best was a big mistake. I shouldn’t have gone to begin with; once there, I should have set a small stop-loss and definitely shouldn’t have gotten into the game as deep as I did.

But I did, and five or six hours after sitting down to play, I wished I hadn’t. I finally cut my losses and called it a night, but it left me driving home wondering why I had put myself in such a situation. Driving home while you are feeling bad is no fun, but doing it after getting destroyed in a card game is even less enjoyable. Knowing that you knew better ahead of time and did it to yourself anyway is even worse.

Looking back at the major hands, I don’t feel like I played especially poorly, but I knowI wasn’t on top of my game and wasn’t picking up on as many things as I usually do. Had I run well, I would likely have had a good night and went home thinking, “I’m glad I went even though I didn’t feel well.” Instead, I ran poorly and regretted making the decision to go.

Upon more thought, I realize that no matter what, the results I put up were going to be sub-optimal. Were I to have run well and won a little, I would have felt good about it, but I wouldn’t have won as much as I should have and then the result was the worst-case scenario.

I combined running bad with playing when I shouldn’t have and maximized my losses. On a normal night, I could have lost a few big hands and likely kept the losses to a minimum, but I was out of it enough last night that my losses compounded themselves and, in a short period of time, I had erased a few nice wins over the last couple of weeks.

What is done is done and I can’t go back in time, but I can learn from it. The next time I know ahead of time that I won’t be able to be at my best, I am going to make the call to stay away until I am able to play at or near my best.

Court Harrington has worked on the business side of the poker industry in roles including tournament reporting for PocketFives, radio hosting for PokerRoad Radio, coaching for the WSOP Academy and privately, and a variety of behind-the-scenes responsibilities. He also plays in cash games and tournaments. Harrington is currently doing consulting work and exploring business opportunities outside of the poker industry. You can contact him at Court@CourtHarrington.com.