I'm an idiot.There's no doubt about it. So I was playing in the 5.50 rebuy on stars. I have a nice table and things are going great. I'm sitting on a stack of 12400 with the blinds 75/150.

Well Mr. PBdrunks himself knocks some guy out and I'm moved from the table I've been at the whole time. Suddenly I go on an idiot move. I open raise in LP with 44... I get reraised and put him in for another 5k (DUH). He calls. Shows aces. I'm an idiot.

So I have 3k.

The same guy on my left open pushes UTG. By now I'm a short stack so who cares right? I push in the BB with my 22. He has JJ. I was only in for 25 dollars, and it was all used from my stored T$. That's besides the point. I've been playing for a living for too long now to be making such stupid mistakes. Maybe I'm tired. Maybe I'm bored. I have no idea, but I'm an idiot. I hate throwing away money. Even the potential to have money. Yet I did it anyway. Sometimes, we all have these days. Hopefully I can move past it without upsetting my husband too much. (He's sleeping). For the day we're ahead of course but that's not the point. I've been losing all day and almost all of it is my fault. Making stupid mistakes.
I need to consentrate. Focus, Focus, Focus.

I'm down to the last 70 dollars of my T$. I'm going to play my best game ever with this and hopefully build a bit to my bankroll.

This is just a vent and my way of saying I'm a complete donk.

Good luck Lil, I play Stars too. Don't let mistakes get you down, it happens and it's easier to beat yourself up afterwards, but it's not always so clear when you're in the middle of playing, so don't dwell on it too much. Also, I'm pretty sure I've played with PB before, the name definitely sounds familiar. Good Luck!

PB is an amazing player. I should freakin worship the ground the man walks on. He builds a stack in a rebuy like it's nothing.

Anyway thanks. I hate it when I know I'm playing bad. Losing money is one thing. Losing it because you're being stupid (when you know better) is another.

Sometimes you just need a kick in the arse

Poker is a tough business, there are very few where you can be dead right in your assumption of a situation and still come up short 20% of the time, and it be expected to have those results. Don't lose sight of the fact it is gambling, and screwy improbable things abound, and a healthy perspective on the game for what it is and you will do fine. I play a lot, write a bunch, read a ton and have dreams about this game, I'm pretty well obsessed but can still in the end say that it is one aspect of my life. To lose track that it is a game, even when it is your living to play this game is dangerous to your mental well being. I'm not writing from in-experience, I'm currently playing low stakes cash games full time on a shorter roll than I would like and am considering a dumb part-time job that is less than my hourly rate in order to keep from having to touch my roll for a couple of months. I hate the idea of 7.50/hr or some joke like that, but love the idea of a steady check coming from something besides the game.

I don't think I could stand the idea of low stakes tournaments as a source of income, so often in those games I find myself playing for two hours and change to break even, you are more brave than I. I pretty much consider tournaments a novelty, something that I play sometimes on cash game winnings, and only when there is some sort of overlay being offered. Cash games are the dinner of most people I know playing full time with tournaments being dessert. I know I can't live on cake alone

Stars is one of the toughest sites online opponent wise. They do have the best tournament structure that I've played although I like Absolutes a lot too. If you are a MTT fiend, prima has a lot of prize pool added low buy in freeze out and rebuy games with an OK structure. Often times the top prize on a $20 game is can be near 2k or over depending on the prize pool added and rarely are you playing a field over 300 players, where at stars the cheap games have 1k+ opponents frequently. The average opponent is worse than Stars as well and the list of MTT players to watch out for can be counted on two hands, with only one hand being really tough.

Didn't mean to ramble so much or come off as negative, I'm wishing you the best of luck, just thought I would share my perspective on low stakes games and cheap poker for a living.

I'm currently in the 18:30 rebuy (5$) at PokerStars. I'm about 10th in chips 39,500 average is 13k

Here's how I got that far. Amazing two hands. Guy practically dumped his whole stack to me. Well not practically. He did.

HAND #1:

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t200 (9 handed)

UTG (t28017)
UTG+1 (t21525)
MP1 (t12700)
MP2 (t4275)
MP3 (t9955)
Me (t12467)
Button (t715)
SB (t10100)
BB (t22271)

Preflop: Me is CO with , .
1 fold, UTG+1 raises to t1200, 3 folds, Me raises to t3000, 3 folds, UTG+1 calls t1800.

Flop: (t6300) , , (2 players)
UTG+1 bets t18525 (All-In), Me calls t9467 (All-In).

Turn: (t34292) (2 players, 2 all-in)

River: (t34292) (2 players, 2 all-in)

Final Pot: t34292

Results in white below:
UTG+1 has Qd Kd (one pair, queens).
Me has Ac Ad (one pair, aces).
Outcome: Me wins t25234. UTG+1 wins t9058.

HAND #2:

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t200 (9 handed)

BB (t28017)
UTG (t9058)
UTG+1 (t12700)
MP1 (t4275)
MP2 (t9955)
Me (t25234)
CO (t715)
Button (t10000)
SB (t22071)

Preflop: Me is MP3 with , .
UTG calls t200, 3 folds, Me calls t200, 2 folds, SB raises to t800, 1 fold, UTG calls t600, Me calls t600.

Flop: (t2600) , , (3 players)
SB bets t2600, UTG calls t2600, Me calls t2600.

Turn: (t10400) (3 players)
SB checks, UTG bets t5658 (All-In), Me calls t5658, SB folds.

River: (t21716) (2 players, 1 all-in)

Final Pot: t21716

Results in white below:
UTG has Js 8s (one pair, eights).
Me has 7c 7h (straight, eight high).
Outcome: Me wins t21716.

Always, I'll letcha know how I do. Cross your fingers...

I want to welcome LilOleMe? I invited her to join this forum. She was the top poster at the other forum and has a ton of poker knowledge.

I do not think it is a good gamble to play the small limits because of the massive massive rake. Dutch Boyd was a prop player and he interviewed all the other prop players and they found no one could win at the lowest limits.

To play no limit very tight, playing few pots, keeps you from paying so much rake.

That took guts to call an all-in with only a staight draw and a middle trips draw with a 3-flush on the board. Did you have a read on the guy as a bluffer?

Anyway, break a leg...