Before you read this, please read Part 1 of this series by clicking here. 

Jumping into the games

Since I had no concept of appropriate limits to play (or much else, to be honest) I finally jumped into a $0.25/$0.50 game and began playing. 

Within a few weeks, I turned that $20 into $300 and felt as though I had mastered the game. More accurately, I felt there was nothing to ‘master’, that it really was just that easy to win at poker. No matter how persuasive, you could not have told me a thing at the time. I wouldn’t have listened to nonsense about game theory, slow-playing, folding good hands, strategy, or the like. I was ten-foot tall and bulletproof.       

I am exceptionally embarrassed at how I played back then, but even more importantly, how adverse I was to criticism or advice. It goes against my nature to shun knowledge, but I was on such a tilt from winning that I couldn’t see the forest for the trees, so to speak. I continued raising the levels I played in, all of which were much too high for my bankroll, and eventually it all came crashing down. I lost the majority of my money to what I thought were bad beats (though they probably weren’t) and gave the game up for a while. I hate to lose, so I had little interest in experiencing more of that terrible, terrible feeling. 

The game kept gnawing away at me though. I wanted to know why things went so terribly wrong, and admitted to myself that I had a lot to learn. This was the first of two major turning points for me. I began thinking more about the game, and eventually started reading a bit about the subject. My brother and I resumed our discussions on (very basic) theory, and I finally had my head somewhat back in the game. I started playing slower, at much lower limits. I found my pace, and eventually discovered what I now call the ‘Zen of Folding’, which I will discuss in detail later. 

Poker became my favorite pastime for the next year or so, and I eventually became much better at the game, building my knowledge though practice, books, and discussion. My bankroll slowly increased and I started playing Sit & Go’s with moderate success - which first sparked my interest in tournament play. 

Next: Discovering MTT's