Single-Core Processing

Multitasking and poker... one day I'll learn that this is like oil and the undead skull of a cursed monkey -- try as you might, they don't combine well. Also, you end up with a slippery mess that screams at you in latin all night.

WWdN last night. A buddy of mine with whom I play in home games was playing again. I brought him in a couple weeks ago, and he had fun, so now it's his Tuesday distraction as long as I'm playing... and he needs some distraction these days. The problem is, I end up on the phone with him the whole time, and watching his table. Why? Well, because although he plays fine with our friends, his style wouldn't work in the blogger tourneys. He's too loose, and while his aggressiveness would likely win him some hands, eventually it would catch up to him in a big way. So I'm constantly coaching him. However, I quickly become a crutch, and questions like "I have big slick, what should I do?" get asked (obviously, if we were at the same table, there'd be no talk re: hands). This obviously distracts from my game... that and the 3 tables I'm watching other people at... and the TV on in the background, and my cat, Spike, crying for attention, and my pasta that I threw together as the game started... and ... and... and..

So it showed that I wasn't giving my game my full attention. I was limping with questionable hands in an aggressive table. I was calling big post-flop raises with inside straight draws and middle pairs. When I actually tried to read cards, I was generally right... and even then I made one or two stupid calls because I didn't trust myself. Went out 44th, buddy didn't fare much better. Even my last hand I played wrong.

Had QJh in MP with an M around 5.. no action before me. For some reason I raised 3x the BB instead of going all-in. Two to my left puts me all-in and I think... he says "you're committed" and I say "yah." and call. AKo is shown and I'm pretty sure I'm toast. KxT on the flop, Q on the turn... and nothing on the river. Now, I know going all-in wouldn't have achieved anything different against AK... and I know I'd be completely crippled and have zero fold equity with a fold after the re-raise... but nothing about how I played that hand was me.

With the exception of a few hands, I felt like a complete noob with my play last night. So, I kindly informed my friend that in the future... no talking on the phone during play. He's on his own.

After I had disconnected my telecommunications device, I sat down to play again. Didn't have the time to commit, so it was another 18 player $6+0.50 Turbo SnG on Stars. Came in 4th, for a whopping $10.80 prize. Yup, I'm da man.

Two more sleeps 'til Vegas... then no more sleeps for 84 hours. I'm really curious about what all that neon looks like when you're hallucinating.