Going DOWN?

It's funny how you can know the right choice, yet still not choose it. Why is this? It is plain as day that if you want to go UP in an elevator, yet you push the DOWN button, you will not get to where you are going. DUH! So you push UP to go UP.

But when playing poker, you (actually, I'll just say me -not you) sometimes push the down button when you want to go up. First example: I'm playing in the FTOPS last night (event #1) and I build up an average chip stack by the first break. 30 minutes later I am up to almost 8000 in chips from our starting stack of 5000. I'm playing good, not great. I'm making some good reads but I'm bluffing way too much.

From the big blind I check to the button limp with Q10off suit. The flop comes A24 rainbow. I lead out for 3/4 of the pot and the button calls. He didn't insta-call but didn't take forever thinking about it either. I should know right here that I'm done with this hand. But here is where I push the DOWN button to go UP. The turn brings another Ace. I fire out another 3/4 pot size bet and he comes over me all in. I have him covered but obviously have no business being in this hand. I fold and lose a good chunk of chips, unnecessarily.

Second example: I'm down to 3500 in chips, and I guess I'm tilty. I'm watching lots and lots of action at the table which should tell me: Only push the UP button to go UP - TIGHTEN UP. Instead, I min-raise from middle position with 78sooted. Only the BB calls. The flop comes K83 with no colors to help my flush draw. BB checks to me and I fire out a pot sized bet. He thinks for a bit and calls. Now, I'm not putting him on a King, but I don't finish thinking the hand through. The turn brings a Queen. He checks and I fire all in. He thinks for a moment and calls and shows QJ and the Queen holds to take me out.

I know: terrible play! I either need to push on the flop, or get out of the hand altogether. If I think both of those hands through, I could have made better choices, but I snapped off pushing the DOWN button when I should have pushed UP.

Last example: Playing in the MOOKIE last night. I have QQ and raise preflop and get one caller: Texansbaby . Flop comes 10 high with no obvious draw. I lead with 1/2 pot sized bet and Texansbaby raises me 3x my bet. Here is where I could 1)think the hand through or 2)quickly push the DOWN button and hope my elevator takes me UP. I obviously picked #2. I shove, she calls and her AA takes me out. I could have realized she has JJ, KK or AA and since she called my pre-flop raise instead of re-raising me, it's obviously AA.

Anyway... That's why poker is such an evil game. Sometimes I just get caught up in my cards rather than paying attention to what the action in the hand is telling me. There is always a story, you just have to take the time to read it.

Good thing poker isn't my day job.
Stay patient....