We played 3/6 limit poker last night, thanks for hosting @detroitdad and thanks for the wonderful ribs @Azcat! It was great to see everyone again and sit at the felt for a little while.
Laying in bed this morning I think I realized why I don’t really enjoy limit poker all that much. I’m a pretty boring and conservative guy. I over invest in bond index funds, and I have for years. However I love poker. I love the friends, the food and booze, the chips and the cards. I also finally realized I love the potential risk that comes when our gang plays no limit and pot limit games. I love the idea that I can do something kinda crazy if I want to, or that someone might try to do something kinda crazy to me. I might never bluff at a pot all night but damn it, I can if I want to. I also love the joy and pain of my pretend risks. I never want to play poker for a living or for life changing money, but I want the highs and lows of winning or losing a couple hundred bucks that last til about noon the next day. I want the ability to win or lose a hundred bucks in one hand. Then I want to realize about noon the next day that whether I won or lost last night my life is now back to normal.
After a couple hours of limit poker last night I realized all I was doing was trying to make the “correct” decision all the time and my temporary illusions of being a high stakes gambler were simply not there. The thrill was pretty much lost for me. Thankfully the other things I love were still there, but we only get to play poker once in a while and I think limit is just too dull for my tastes.
In summary I get the fact that we can play some crazy games we don’t normally play without risking our stack. But I think I need the ability to be able to risk my stack as long as it is enough money to feel the joy and or pain without really risking anything relevant to my lifestyle.
Laying in bed this morning I think I realized why I don’t really enjoy limit poker all that much. I’m a pretty boring and conservative guy. I over invest in bond index funds, and I have for years. However I love poker. I love the friends, the food and booze, the chips and the cards. I also finally realized I love the potential risk that comes when our gang plays no limit and pot limit games. I love the idea that I can do something kinda crazy if I want to, or that someone might try to do something kinda crazy to me. I might never bluff at a pot all night but damn it, I can if I want to. I also love the joy and pain of my pretend risks. I never want to play poker for a living or for life changing money, but I want the highs and lows of winning or losing a couple hundred bucks that last til about noon the next day. I want the ability to win or lose a hundred bucks in one hand. Then I want to realize about noon the next day that whether I won or lost last night my life is now back to normal.
After a couple hours of limit poker last night I realized all I was doing was trying to make the “correct” decision all the time and my temporary illusions of being a high stakes gambler were simply not there. The thrill was pretty much lost for me. Thankfully the other things I love were still there, but we only get to play poker once in a while and I think limit is just too dull for my tastes.
In summary I get the fact that we can play some crazy games we don’t normally play without risking our stack. But I think I need the ability to be able to risk my stack as long as it is enough money to feel the joy and or pain without really risking anything relevant to my lifestyle.