Two premium hands

I only played for half an hour tonight. By now you know that means one of two things -- either I busted out, or I doubled (at least) my starting stake. I'm pleased to say it was the latter. My very first hand, I flopped a straight. I slow-played it, and built the pot up steadily. When I raked it in, it was worth $1,675. My second to last hand of the night was a full house, fours full of jacks. It was nicely hidden, as I'd been dealt pocket fours. I was up against someone who kept re-raising me, so I kept re-raising him back until he was all in. He ended up having trip jacks. That pot was worth $2,908. I played one more hand for fun, and folded it after the flop.

Nights when I win, poker seems absurdly simple. Nights when I lose, it seems damnably complex. The truth, of course, is somewhere between those extremes. I have been collecting some good rules of thumb, though, over the fifteen or so months I've been playing. Here are some, which I'll impart to you for the low low price of free:

- burn your rags. i.e., fold your marginal hands at the appropriate juncture.
- chase flushes at your peril. If the price is too steep, just don't do it.
- don't fall in love with two pairs. They can eat huge chunks out of your stack.
- be patient. This is the very simplest rule to state, and one of the very hardest to follow, believe it or not.

delta: $2,879
balance: $267,591