I suck at poker.

Since the majority of people who obsess about poker, as I am want to do these days, always think they are themselves God's biggest and bestest gift to the game; I'm getting that nonsense out of the way right now.

I suck at poker.

Well, hopefully not completely. But I am learning on a day by day, sometimes hour by hour, often minute by minute basis.

Currently I play in a friends based online league, with weekly NLHE tournaments at a 10 + 2 buy-in. We are 21 tournies deep in a 25 game season, and I am precariously ensconced at the second position in points. If I cash in the majority of the remaining four tournaments, I'll likely get a nice chunk of change (for me) $100+ or so. If by some miracle I catch the points leader, I stand to win $300+. Stay tuned.

Overall I'm thrilled that I'm atop the standings in a group of 29 guys after half a years play. The competitor in me, and I think this is good, is still dissapointed that I'm not the leader.

The current leader is a good player, I honestly think I'm better. But he has been far better at judging the tenor of our current league.

That's right, this is an honest poker blog. Hopefully it will be brutally honest.

I know, I'm not better than most poker players out there. How's that?

My live game situation is pretty funny; I've excelled at a biweekly ultra low stakes cash game for the past four years - up approximately $300. The game was recently, okay last year, cancelled; and so I've been hosting my own monthy tournament to get my live poker fix.

In half a dozen tournaments so far, I haven't cashed once. I've also had the occasional cash game, in my garage - where I've broken about even.

I love tournament poker, I just don't seem to have a grasp on the live stuff. I also know I'm better suited to the cash game, my tight style and patience has served me well - winning just 3 or 4 monster hands in an entire night is what has propelled my profits. But I do loves the competition and energy of the tournament.

I also, and this is a bit embarrassing; have played for play money online quite a bit for the last year or so. I feel it has helped more than hurt, especially just for gaining practice and experience; but since I've been in this online league, free poker has lost it's luster - I can really see how it's hurt my game when it comes to actual moolah. I still dabble when I'm bored, but I really need to get away from it.

I'd love to have a real money account, but I think I'm going to hold off on that as long as this UIGEA is in effect (our nanny govenrment banning US Banks and credit cards from dealing with online poker sites.) It's just a huge pain in the ass to get an online account, and more importantly there are too many good players online these days. I need it to be completely legal so I can at least have a good shot at positive EV - counting on the massive influx of casual fish like myself to provide profit.

That's it for now. Our next tourney is next tuesday night. I busted out of this weeks game in 4th (what we call the bubble in our league.) Starting to be short stacked, a donkey move by me all in preflop with pocket sixes, called down by the chip leader (who was on a rush) with A10. Guess what spiked on the flop? I deserved to go out.