SELECT MAX(PAIN) FROM CARDS;

Double chance didn't even give me one chance. I played thia last night and there was a decent turnout or about 70 players. I got off to a good start winning the first hand but sadly that was to be my nadir. My steals preflop got reraised a couple of times, I had to lay down top pair (Q) K kicker in the face of bets from an aggressive but good player, and played a hand nearly right,but ultimately wrong. On a limped pot 4 seen a flop. I was on the button and it was checked to me on a board of J63 with 2 hearts. I bet 2/3 the pot (I have none of it) and got one quick caller. Flush draw thought I. This being my thinking I somehow managed to contrive to check the turn behind when the 4 of clubs arrived. River brought another non heart and I bet again more than half the pot when it was checked to me. Of course I was called by missed flush draw and 4th pair which was good (9h4h). I messed that hand by not betting the turn which I knew myself and was said to me as well just after the break by another player. It is the things like that that I hjave stopped doing properly lately. It would be churlish of me to just blame the cards for my bad run as even though I know I play well in fits and starts, there is no consistency to my game, and I am bottling out of making the right decisions because I must subconsciously think 'there is no way I will win no matter what I do'.

No wonder I have Eeyore as my avatar on boards. Apt on 2 fronts.

1. I am a donkey
2. I am pessimistic

Anyways, after the failure of that bluff I was never presented with an opportunity to get chips. I stole blinds a couple of times, but never had a had where I wanted a caller despite needing one. I did get a caller though when I opened all in with 62. I lost surprisingly. 5 levels of poker and not one pocket pair of any size. I had AKo once and AJs once. I also had KQs once but way out of position. These are the only decent hands I got. The main problem I have with the double chance game is that there are never really enough chips to make plays, especially when the game is populated by guys who like middle or bottom pair too much to let you win with a bluff. It is all very well saying 'wait til you get a big hand then you will take their chips'. This never even close to happening.

I may or may not play the scalps game on Friday. I definitely will not play in the CityWest this weekend as apart from being an extremely awkward location for a carless person such as I currently am, I cannot justify spending between 300-3000 on tournaments at the moment. Ah well. Hopefully if Forest Gump was on the right tracks I have eaten all the coffee creams by now and am coming into the turkish delights (my personal favourites - they are either love em or hate em) now.