Feelin' Lucky
Yesterday was not a good day. I was working on about three hours of sleep, I'm on a diet which makes me a wee bit cranky, and the Red Sox lost 1-0 after Lester pitched 7 scoreless innings. In addition to all that, I'd had it "up to here" with being called a luckbox.
I mean seriously....how many times can dozens of guys, who I thought were intelligent, wax on about what a luck box I am? I started thinking "Do these guys actually believe this?" All along I thought everyone was kidding around. Heck, I don't even "believe" in luck. I see those people with "lucky" card protectors, or wearing their lucky t-shirts and I think "idiot", although maybe idiot isn't fair. If these insignificant things make people a little more confident, then God bless them, go to it. I just do not buy into the "luck" thing.
I believe in "randomness" as in randomly you'll get better cards and worse cards.....ebb and flow, but not "tonight's my lucky night so I will win win win". You guys aren't stupid enough to believe that shit, are you? If you are, I am sorely disappointed.
I've been called "lucky" far longer than any of you have known me. In fact, I wrote a bit on my thoughts about this subject last summer and below is an excerpt.
Very Josie - On Gambling and Luck, August 2010
Luck wins hands. It does not win tournaments. And what the fuck is wrong with a little luck anyway?
In a poker room if you call someone lucky, you might as well just call him a mother fucker to his face. He'll take it the same way you meant it. As an insult. In other facets of life, "lucky" isn't such a dirty word. I cannot tell you how often I've been called lucky. Certainly much more often than I've been called smart. And I am lucky sometimes. When a little luck goes my way I'm thankful and try not to squander it. It isn't total luck. I make my own "luck" and everyone tells me how lucky I am.
Whatev. Some old guy from Illinois, after writing I was lucky about 19 times in his "open letter" to me even brought it up a notch, saying I'm screwing the honchos at Full Tilt. Maybe even he doesn't believe it can be luck alone....it must be the magical mystery vay jay jay that I have. lollllllllllll
Sooooo when I was going through the archives to find that little tidbit above, I found a piece I wrote on Hoyazo, like way back when. He kicked my butt and clearly I didn't like it, yet I was impressed. (no I never typed the "luck" word even once in reference to him) :P See below.
Very Josie - Who is this "Hoyazo" that just fucked me? September 2010
I just busted out of The Mookie. Small field, 13 players I think, which means 2 small tables. I have Hoyazo one away, to my left. And whenever I'm in a pot he raises or reraises and I end up folding a couple of hands that may have been the best, but not worth the tourney.
So I have my fave hand and raise 3 times the blind or 180. Hoy reraises to 710. Big blind folds, I fold and he shows a 7-2....The Hammer. This is after fucking with me repeatedly.
Next hand I have A-Q sooted. Hoy raises to 180, bb reraises to 540. I call. Hoy jams all in and BB folds. I know I gotta fold here, but I keep thinking about that last hand and the hands leading up to it.
I call.
He shows KK. Flop is Q high, but I catch no other cards and I'm out.
Here's what I think. Had he waited till after the flop to jam with an over pair, I'd still have all my chips in. That's be a much easier call. It just pisses me off that his fucking with me resulted in me making a bad call.
The funny thing is he played exactly how I play. Usually I'm very aggressive, like him. If you're telling me your hand is worth 3x the big blind, well then you're also telling me that it isn't worth, say 10x. So let's put you to the test. It's an easy way to accumulate chips and it's best done against a tight player. And damn, there's nothing I like better than getting a big pocket pair after a hand I've just raised.
No, I'm not a tight player, but I don't think Hoy knows that, and I certainly appeared tight tonight. I didn't get many playable hand so all I seemed to do is fold, or fold afer Hoy reraised me.
Very interesting. I wouldn't mind playing with him at my table again.
That was about about 7 months ago, and I can't say I've done anything significant against Hoy yet, but hopefully there's the BBT6 coming....
Speaking of coming.....so is the WSOP. Vegas in June baby. A very NICE blogger sent me an email yesterday explaining why all you other bloggers call me names. He made alot of sense and then he asked if he'd see me in Vegas for teh WSOP. I really hope the answer will be yes.
I need a BIG "lucky" win so I can leverage that into a wsop win. I would like that very much, if only to continue the "Luck Box" reputation. I think the best way to accomplish this (online anyway) is to play a large tourney with large prizes at the final table. That's where you'll find me for the next month or so.
Play smart.
Jo C.
Comments
It happens to ALL aggressive players though. Ask Otis, LJ, Sucko, and the myriad of others who actually have some deep tourney wins.
Also would not surprise me at all if you hit a nice score! Totally hope it happens!
Here's a comment I made on lightning's blog:
Once or twice it could be luck, but everytime?
That says it all.
You need to fix your post to:
"A mature, thoughtful, intelligent player from Illinois ..."
btw -- The word "luck" was only used two times in the post. And ... it is unfortunate that you did not focus on the complimentary things I said in my post. I guess, therefore, I should consider my own revision:
Post: "First and foremost, I hereby publicly acknowledge that you are a crafty and challenging opponent in tournament play."
Potential revision: "First and foremost, I hereby publicly acknowledge that you are a crappy and challenged opponent in tournament play."
Peace out ...
It is said that to win one needs to suck out at least once and more often twice. You do seem to make a mockery of that.
Part of it is the medium -- blogs. We tend to talk (remember) success over failure -- ours and others. We also ignore odds by assuming because we were 80:20 we should win. Should is accurate; will win isn't a given. That can cause an excessive reaction by some or because of the situation.
Last, you have an over the top approach to your blog. It attracts the comment you have angst about.
Your choice is to change your blog or your thickness of skin. LOL
Lightning, I was talking about some OTHER old guy from Illinois, not you! LOL
I'd take luckbox or cardrack any day of the week and tell everybody to fawk off.
Damn egos.
You're a ballah kid. Keep playing well.
Waffles, No need to apologize. You can call me Joe C. Lukcbox anytime, anytime you want your balls kicked, that is. :P
seriously, who cares what anyone says. Let them think you're a lucksack and embrace it. Then pummel the shit outta them when they don't expect it. easy peasy.
I was in a pissy mood, due to lack of sleep which really was YOUR fault. :P You keep all the women up all night?
Remember that satirical humor has to have some basis in fact to work. Accurate though is a different level.
Oops -- sorry if that just pisses you off in another directtion ...
Muhahahahaha
God knows what I'll be called tomorrow.
Actually being a luck sack has nothing to do with whether you are a good player or not. It is possible to be both at the same time. Look at Tom Dwan after all. He's one of the biggest luck sacks I've ever seen play yet he is also one of the best players. The problem comes when one lets the taunts of others affect their game, making plays just to prove that they are "good" rather than just lucky. Hell I'd settle for some wins, don't care how I get them.
Side note : I don't know if I can go but there is a 120.00 NL deepstack tourney at foxwoods tomorrow at 6:00PM. I'd like to go but I don't know if I can get down there...
Thanks for the info about Foxwoods.
We'll do heads up soon, but um, you know you're gonna lose, right? :)
I still want a rematch.
Okay -- I'll side with Wolfshead, you ignorant slut. Feel better?
: o )
Lightning, Okay I'm a total hottie! I prefer that to Wolfie's name calling. WTF is up with that btw? Maybe he's calling me a slut because I slept with him, his brother and his nephew....pshaw - I certainly don't think that qualifies me. :P
And I honestly think all of the luck comments are just to get under your skin. It's the way the recipients of your statistical variance anomalies return the favor since your natural reaction to hitting your 2-outer isn't contrition, but rather gloating.
JT baby, You will never see me acting contrite over winning. "Oh Im so sorry I won. "
Aren't we all there cuz we want to win? No fake stuff from me baby!
Hmmm ... another very intelligent man who comments on your blog. Sounds like he needs to connect with the other bright guys who are "Joe C Handlers' -- lightning, Wolfshead, and KenP. I'll let Lucki Duck and The Neophyte decide for themselves how they are classified.
I know it would put a spring in my step! ;o)
The point is there were always a lot of excellent grinders there just waiting and drooling for those tourists. One of those grinders was probably Mike Caro who offered the expression "a powerful winning force surrounds me". At the tables when he took down big pots his comments were about how lucky he was...and how good his opponnets played...it isn't easy being a grinder.