Variance Schmariance....

Merry christmas and a happy New year to all the outdrawing fish that have been sitting at my table recently. Or am I just playing shite?

Well sometimes this week I have just been playing bad online, others it has been grin and bear it time as some runner runner madness bitch slaps me in an all in situation. Still I have made just under a $1000 this week playing bad and falling foul of the variance fairy so it is not all bad.

For some reason I have lost my nerve in some pots online and not followed through on my instinct and put the pressure back on the other player in a hand. Other times I have rashly called when my instinct tells me I am behind (my instinct seems to be right but my mouse will not obey).

Another reason is that I have not played much and when I have my table selction has been bad. This is mainly due to playing when I can instead of when the tables are best. After the christmas mayhem I will be able to choose the time I play with a bit more freedom. Maybe I should just enjoy christmas and forget about trying to make money playing poker for a week or two. The other option is to withdraw a chunk of my bankroll and deposit at a bigger site where there are more tables and more fish.

This leads me on to a few questions, what is a fish? Is it bad form to call people fish on my blog even though I don't mantion their name? What if I am a fish?

First question first, a list of scaly fin qualities:

• Buying in at a cash table for less than the max - play lower if you can't afford the full buy in, you are asking to be cleaned out.
• When doing the above gill breathers call raises with crap and then try to bluff off all their chips when they miss.
• Our plankton eating friends love to call off all their chips with a gutshot draw and then moan when they miss.
• They have no fear, if a board has flush,straight and house possibilities they think nothing of putting all their chips in with Ace high or calling them off with top pair - no kicker.
• They are mostly American.
• There are lots of them.

I mean no malice by calling players fish. If you are a fish and are offended then stop playing like a fish. If you think I have insinuated you are a fish and you are not a fish, stop playing like a fish.

I probably am a fish.