One or two pots over the evening all the difference?

[junYUN]

well this is definatly true...most pots you'll pick up a few bucks here and there, or lose a few bucks here and there. then there are the times where you just happen to have one other player at the table who thinks he has the best hand, you guys go at it and one of you is either really on top or really on bottom.

[2Tone]

Absolutely. This is especially true in NL of course, but even at 2/4, there a dozen hands over the course of the night which I win or fold before the turn, resulting in small wins or losses. But these aren’t the hands that determine whether I finish in the red or black. It’s when a straight or flush beats a set, (especially if it hits on the river) and one, two or three players have been calling/raising every step of the way. Two or three of these 12BB hands make a mighty big difference.

[Talking Poker]

I tonight (to a 4 outer, of course). I'd say that made a difference in my session... wouldn't you?

[Penguinfan]

Exactly!! That's the point of this thread and something I have really been looking at in my own game. No secret I have admitted to being a losing player who is creeping up on even to profitable, and have stretches of winnings sessions, it just seems that this may be the point that I, and maybe others are missing, that your game really is this fragile, one pot, and it doesn't need to be a monster, can make you or break you on the long run. If this is true for even half the sessions I could claim that over this year it was only 20-25 pots (or river cards for that matter) that are keeping me below the glass ceiling, just something to ponder.

[2Tone]

I'm not sure that is what I conclude from this thread. I think everyone is agreeing that two or three (at least in limit, though it certainly could be 1 in NL) pots make the difference between a winning or losing session. But that's for that session only. I don't think a one pot -- even a monster - is going to make a tremendous difference in the long run. I guess it all depends on how long a run we are talking about here. But I'm confident that if I make the right decisions in regards to pot odds, being aggressive, choosing my spots, etc., I'm going to win more than my fair share of those big hands. Some I'll win, some I'll lose. But in the long run -- weeks, months, years -- I'll be ahead as a result of making better decisions than my opponents. And that's not a matter of getting lucky in one pot.

Jeez, I'm talkling awfully big for a 2/4 player

[GeoffM]

Absolutely 1 or 2 pots can make the night. Especially if you have been playing extremely tight all night, then when you catch a big pot off a loose player, bam, there is your night. Donating very little to most pots and then hitting a big pot or 2 is a huge change of fortune, IMO.

[Talking Poker]

I think they key here is to not make 2 or 3 big mistakes in a given night, and instead, capitalize on the 2-3 big mistakes made by your opponents.

The former can cost you a lot of money, where the latter can earn you a lot of money.

In my example hand from last night, yes, I ended up on the losing end of things, but I played it beautifully, getting $1400 into a pot when I was something like a 90% favorite. Short term, anything can happen, but if and when I put myself in that situation enough over time, I'll come out way ahead for sure.