Scared Money

We all know the danger of playing with scared money.  At least I thought that I did.  Yesterday I played in the first cash game since Vegas.  The 2/20 spread game to me is the worst of all possible worlds.  The low ante makes for a loosey goosey game, while the monte carlo & high hand draws in the gambling mentality.  The limit structure...albeit a pretty high limit considering the average buy-in of $100, adds a dimension of chasing that you cannot drive out in a high buy-in no limit game (do you really want to put $200 in on the flop to chase that flush draw?).  So, I have stayed away from it for a long time, preferring instead to play tournaments with fixed loss and good upside, as well as playing more of my style of poker, which is to say like a little girl.

Yesterday, I was forced out of several pots by $15 bets or $20 raises to my bet by inferior hands.  Some examples:

UTG player raises to $12 preflop...I have 7/7.  I call in position.  Flop is 9 high, he bets $15, I fold.  Another player calls to river, he takes pot with unimproved AQ.  A much better play for me, in position, would have been to raise $15 and re-evaluated if called.  Worse case scenario, he bets $20 on the turn and I fold.  Best case, he checks to the raiser, I bet, he folds.

Me, small blind with JJ, raise $12 pre-flop, 2 callers.  Flop is AAK, we all check.  Turn is a brick, I check, player bets $15, other player calls, I fold.  They check to river and 10/10 unimproved wins.
Best play for me is betting $20 with the lead as a continuation bet, though I leave myself open to a bluff raise or float call.  Best case scenario, with my preflop bet, then firing on flop, they both fold. (the player with 10/10 points out that another ace, he wins high hand of $499...again with the gamble mentality).

Me with KJ against loose raiser with position (he is to my immediate left).  Small raise, $7 preflop.  Flop brings me gutshot draw.  He bets $7, I call.  Turn is jack, now top pair, I check, he bets 7 again, I call.  River is king.  I bet $15, he raises to $35, I fold.  His lack of big bets leads me to believe that he was betting with overcards, probably AK, but could have been AQ which made the nut straight.  Would like to know, and my call there would have been good info.

Anyway, that gives you an idea about me playing with scared money.  I really don't understand why I do that, and may be a psychological problem for me....at least in regards to poker.  My friend Don says that if he had my money, he would burn all of his.  Maybe so, but my tightness netted me a $52 win at the table last night.  The people who bet me out off my hands?  The first one was stuck at least $100 despite winning a $200 high hand bonus.  The second one was stuck $400, the third one at least $200.  So, perhaps it is better to err on the side of caution and play with my dress on.