Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 13: Knowing When to Call It Quits
��I quit. I��m done playing poker.��
I��ve told myself that several dozen times over the years, undoubtedly after I busted a big tournament or lost too much in a cash game. I may be heated with a boiling rage, but I always mean it when I say it. However, it��s inevitable that, after a day or two, the itch will return. I��ll vow to improve my game, motivate myself, and get back on the horse. It��s a predictable cycle, and eventually I had to accept a hard truth �� I��ll never quit poker.
The fact of the matter is poker is too ingrained in my life. It��s my job, my hobby, and despite how much I hate it at times, my passion. I��ll never quit altogether, but that doesn��t mean I shouldn��t quit certain things. For instance, I need to quit a game when I��m not playing my best, to quit making bad decisions, and to quit being my own worst enemy. For far too long I��ve ignored that voice deep down inside that says such things as ��walk away�� and ��don��t do this.��
I think the main reason I��ve failed to heed that voice is because I often fail to look at poker in the long term. Instead, whenever I play I��m focused on that game, that single moment in time, with no thought of the future. Thinking that way serves me well on occasion, but oftentimes it leads me down the road of bad decisions (e.g., playing badly, digging myself a hole, throwing bankroll management out the window). I just don��t want to quit. I have the insatiable need to be in action.
For instance, this past weekend I traveled to the Twin Cities for the Season 5 finale of the Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) at Canterbury Park, the first cardroom I ever visited. I hadn��t played tournament poker for months, and I was very much looking forward to getting back in the swing of things. I sold some action and went into the tournament prepared to fire two bullets into the $1,100 buy-in Main Event, which ultimately attracted 432 entries and was won by Peixin Liu for $106,483.
The plan was to play Day 1a on Friday, and ideally advance so that I��d save a bullet and have Saturday off. If I failed, then I planned to fire my second bullet on Day 1b. Unfortunately things didn��t go down that way. I lost about 15% of my starting stack on the second hand of the day, and over the next six levels I slowly bled out. I was card dead and my stack dwindled as the blinds increased. It was both frustrating and unsatisfying.
Eventually I busted when I shoved with A?3? only to run into KxKx. No ace appeared and I went out with a whimper. Now the smart thing would have been to call it a night and return the following day to try again, just like I��d planned. Instead, I once again ignored that voice of reason. I still wanted to play, and I figured my bad cards couldn��t possibly last. Late registration was still open, so I decided to fire my second bullet on Day 1a.
In Level 9 (400/800/100), Mark Sandness, who won the opening event of the MSPT Season 5, opened with a raise to 1,700 from middle position and Aaron Johnson called. I came along from the hijack with K?J?, Bill Criego called from the button, and the big blind put in 900 more to make it five-way action to the K?10?2? flop.
Two checks saw Johnson bet 3,700, and I moved all in for 14,000 total with my top pair and flush draw. I loved the spot, but I didn��t like it so much when Criego moved all in over the top. Everyone else folded and Criego tabled K?10? for two pair.
I was behind, but according to the PokerNews Odds Calculator I had a 45.76% chance of either hitting my flush or a bigger two pair. The A? turn didn��t hit me directly, but it did give me an added straight draw and counterfeit options. I still had a 38.64% chance of winning the large pot, but alas it did not come to pass as the 3? blanked on the river.
I was pissed. Not necessarily because I lost �� I don��t see me playing that hand any differently (at least after the flop) �� but rather because I once again served as my own worst enemy by tossing my well-laid plan out the window. I made a mistake by slashing my own tire, and now I had the urge to slash the rest. The poker player in me �� and part of that is to say my ego �� wanted to come back the next day and fire a third bullet, which was technically an option as I had the money in my pocket.
The urge was strong, but that voice in my head said there were too many reasons against trying again. First, I went in budgeted to fire two bullets, so going over that would be bad bankroll management. Just because I slashed one tire is no excuse to slash the rest. It just doesn��t make sense. Second, I know me, and I was 100% positive that if I returned on Day 1b and failed on what would be my third bullet, I would be so angry I would think, ��Well, I��m in this far,�� and then proceed to fire a fourth bullet, which is something I definitely did not want to do. As I��m sure you can tell, sometimes I struggle with self-control.
Finally, I had to consider those who were kind enough to buy a piece of my action. They had invested in two bullets �� for which I was incredibly grateful �� so how would it look if I fired a third on my own dime and then shipped the thing for over $100K? That��d have been great for my bank account, but in my opinion a bad thing for my reputation, which in the poker world is everything. Sure, I probably could have sold more action, but that didn��t seem reasonable after losing two bullets in quick succession.
I didn��t want to quit. In fact every part of me wanted to try again and battle for poker glory. But I knew that if I was going to improve in the long run, then I needed to start listening to that voice of reason. I packed my things, said goodbye to my friends, and decided to make the four-hour drive back home, which to me was the only definitive way to remove temptation.
As I sweated the PokerNews live updates from the event, I couldn��t help but wonder what could have been. It was torturous not being there, but I knew calling it quits for that particular tournament was the right thing to do. Poker is a marathon, but I��m a sprinter. If I ever hope to succeed, then I need to know when to run.
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In this Series
- 1 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 1: Making Reads and Trusting Them
- 2 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 2: Playing in Poker Charity Events
- 3 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 3: Throttle Back Before You End Up Punting
- 4 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 4: Punish the Satellite Bubble
- 5 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 5: What is Proper Accumulator Strategy?
- 6 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 6: A Chip and a Chair Story with ��SirWatts��
- 7 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 7: 15 Things About Poker I Wish I��d Known Sooner
- 8 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 8: Examining the Largest Overlay in Poker History
- 9 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 9: Differences Between Rebuys and Reentries
- 10 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 10: Five Must-Read Poker Books of 2014
- 11 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 11: When Will You Finally Break Through?
- 12 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 12: Dealing with a Target on Your Back
- 13 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 13: Knowing When to Call It Quits
- 14 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 14: Embarking on a Year-Long Weight Loss Journey
- 15 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 15: Navigating Multiple Decision Points in a Poker Hand
- 16 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 16: Chris Moorman Tells Me How Badly I Play Poker
- 17 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 17: Richard ��nutsinho�� Lyndaker on Getting It in Marginal
- 18 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 18: Getting Inside the Head of Poker Pro Brian Rast
- 19 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 19: Stupid Calls & Lucky Draws in MSPT WI Championship
- 20 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 20: Talking Ante-Only Strategy with Greg ��FossilMan�� Raymer
- 21 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 21: Contributing to Jonathan Little��s New Book
- 22 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 22: Consequences of Acting Out of Turn & Tossing in Chips
- 23 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 23: When It Comes to Chops, Do What��s In Your Best Interest
- 24 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 24: Accepting Bad Beats & Lessons in Selling Action
- 25 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 25: Heinz�� Ace-High Call Shows Why He's a World Champ
- 26 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 26: Is Keeping the Short Stack Alive Collusion?
- 27 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 27: Great Laydown or Bad Fold on Poker Night in America?
- 28 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 28: Calling Hellmuth with Jack-Deuce Offsuit
- 29 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 29: The Philosophy of "No-Chop" Chad
- 30 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 30: Preparing to Play the World Series of Poker
- 31 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 31: Staying on Your Grind at the World Series of Poker
- 32 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 32: The Perilous Decision to Call Off with Ace-Queen
- 33 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 33: Using Poker Skills in Reality TV Competitions
- 34 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 34: Esfandiari Explains How to Recover from Bad Beats
- 35 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 35: Tilly vs. Brunson in Super High Roller Cash Game Hand
- 36 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol 36: Unconventional Play Leads to Good WSOP Main Event Start
- 37 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 37: Lessons in Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Low w/ Evan Jarvis
- 38 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 38: Things to Say and Do When You Bust a Poker Tournament
- 39 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 39: How Much Did I Have to Raise to Get You to Fold?
- 40 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 40: Practicing Patience in My Deep PPC Poker Tour Run
- 41 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 41: Analyzing a Questionable SHRPO Main Event Hand
- 42 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 42: Analyzing the Play of Neymar Jr. at EPT Barcelona
- 43 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 43: The Value of a Reliable Poker Reputation
- 44 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 44: John ��KasinoKrime�� Beauprez Rips My PLO Game Apart
- 45 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 45: Satellite Dilemmas -- To Call or Not to Call
- 46 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 46: Seiver Leverages the River in Super High Roller Bowl
- 47 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 47: What Untraditional Moves in Poker Might Mean
- 48 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 48: Thinking About the Future with Sam Grizzle
- 49 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 49: WCOOP Champ ��Coenaldinho7�� Offers Up His Biggest Hands
- 50 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 50: The Peril of Shoving Weak Aces
- 51 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 51: The Importance of Not Giving Up in Poker Tournaments
- 52 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 52: Does Asking ��Check�� Actually Constitute a Check?
- 53 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 53: Thomas Cannuli Impresses Even After Main Event Bustout
- 54 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 54: Dealers Aren��t Always Right
- 55 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 55: Don��t Get Married to Pocket Aces
- 56 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 56: Bazeley��s Survival Instinct Leads to Continued Success
- 57 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 57: Playing ��Deuces Wild�� on the European Poker Tour
- 58 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 58: The Wildest Hand in European Poker Tour History
- 59 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 59: Death, Zombies & Spending Time w/Phil Hellmuth
- 60 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 60: How the Unstoppable Fedor Holz Managed to Win Again
- 61 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 61: Lessons To Be Learned When You Hit the Big Stage
- 62 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 62: Steve O��Dwyer Explains the ��Oreo Cookie Tell��
- 63 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 63: What Would Happen to a Chip Stack If a November Niner Died?
- 64 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 64: Forgetting One Chip -- Should It Still Be an All-In Bet?
- 65 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 65: Todd ��sharkslayerrr�� Breyfogle on Bankroll Management
- 66 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 66: Cash Game Pro Daniel Arfin Offers Sound Bankroll Advice
- 67 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 67: Honeyman Plays Kings to Keep in Opponent��s Bluff Range
- 68 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 68: Why Do I Even Bother Drinking at the Poker Table?
- 69 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 69: Is Your Favorite Poker Pro Left- or Right-Handed?
- 70 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 70: In Order to Live You Have to Be Willing to Die
- 71 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 71: How to Amass a Big Stack Early in a Poker Tournament
- 72 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 72: Answering User-Submitted Poker Scenarios
- 73 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 73: Saying Goodbye with a Top Five List
- 74 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 74: We're Back, Baby!
- 75 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 75: Jivkov on Exploiting Capped Ranges
- 76 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 76: Matt Bretzfield Gets Tricky With Aces
- 77 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 77: Joseph Cheong Gets Crazy with a Pair of Ladies
- 78 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 78: Wyoming Poker Action & Wild South Dakota Hand
- 79 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 79: Calling Controversy at WinStar
- 80 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 80: Going for Value with Matt Hunt
- 81 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 81: Bracelet Winner Ryan Leng on Bad Call
- 82 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 82: Romeopro33 Recounts XL Eclipse Victory
- 83 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 83: Men The Master Doesn't Get Paid
- 84 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 84: Harman Hits Back-to-Back Miracle Turns
- 85 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 85: Jamie Kerstetter on Dealing with Bounties
- 86 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 86: Matt Stout Develops a Limp Dynamic
- 87 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 87: Matt Alexander Caught in Between w/ Two Red Aces
- 88 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 88: John Beauprez on Why He Folded a Set of Jacks
- 89 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 89: Alex Aqel Lets Opponent Hang Himself with Aces
- 90 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 90: David Peters Makes Beastly Call Against Will Givens
- 91 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 91: Poker Lessons from a Game of Risk
- 92 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 92: My Upstuck Diagnosis by the CLC Squad
- 93 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 93: Alex Foxen Coolers Nick Petrangelo in SHRB
- 94 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 94: My $25,000 PSPC Experience at 2019 PCA
- 95 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 95: The Equity of Leveraging Time Extensions
- 96 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 96: Dan O'Brien on Developing Healthy Routines
- 97 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 97: Big Hands From the WSOP-C Potawatomi
- 98 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 98: Simon Deadman Rips Apart My NLH Tourney Play
- 99 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 99: Shoving 10-6 Smack Dab Into Pocket Aces
- 100 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 100: The Revived Re-Entries Debate