the spite call

Playing ok, but getting tilted at some of the bad players at the table - seeing all kinds of crap like shoving with top pair/no kicker, shoving with ten high, openshoving 25 BB into the pot, limping with crap and hitting 2 pair.

Wasn't in the mood tonight, I guess. Trying to play solid TAG game and make less mistakes than opponents, but have been rewarded with no cards and no big flops. Fought my ass off for a third place finish earlier this afternoon, no cards the whole tourney, stats of 9/3 for chrissakes - then finally get proper ICM-shovable hands but opponents have better hands twice in a row, and I'm gone.

This evening's tourney I get an AQ in early position, raise it up, and get a caller from the blind. I've seen this person call raises twice already. I'm almost 100% sure I'm ahead. Flop comes 5 5 J and she pushes all into me. Really? C'mon, what are the chances this flop hit you. If I fold, though, she's going to show me A3 and I'm gonna puke. Nope, I gotta call... She shows JT and knocks me out of the tourney.

Bad play by me, but I was stuck either way. She made a shove with TPMK against a preflop raise - I could have easily had her beaten with JJ/QQ/KK/AA. She could have easily been shoving with ace high, but this time she had a little something. Her bad play rewarded again, my bad play knocks me out.

Third tourney, worst player at the table calls my raise. I have AQo. Flop comes 355. I hit my queen on the turn, and he gets it all in. He's a horrible player, I have TPTK. Fold? Really? No way, there are 100 hands he could have that I beat. Nope, he called my raise with 33 and flopped a boat. (Do you know the last time I flopped a boat? I checked, it was Nov 1, seems like 1000 years ago)

Nothin's working right now.

-- I just realized that I won't be playing tomorrow, so the month is over. Quick check of my online stats - only 21 tourneys played this month, for an ROI of 1.82%. Positive, yes, but barely. I'm negative 21% ROI since October 1, 57 tourneys played. Awful. How can you tell if it's luck or bad play? Sure, I made a spite call tonight, but having a bad player call a raise with 33 without odds and flop a boat on you - is that bad play? Going broke on a pair is supposedly bad play, but against poor players, can you really let them push you off top pair top kicker? Really? Cause if I've got to play for sets or better, then I might as well not play - cause I'm not hitting any of these.

Next week is more vacation - playing negative ROI poker for a full week doesn't sound like a good time. I better figure something out.