<p><br >
I have learned the most hated word in poker. Variance. This is an ugly nasty word. Especially since I learned it the hard way. I got hammered with variance in straight SnGs. It happened like this. In each SnG I was dealt AA in good position with or players left. Someone ahead of me (always the big stack) bet hard, and I raised. They went all in and I called. Three times I saw a smaller pocket pair and once a KQ suited. Each time they hit a set! So each time I was knocked out of the game. Yes I know it happens, and AA is only favorite, but games in a row? This is how I learned what variance is. It means your does NOT happen evenly. I suppose I can take some solace in the knowledge that this means my next few AA should be pretty solid, but man did this hurt my bankroll. <br >
The reason it hurt is of course that I had been doing pretty well, and so I decided to leap up the levels, (just a little cocky) and play for some real money. So I got hammered out of entry fees at a level my bankroll was not ready to play at. At least not with the poker gods deciding to teach me a new word and all. It is a shame too, because I had worked out a pretty good rhythm to my play. I would log in and look at the ring games and the SnGs. If the ring games looked good, I went there, but if the table seemed cold after an hour or so or if I could not find a table I liked I would switch to SnG play. This has kept my game and my mind pretty sharp and I don’t feel like I am just grinding out the BBhr. So in addition to the nasty new word, I learned something about bankroll management. But man I wish these lessons came a little cheaper.<p>
