Not-so-smooth chaser

Discipline -- and I'm not talking whips and leather -- in poker seems to be an instilled trait. Perhaps the S&M reference is appropriate given how painfully poker lessons are sometimes imparted.

The learning goes slowly. In my current token turbo on Tilt I had a breakthrough. I folded aces to a raise and reraise after a paired flop. Eyes may now roll at the moronic simplicity of that move, but I'm still pretty low on poker's evolutionary scale. My knuckles have only recently ascended above ground level. (I just busted 10th when my push with eights failed to hold up against kings.)

For one hand in the Riverchaser tournament last night, said discipline was sorely lacking. We were not quite in the money when I called UTG's min-raise from the BB with 8-9o. The flop came 8 high with a gutshot. He bet weak. I think, shit, he just might have aces. In fact, I think: It's 50-50 he has aces. And then I push. Yep. Push. Risk my tournament life despite a read that screamed "You're behind, 'wipe." He instacalls and has the aces. I happily straighten on the river, the recipient of blind luck.

I made the final table and chipped up nicely when eights held up against A-10. I donked off almost one-third of my stack unnecessarily by calling an all-in with A-5 and proceeded to lose races with A-K vs. Gary while 5-handed and A-K vs. pocket 9s a few hands. (Gary finished third while nursing a short stack with timely aggression. Who's weak-tight? Good job, sir.)