Venting

I'm running bad lately so poker is a bit of a sore subject. When you're losing this game is incredibly frustrating and emotionally draining. If you have ever had a legitimate bad run then you know the exact feeling. Continually getting out-flopped, out-drawn, or coolered is a miserable feeling. Perhaps equally frustrating have been the times in the past days when I've flopped a set/straight/flush and not gotten any action in raised pots. Implied odds only work when you actually get paid after hitting. Ugh.

P5's released their new rankings today. I knew that some players would fall due to lack of volume but I was shocked at some results. TheWacoKid was 62, Shaniac was 22, and ActionJeff was 33. I cannot fathom how these player's results are not atleast twice as good as some of the players ranked above them. 3 months isn't a very long time but I think the new system clearly values quantity over quality.

The pro poll is clearly a popularity contest. There is just no way that people familiar with online MTT would put players like AJ #13 and sheets #15. To say that there are 12 and 14 players better than each of these people respectively is a complete joke. Name 12 players that have AJ or sheet's results in the last year. You can't. This isn't high school homecoming. Whether or not someone is liked should have absolutely no bearing on a ranking of his/her online poker ability. If you're selected as a "Pro" you should act like a professional and vote on merit.

The fact remains that I am far more impressed with actual $ amounts than I am with any rankings. The "Office Reports Official Ranking System" looks at one number only--Profit. Volume, ITM%, ROI are all pretty nice to look at, but I can't pay the bills by telling my landlord I had a 150% ROI last month. If I put up 6-figure profits in a year playing poker online I think I would print out any rankings that didn't have me in the top 10 and wipe my ass with it.

Some good things did come from the rankings. Tmay, Annette, t soprano are all great players who may have flown under some people's radars for awhile. Tmay won the TLB points so I have a hard time saying anyone is more deserving of the top spot than he is--well done sir. I played with Annette several times in the past months and not only can she play, but she is very talkative and friendly at the table and was willing to look at some HH's for me after I busted at a UB FT. I am extremely happy that the system worked for some people.

Tomorrow is a new day. Go Tigers.