Sympathy River

Tonight was a prime example of why online cash games typically make me want to fall face first onto the corner of my coffee table. I get really bored playing them for extended periods of time. I've sat at the same $25 table tonight for almost 4 hours and I've yet to get over $30ish bucks at any point. To summarize it has been - stay even, lose a little, win a decent pot, lose a slightly bigger pot not long after the win, grind up a bit more, win a decent pot, lose a slightly bigger pot again right after the win.

Finally it's 5am, I've busted out of the deepstack $3 tournament I was playing alongside this cash table and I'm down to $10. Maybe I should have left a few times when I was at $15 and cut my losses. It never seemed at any point like I was on the fast track to double up. I can stand to lose $25 in one session bankroll wise but I certainly would be irritated with it, especially considering it would be about half of my recent 90 man 2nd place profits. But at this point I figure: "So what if I lose it? Who cares? I have no major complaints about they way I've played."

Then I play this hand with a guy who's sat with me for almost 150 hands:

Full Tilt Poker Game #14901417279: Table Ash (6 max) - $0.10/$0.25 - No Limit Hold'em - 5:53:13 ET - 2009/09/24
Seat 1: spotDEspot ($25)
Seat 2: Laugo ($53.42)
Seat 3: Dray ($10.82)
Seat 4: conics1234 ($30.29)
Seat 5: jumsoon ($4.50)
Seat 6: duffmanbluffman ($29.94)
duffmanbluffman posts the small blind of $0.10
spotDEspot posts the big blind of $0.25
The button is in seat #5
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Dray [9c Jh]
Laugo folds
Dray has 15 seconds left to act
Dray raises to $1
conics1234 calls $1
jumsoon folds
duffmanbluffman has been disconnected
duffmanbluffman has reconnected
duffmanbluffman folds
spotDEspot folds
spotDEspot adds $0.25
*** FLOP *** [7c Jc 8s]
Dray checks
conics1234 bets $1.25
Dray calls $1.25
*** TURN *** [7c Jc 8s] [7d]
Dray checks
conics1234 bets $3.50
Dray has 15 seconds left to act
Dray raises to $8.57, and is all in
conics1234 calls $5.07
Dray shows [9c Jh]
conics1234 shows [Js Ad]
*** RIVER *** [7c Jc 8s 7d] [Th]
Dray shows a straight, Jack high
conics1234 shows two pair, Jacks and Sevens
Dray wins the pot ($20.90) with a straight, Jack high
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $21.99 | Rake $1.09
Board: [7c Jc 8s 7d Th]
Seat 1: spotDEspot (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 2: Laugo didn't bet (folded)
Seat 3: Dray showed [9c Jh] and won ($20.90) with a straight, Jack high
Seat 4: conics1234 showed [Js Ad] and lost with two pair, Jacks and Sevens
Seat 5: jumsoon (button) didn't bet (folded)
Seat 6: duffmanbluffman (small blind) folded before the Flop

I'm still playing at this table and have yet to get above $30. I'm still sitting with the initial buyin of $25. Maybe NOW I should quit break even...but dammit if I don't still want to either bust or double up because this is BORING!!!!

ANYWAY

I'm going to play a tournament tonight in Round Rock with a group I've never played with before. It's a group Herby usually plays with on Thursdays. $30 buyin with WSOP structure, of course what really matters is how fast the blinds go up. Yesterday was my birthday so I can justify spending a little $ but lately it's been tight. This may be one of my last live poker appearances for a while before Aubrey arrives and Kristina and I both become immersed in "baby land". :) I sure hope the game is pleasant and the people are a) nice b) not annoying and c) not jerks or poker ego trippers. Because if the last two are true I at least want to make some money off of them.