Doing the Right Thing

I have been thinking a lot about my leaks in poker. I think my biggest leak is something more general... Doing the right thing. I believe that knowing what the right play is and actually making the right play seperates good players from great players. Here is an example of a hand I played today where I knew what to do, but made a number of mistakes, which costed me over $1,000.00.

My stack: ($1181)
Villains stack: ($1495)

Villain is loose-aggressive (LAG), very smart, solid, winning player at the 5/10NL game on stars.

Villain limps UTG, two limpers, I get dealt 84sp in the BB. I check.

Pot = $40.00 -- Flop: Js Ks 9d -- I check, Villain bets $30, two folds, I call*

Pot = $100.00 - Turn: 2s -- I check, Villain bets $90, I call**

Pot = $280.00 - River: 5h -- I bet $450.00, Villain raises all-in ($601 more for me to call). I call***. Villain shows A6sp (nuts).

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Here is how I went broke on that hand:
* Calling with a low flush draw out of position with bad odds = terrible poker. I knew this, yet still called. I didn't do the right thing.
** Slowplaying without the nuts out of position isn't good either. I should have lead the turn, or check-raised. If I lead the turn or check-raised, and villain reraised me. I might go broke here.
*** I actually like my overbet on the river, it kind of diguises my hand, it could be a busted draw, two pair, or a flush. But when a great LAG player goes all-in over my overbet, this should set alarms off. I know villain isn't making this move witha straight or a set. He is making this move with the nut flush. If he had QT here, he would fold or call, he would never raise. Same for a set. Therefore, this is an easy lay down. But instead, I make the wrong play and call.

This hand shows how you can lose $1000.00 and 5/10nl by making a mistake.

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Right now I am running bad. I am getting cold decked and getting action when I don't want it, and no action when I do want it. Things aren't going my way right now, as they usually have been throughout this blog. Even though I am running bad, I could have gotten away from the above hand, but I had the mindset of "if he has the better flush, I am just going to pay him off, because I am running bad." I need to take one hand at a time, and play it perfectly, even if that means I am going to lose money. I would rather get my money in with the best hand and get sucked out on, rather than knowing I am beat, and still calling. I guess this is just a form of tilt and I need to work on my tilt control.

I want to be able to play perfect whether I am running bad or good.