I Ain't No Hotdogger
By Susie Isaacs

I'm rather conservative by nature. Many would disagree with that statement because of my extroverted personality, my flamboyant attire, and my unusual lifestyle. However, when it comes to poker and money management my conservative rearing always comes to the forefront. Life is certainly a state of change and my life has definitely changed a lot since my move to Las Vegas 15 years ago. But the one thing that never changes within me is my ability to be controlled, focused, and cautious at the poker table. This is the way I was trained by my poker coaches and what has impressed me with all my poker heroes. These poker experts are seldom spontaneously hotdogger aggressive, they are selectively aggressive. This is not to confuse bluffing with hot-dogging.

My definition of a hotdogger at the poker table is similar to that of a hotdogger on the ski slopes. They come down the mountain fast, furious and with little control. At the poker table a hotdogger plays fast, furious and with little control. If a hotdogger runs into you on the slope it could result in a dangerous situation and I have run into many hotdoggers at the poker table and it too resulted in a dangerous situation. The poker hotdogger does win money on occasion, but they are usually a flash in the pan and don't consistently cross the finish line. The skier usually takes a fall and hurts himself or others and the poker hotdogger usually crashes and burns early and usually cripples or destroys other players along the way. On occasion you see them crash into the money even though they play with reckless abandon and unorthodox cards.

Recently, while on the longest losing streak of my career (one year) I have been questioning my inability to play like a hotdogger. My quality cards when I caught them (aces, kings and queens) were losing to the hotdoggers who were calling raises and even initiating the raises with cards like, 7-6, 9-Q, 4-3, (you get the picture). I began to question my conservative style of play and wondered if hotdog style was the new way to play poker. Was there something I had missed along the way? Had poker changed without my knowing it? Did I need a new-wave poker coach? Did I need to relearn a whole new way of playing poker? I once tried to be a hotdogger in a tournament and I got my weenie burned and felt like an idiot playing idiotic cards. That was the end of my hotdogging career.

The hotdoggers come and go, often times being famous for a moment, while the old fogies continue to plug along and consistently land in the winner's circle. It was recently proven to me when my portegege started burning up the tournament trail, never once becoming a hotdogger. My portegege, who I taught to play poker tournaments the "old fashioned" way, rode out her most recent losing streak not once varying from the conservative, solid way she was taught to play poker tournaments. She had also questioned my teaching and eventually came to the same conclusion, the cream does rise to the top if you play your cards right.

My poker coaches taught me to play a conservative, selectively aggressive, consistent game of poker and I am still of the opinion, even on a losing streak, this tried and true position is the best for me personally. I am comfortable with this style of play, which in turn gives me the confidence needed while playing in a poker tournament. In my brief attempt to be a hotdogger I was never comfortable or confidant that I was doing the right thing. A hotdogger I ain't.