Good Poker vs TV Poker...some thoughts

As a relative newbie to playing "Good Poker" (I consider myself a recreational player) I have seen few things lately that really made me sit up and take notice of what I am playing and how I am playing. If you've seen my SnG threads, you'll notice that I'm learning, a bit at a time (like getting mad at myself for playing A3 suited from UTG).

One point that really brought it home for me was the latest "Learn from the Pros". They talked about final table play and there was one quote that stuck with me. Not sure who said it, and I'm paraphrasing here, so stick with me. They were talking about final table play and someone said "Players will go in with crazy hands at the final table. Someone will have been playing small pots for 3-4 days, and then when they hit the FT they go crazy. You just have to sit back and let them give you their chips."

This hit me upside the head in a big way. I'm playing the way these FT people play WAY too much. I think my issue is that there is too much TV coverage of people in these big pot battles, and I begin to think that these actions are normal. I've really had to slow down the last few days to pay attention to what I am thinking. I've been playing too much TV Poker, and not enough Good Poker.

I did it again tonight, and finished 8/9 in two tourneys in a row. I sit and wait, wait, wait. Try to steal a blind and get reraised, lose some chips. Try to push with K9 suited from EP. Just dumb stuff, but it is hard to play Good Poker all the time.

Maybe I'll be a good player someday. Most people don't realize that being a good player is BORING. I think there are a lot of players out there like me that play for entertainment, and good poker is not always good entertainment.

Any comments? See you at the tables...