Poker over the weekend was frustrating. I don’t have a very large bankroll at the moment, and I keep losing. My attitude is also really hurting my game. The pessimistic, “I’m so unlucky” part of me has thrown all kinds of doubt into my game. I focus on all the unlucky beats that happen to me, and seem somewhat lost in a hand. Rather than pay attention to the players and their beating patterns, I play too many games at once and don’t completely focus on what is happening at the table.
Therefore, I’m going back to poker basics. Relearning the game from the ground up. Rereading some of the books I’ve read, and also start paying attention to just one game at a time. I need to increase my bankroll before I can multitable at PokerStars again (unfortunately).
I’ll continue with the freerolls and play as many as I can. I’m not thinking through my decisions as much as I should.
Gavin Smith told Doyle Brunson the single most important paragraph about poker is sometimes taking the worst of it in certain spots because you picked up all those small pots at little risk.
There are lots of exceptional poker players nowadays. My current records are not very impressive. I’ve never won a big tournament with any big money. And I sure could use a win right now.
I am going to create a Word file of a poker log, along with an Excel file of my poker performance. I’ve been too careless with my poker logs. I’m not taking my results seriously enough. I understand maximizing time, but I also think it’s important to play few tables at once, especially no limit, which is so much harder than limit.
There is a way to win at this game, but it takes patience, commitment, discipline and stamina. It also takes money. I can really improve my game, but I have to get serious, stay humble, and not let my emotions get the better of me. Play to win, both in poker and in life.
I was very depressed yesterday, and it’s true that I’m starting to feel the pressure of not having much money to fall back on; however, I do feel energized today and look forward to playing poker and studying tonight.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Swimming in the Ocean
So much swimming in my mind. An ocean of ideas, thoughts, to-do lists, tasks to complete. My mind can get that way. Never enough time to do what I want to do. Way too many outrageous chores. Between poker and screenwriting there’s not much time left for other pursuits. And yet I keep pursuing.
Super Tuesday was last night and it seems no questions were answered. We’re still where we were the night before. Not knowing is starting to make me nervous. I’d hate to see a chaotic convention in Denver. I fear the desire to win may trump the best intentions of the party. I see both sides to the Clinton Obama choice. Both make sense. I’m with Obama, but more importantly, I want to win in November. I don’t know what I’d do if a Republican president won in ’08. It would make no sense to me, much like the past 8 years have made no sense to me.
Screenwriting, poker, dating, email blogging, watching TV, reading, walking the dog, eating, work, chores. It never ends.
My cash flow is about to run dry soon. I need a big poker win to start paying for all the trips I’m taking this year. Money, money, money...
Super Tuesday was last night and it seems no questions were answered. We’re still where we were the night before. Not knowing is starting to make me nervous. I’d hate to see a chaotic convention in Denver. I fear the desire to win may trump the best intentions of the party. I see both sides to the Clinton Obama choice. Both make sense. I’m with Obama, but more importantly, I want to win in November. I don’t know what I’d do if a Republican president won in ’08. It would make no sense to me, much like the past 8 years have made no sense to me.
Screenwriting, poker, dating, email blogging, watching TV, reading, walking the dog, eating, work, chores. It never ends.
My cash flow is about to run dry soon. I need a big poker win to start paying for all the trips I’m taking this year. Money, money, money...
Monday, February 4, 2008
New Month, New Goals
I was very productive in January. I usually am. Once my shingles cleared I was able to focus on my exercise routine, screenwriting, poker, and connecting with friends and family.
Chris visited me over Martin Luther King Jr. weekend. We spent the weekend writing our script Deja Bride, caught a few movies, and enjoyed each other’s company the way we always do. He’s so much fun and makes me laugh all the time. A truly hysterical character. We caught a debate between the Democratic candidates and he started to get caught up in the exciting contest. He and I hope to have a working draft of our script completed by the end of February. I think that’s a totally realistic goal. I have high hopes for this script. We need to do a far better job at marketing ourselves, however. This will take work, but I think there are lessons from Barack Obama that I can use in my own life. Confidence without arrogance. Win them over with charm and wit. I can’t say enough about that strategy.
Poker. Frustrating and not very profitable this month. My mindset was not good for poker. I constantly feel as though I’m going to lose hands. That’s not how I should play this game. My tough-mindedness gave way to indecision and defeat. I lost $108 accumulating FPPs on Poker Stars. I’m down $550 since December at $1/2. Not the end of the world, but certainly disappointing. This game is a mind game like no other. I have a lot to learn and study, even four years into this endeavor. My day will come. Why not tonight! I caught a few PokerXFactor videos and studied their patience, their calculations that go into pushing all in, calling or folding. I think my best game is in the tournament sphere, though I have still not won a big tournament yet. With the increased FPPs I’m winning, I should be able to buy into several of these $215 tournaments down the road. I’d also like to buy into some World Series of Poker satellites, too. I’ll study those videos and do what I can to win a seat again. That will be my top priority online this year. I also want to check out satellites for the Shooting Stars tournament. I need to earmark time for more live play, especially tournament play. I always seem to be stuck in small limit mode. Not fun.
I came back from Kansas City today. I spent the weekend there with mom at Jill & Chris’s. Jill’s second child Hayden spent a week in the NICU because he wasn’t getting enough oxygen. The baby was released this morning, much to Jill’s relief. It was an enjoyable weekend. I stayed with Jill two nights at the hospital. The room was comfortable. Jill had been an emotional mess throughout the week, but I think my presence with her at the hospital calmed her down. It was nice hanging out with her for a few days.
China: I have to start preparing for this incredibly expensive but exciting trip. It’s going to be expensive, but I’ll figure out a way to pay for it. I really need to win at poker eventually. I do win live, but he rake is so much at the card clubs in Oakland. Playing $3/6 is hardly worth it, and playing larger stakes requires a larger bankroll. That’s my catch. Playing tournaments at Poker Stars will help.
My February goals have been written. I am determined to have the most successful month of my life starting now!
Chris visited me over Martin Luther King Jr. weekend. We spent the weekend writing our script Deja Bride, caught a few movies, and enjoyed each other’s company the way we always do. He’s so much fun and makes me laugh all the time. A truly hysterical character. We caught a debate between the Democratic candidates and he started to get caught up in the exciting contest. He and I hope to have a working draft of our script completed by the end of February. I think that’s a totally realistic goal. I have high hopes for this script. We need to do a far better job at marketing ourselves, however. This will take work, but I think there are lessons from Barack Obama that I can use in my own life. Confidence without arrogance. Win them over with charm and wit. I can’t say enough about that strategy.
Poker. Frustrating and not very profitable this month. My mindset was not good for poker. I constantly feel as though I’m going to lose hands. That’s not how I should play this game. My tough-mindedness gave way to indecision and defeat. I lost $108 accumulating FPPs on Poker Stars. I’m down $550 since December at $1/2. Not the end of the world, but certainly disappointing. This game is a mind game like no other. I have a lot to learn and study, even four years into this endeavor. My day will come. Why not tonight! I caught a few PokerXFactor videos and studied their patience, their calculations that go into pushing all in, calling or folding. I think my best game is in the tournament sphere, though I have still not won a big tournament yet. With the increased FPPs I’m winning, I should be able to buy into several of these $215 tournaments down the road. I’d also like to buy into some World Series of Poker satellites, too. I’ll study those videos and do what I can to win a seat again. That will be my top priority online this year. I also want to check out satellites for the Shooting Stars tournament. I need to earmark time for more live play, especially tournament play. I always seem to be stuck in small limit mode. Not fun.
I came back from Kansas City today. I spent the weekend there with mom at Jill & Chris’s. Jill’s second child Hayden spent a week in the NICU because he wasn’t getting enough oxygen. The baby was released this morning, much to Jill’s relief. It was an enjoyable weekend. I stayed with Jill two nights at the hospital. The room was comfortable. Jill had been an emotional mess throughout the week, but I think my presence with her at the hospital calmed her down. It was nice hanging out with her for a few days.
China: I have to start preparing for this incredibly expensive but exciting trip. It’s going to be expensive, but I’ll figure out a way to pay for it. I really need to win at poker eventually. I do win live, but he rake is so much at the card clubs in Oakland. Playing $3/6 is hardly worth it, and playing larger stakes requires a larger bankroll. That’s my catch. Playing tournaments at Poker Stars will help.
My February goals have been written. I am determined to have the most successful month of my life starting now!
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Poker Going Well...Finally
I played a few thousands hands of $1/2 limit on Pokerstars today as part of my 1,000,000 FPP mission and won around $300 in the process. That's the biggest victory I've had since accumulating points this way. Perhaps I've found my rhythm.
I'm off to a date tonight with Chloe. I hope things go well. She seems nice.
Writing is going well. I finally have a title for my script: Deja Bride. Deja Bride is about a woman who keeps on dating the man of her dreams until she gets it right.
Perfect!
Wish me luck.
I'm off to a date tonight with Chloe. I hope things go well. She seems nice.
Writing is going well. I finally have a title for my script: Deja Bride. Deja Bride is about a woman who keeps on dating the man of her dreams until she gets it right.
Perfect!
Wish me luck.
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Week 1 Weekend
Didn't get nearly as much done as I wanted this weekend, and haven't written a word of my script nor played a hand of poker since New Year's Eve. But that will change this week. Still recovering from shingles. What a horrid nuisance. Went to brunch with Richad, Lisa, and Ari and talked about college for Ari's school. I've been assigned with helping Ari with her SAT tests, etc. I have some ideas I can throw her way. Everyone is excited about Ari's extraordinary musical gift. She has an amazing world class voice. It will be interesting to see where she takes it.
Since the new year I've been very positive and happy. Staying positive is key. Negativity and cynisism leads nowhere.
Time for bed. Night.
Since the new year I've been very positive and happy. Staying positive is key. Negativity and cynisism leads nowhere.
Time for bed. Night.
Friday, January 4, 2008
Iowa Results
I watched the Iowa coverage on MSNBC, and the level of giddiness and electricity among the MSNBC punditry was memorable and significant. I thought Hillary's consolation speech last night was gracious, poised and classy, but when she talked about America's need for a champion to look up to for leadership, I couldn't help but think that Obama was that champion. If there is one candidate who can bring the United States back into the good graces of the international community, Obama is that candidate, and the fact that Iowa gave the rest of the country an enormous green light in placing their hopes and dreams and support squarely on his shoulders suggests to me that this country is not so foolish after all.
I haven't watched Chris Matthews recently, so I don't know the context with which he presented his case against Hillary, but after Obama's speech, Matthews was emphatic in his argument that Hillary Clinton has been on the wrong side of the Iraq war from the beginning to the present, and therefore does not represent the change that is needed in this country. He stayed with that point for minutes, as if articulating an absolute truth. It's as if the Iowa results have opened up the flood gates to those Americans who have been so completely opposed to this unnecessary, incomprehensibly tragic war from the get-go that this political phenomenon known as Barack Obama represents the change in direction Americans like me so desperately want.
The experience card was resoundingly trumped last night by the change card. The numbers are exhilarating. 57% of the under-30 vote went with Obama. Of all the numbers I saw last night, that one sticks out in my mind as the most significant.
Had Clinton been the big victor last night (and the idea that experience trumps change), I would have accepted the outcome and given my support to her campaign. As I've stated before, I love and admire Hillary Clinton, and have been enormously impressed with her campaign these past few months. But my heart in this election is grounded in change. I simply don't care that Obama lacks the kind of experience Rumsfeld and Cheney have been boasting about these past seven years. I AM BESIDE MYSELF WITH GLEE THAT IOWA DOESN'T GIVE A DAMN EITHER!
I was five years old when Robert Kennedy ran for president. What I saw on MSNBC last night and what I've observed around the office today comes very close to the kind of political electricity I imaged Kennedy was generating back in '68. My biggest fear is for Obama's safety throughout the election year and the protection he needs against those forces who cannot comprehend the thought of a black president. Benazir Bhutto's death is a huge reminder to us all of the enormous vulnerabilities true agents of change face. It is my hope that his security is super-charged to a level that equals or even surpasses Bush's security. I don't want anything to happen to this man. I don't want another Kennedy situation, and yet I am convinced there are evil forces in this country who are plotting exactly that.
Last night was huge. Obama and his family were beyond radiant. They were transcendent in their beauty, in their promise and fulfillment of that little word called hope. The green light has been given and the entire world is watching this race and wrapping its mind around the thought of an Obama presidency. If that doesn't define change, I don't know what does.
This election now has my undivided attention. I am eager to see how the Clinton camp strategizes and revises their playbook between now and New Hampshire. Edwards is all but done in my opinion. His speech last night was delivered by a guy who was pissed off. The fact that he did not congratulate Obama speaks volumes about his character (along with Jeff's "insider" perspective of Edwards' genuineness). Richardson, unfortunately, was never given a chance. MSNBC framed his result in such as way that his only opportunity for a sound clip was dependent upon whether or not he would drop out. That really bugged me, given Jeff's contributions to Richardson's campaign. But I guess that's how things work in media land, and last night the media shouted it's message loud and clear: Obama is the man!
P.S. Go Huckabee Go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I haven't watched Chris Matthews recently, so I don't know the context with which he presented his case against Hillary, but after Obama's speech, Matthews was emphatic in his argument that Hillary Clinton has been on the wrong side of the Iraq war from the beginning to the present, and therefore does not represent the change that is needed in this country. He stayed with that point for minutes, as if articulating an absolute truth. It's as if the Iowa results have opened up the flood gates to those Americans who have been so completely opposed to this unnecessary, incomprehensibly tragic war from the get-go that this political phenomenon known as Barack Obama represents the change in direction Americans like me so desperately want.
The experience card was resoundingly trumped last night by the change card. The numbers are exhilarating. 57% of the under-30 vote went with Obama. Of all the numbers I saw last night, that one sticks out in my mind as the most significant.
Had Clinton been the big victor last night (and the idea that experience trumps change), I would have accepted the outcome and given my support to her campaign. As I've stated before, I love and admire Hillary Clinton, and have been enormously impressed with her campaign these past few months. But my heart in this election is grounded in change. I simply don't care that Obama lacks the kind of experience Rumsfeld and Cheney have been boasting about these past seven years. I AM BESIDE MYSELF WITH GLEE THAT IOWA DOESN'T GIVE A DAMN EITHER!
I was five years old when Robert Kennedy ran for president. What I saw on MSNBC last night and what I've observed around the office today comes very close to the kind of political electricity I imaged Kennedy was generating back in '68. My biggest fear is for Obama's safety throughout the election year and the protection he needs against those forces who cannot comprehend the thought of a black president. Benazir Bhutto's death is a huge reminder to us all of the enormous vulnerabilities true agents of change face. It is my hope that his security is super-charged to a level that equals or even surpasses Bush's security. I don't want anything to happen to this man. I don't want another Kennedy situation, and yet I am convinced there are evil forces in this country who are plotting exactly that.
Last night was huge. Obama and his family were beyond radiant. They were transcendent in their beauty, in their promise and fulfillment of that little word called hope. The green light has been given and the entire world is watching this race and wrapping its mind around the thought of an Obama presidency. If that doesn't define change, I don't know what does.
This election now has my undivided attention. I am eager to see how the Clinton camp strategizes and revises their playbook between now and New Hampshire. Edwards is all but done in my opinion. His speech last night was delivered by a guy who was pissed off. The fact that he did not congratulate Obama speaks volumes about his character (along with Jeff's "insider" perspective of Edwards' genuineness). Richardson, unfortunately, was never given a chance. MSNBC framed his result in such as way that his only opportunity for a sound clip was dependent upon whether or not he would drop out. That really bugged me, given Jeff's contributions to Richardson's campaign. But I guess that's how things work in media land, and last night the media shouted it's message loud and clear: Obama is the man!
P.S. Go Huckabee Go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)