Driving Miss Daisy Coming to an End

So I've spent the last half-week here in Dallas. My only true job duty was to drive my sister's kids to school (and one ballet lesson) and pick them up. My mom was also here so her duty was more of the true childcare role and I have to admit that she took the vast vast majority of that role so I had somewhat of a cakewalk. I was able to sleep in. I didn't have to wipe any butts or make any meals. But I did at least give her a bit of a break every day when I played with them and bounced them on the trampoline, or pushed them on the swings. Anyhoo, I am heading back home tomorrow and my real life will be ready and waiting for me.

My backer has decided to let me go and I really can't blame him. I have been a losing/breakeven player since August so paying me to either lose money or breakeven just doesn't make a lot of sense financially. 90% of a negative to a breakeven number is still a loss...

I thought about trying to keep putting my salary deal out there but I have decided that I am just going to bite the bullet and resume playing on my own dime. To be honest even though it definitely adds stress, I am also looking forward to it. I want poker to be my career. And if it is going to be my career then I either need to make money playing the game or I need to find another career. So it is sink or swim time for me, and I am hoping that everyone sees me swimming like Michael Phelps sooner rather than later.

Off to Dallas

My sister is going on vacation with her husband to some exotic place and needs someone to drive her kids to school and soccer and whatnot while she is gone, so I am heading off to Dallas tomorrow to re-enact Morgan Freeman's role in Driving Miss Daisy.

I have been working really hard this month so that I would be able to get my 400 tourneys in before I left for Dallas and I finished my 400th tonight. So far I am about as close to break even as you can get for the year (I am up $132.55 to be exact). I am really liking how I am playing lately. My in the money percentage is at close to 20% and I am getting deep in many different tourneys - I just need that elusive late run good and everything should fall into place.

Once I get back from Dallas my plan is to start calling realtors and tying up whatever loose ends are necessary to get our house on the market.

Broken Record Post

I almost didn't post this because I know it will sound like a broken record, but I haven't updated in a while and I don't want those who actually do check this blog out to think I have died.

So poker has been the same as it has for a long time for me. I am making a lot of deep finishes. Even a couple of final tables, but still just can't get that big score.

Everyone keeps telling me that all I can do is continue to put myself in the position to make the big scores and eventually they will come. My only worry is that maybe they just won't come anymore...

Back to winning

I was supposed to go to the driving range this morning, but it was raining so instead we just had breakfast and shot the shit. I then got some errands done this afternoon and put in a smallish session tonight. It started off about as bad as it can get with bad beats/lost races/and just getting brutalized over and over again with KK (either running it into AA or raising per getting called and having the flop come A hi). Anyhoo I stayed the course, ground it out and somehow managed to make a profit for the day.

The day was still frustrating - I got 2 14ths and one of them was in the 75k which I just seem to love final table bubbling; and my JJ lost to 55 all-in preflop for a 30+ BB pot at a $100 Final Table putting me out in fourth.

But.... I did also make two final tables and I am now back to just barely profitable for the new year. So instead of ruminating on the frustrations I am going to try and focus on the positives.

I am playing well. I am giving myself every opportunity to get deep in tourneys and get big scores. I am healthy and still get to make my own hours. So hopefully this will be a good way to kickstart my long weekend where I am heading to S.F. to hang out with my family.

I'll be back grinding away again next week.

Not a lot to report

We went to D.C. for a family reunion over New Year's which was short but sweet. I don't see my step-brothers very often so I enjoy it when I get to see them and their families. Watching the Badgers lose the Rose Bowl was disappointing but at least it was a really fun game to watch.

Pokerwise, the new year is unfortunately starting off very much the same way it ended. I play well, I get deep in some tourneys, I keep missing that elusive huge score. Tonight I played a small session after watching the Seahawks/Saints game and managed to final table and get 5th in the nightly 75k on Tilt. It was a nice chunk of change but it was also agonizingly close but not quite there to a huge score. 1st place was over $18k, and my fifth place finish was under $5k.

I will keep grinding and hopefully have a huge post to report soon.