September recap - who needs volume?

I put in basically no volume - just over 100 tourneys for the month. But the two final tables I got in those tourneys were a 1st and a 2nd so I didn't really need to play anymore.

I think I'm going to try and make some guaranteed money today and tomorrow by doing some videos. I also want to watch a lot of baseball this week (I get to root for both the cubs and brewers which should be fun although the cubs are the team I really care about) plus my inlaws are coming up for a long weekend starting Thursday, so I probably won't play at all this week.

I also finally got out and played some volleyball last night - I am sore today, but oit was fun and should be a weekly thing for me now.

Anyhoo - I made about 13k for the month, so all's good. I should get back to actually playing again next week.

Another daytrip another flat tire

Although walking on the bikepath along the American river here in Sacramento is beautiful and close we do like exploring other areas too, so this last weekend we drove about a half hour north (in a town called Weimar) and went on a hike that was supposed to end at a 50 ft waterfall. It was unseasonably hot (like 95 degrees), but I like the heat. My wife freaked out a bit because it was a steep, gravel road down to the start of the hike and we went in our old pickup which never feels too secure anyways. But we made it, and once we started hiking it was beautiful.

The hike goes along the northern portion of the American river, which is always beautiful.



For the last 1/4 mile or so it then veers off into the forest and you end at what is supposed to be a 50 ft waterfall. However, since it is the end of a hot summer, the "falls" had disappeared and we were left with this:



There was still a trickle of water though, which was enough for a memorable Chula vs. frog moment:




On the way back we made a little detour to the river and found a nice swimming spot for a refreshing dip.



Then on the drive home, the karmic gods decided that one blown tire in a week wasn't enough, so we shredded a tire on the pickup as well.



Luckily we were able to get off the freeway and onto a sidestreet safely and we paid $40 to have someone come and put the spare on and then we were back on our way safe and sound. Today I went and got 4 new tires since the ones on the pickup were pretty shot. All in all a fun weekend.

Slowly getting back into it

I played 4 afternoon tourneys today after a week break. Played fine, didn't luck out, that's poker.

The one thing I have realized this week, is that I need to get out of this fricking house more. I seriously know NO ONE in this city.

The after-win lull

I often take a break from playing after a big score. Usually it's because I'm amped from the win, don't sleep well that night and am just too tired to play well the next day. But lately it has also been because I am excited to increase my bankroll and don't want to lose any of it by playing and losing. I know that in order for me to win longterm I need to keep playing, but I also want to delay what I feel is an inevitable downswing from happening. I also realize that it's dumb/weird to think that way, but that's why I haven't played this week.

But after doing nothing the last two days, I am bored, so I'm getting back to it tonight. In the meantime, I fixed our stereo, got our flat tire taken care of, raked/mowed the yard, and made chicken chilequiles - so it's not all bad to take a break either.

Too quick of a visit

My family from L.A. came to visit for the weekend. I feel bad that they basically spent the whole weekend driving. They came up Friday night (about a 6 hr drive) and left this afternoon.

Yesterday we took them to the hike we really like where you end at a set of about 4 waterfalls which you can slide down. I was the only one with enough cojones to brave the cold, but it was still a nice hike and the dogs definitely enjoyed it.

The new car got its first flat yesterday as well so I'll take that in tomorrow to get fixed. My plan this week is to do some stuff around the house (big thing is I want to re-waterproof the patio), and finally go to the open gym and play volleyball.

Quick update part 2

I only played 3 tourneys today since my L.A. fam is coming and I wanted to clean the house. But I managed to luckbox my way to a 2nd place finish in the $40k on Tilt for just under $12k.

So wheeeeee. I'll be back at it on Monday.

Quick update

Poker has been bad results wise this week. I feel I am playing very well, so it's just a matter of time for another nice score. If/when I ever get on a hot streak I feel like my bankroll will finally take off to a point where I can finally feel comfortable that playing fulltime is going to work. My problem is I win and then lose it all back the next couple of weeks, win again, rinse, repeat. I know big picture I have actually increased my bankroll while making monthly withdrawals, but big pictures are hard to look at when you are grabbing your ankles.

Non-poker wise - my L.A. family is coming up for the weekend so I am excited about that. My wife has a "golden weekend" so it will be nice to just spend time away from the computer. I'll try and get a standard day in tomorrow and then take the weekend off.

Poker drama

Although I have no idea what the actual numbers are, it is pretty clear that the vast majority of online poker players are young, male, and computer savvy. The mixture of money to be made and the anonymity of making that money without anyone knowing your "true" identity sets up a situation which these young, money loving kids try to exploit anyway that they can.

In cash games, the easiest way to exploit the system is simply to get a group of players together and 'team up' against the unknowing opponents at the table. In tournaments this is more difficult to do since you are randomly put at tables. However, even in tourneys, players have tried and continue to try to exploit the system by playing for other players and by using multiple accounts so that they can enter the same tourney multiple times.

Recently, pokerstars, has banned the associates of one of the most famous of these young multiple-account players ("JJProdigy"). It is unclear whether they have been banned because JJ was funding them or simply because they were friends with him. What is clear is that the online community will have gossip material for quite some time.

Back at it

I won the $55 $15k guarantee on Tilt for a little over $5k today. Feels good to take one down again.

It looks like my in-laws are now coming up this weekend, so it will be another low volume week. But as long as I can continue to win like this, then I can really take as much time off as I want...

Close but no cigar

I took a shot at the $530 WCOOP event and got semi-deep. Finished 200 somethingth out of like over 7000 entries. The structure was fantanstic as the blinds increase every 1/2 hour rather than every 15 minutes. So you could just wait and let all the super aggressive players spew chips. I actually never really got anything going - I basically stayed at around a 20BB stack the entire tourney. Good to have a winning day again. I am playing so well, that I do feel a big score is right around the corner. Just need to keep getting it in well.

My folks are coming on Tuesday so I might not get in the volume I would like this week.

Birthdays and Anniversaries oh my!

We went out tonight to celebrate my wife's birthday (yesterday) and our 9th anniversary (today). It's hard to believe it's been 9 years. But when I think of everything we've done, it's also hard to believe it's only been 9 years: Peace Corps, law school, medical school, becoming a lawyer, becoming a doctor, becoming a poker player, moving to Guatemala, to Madison, WI, and to Sacramento, CA, buying our first house, first car... hopefully the next 9 will be as good as the last.

On the poker front, I am taking tomorrow off which is probably a good thing since I am getting increasingly frustrated at my latest downswing. I have been making a whole bunch of final 2 or 3 tables but haven't been able to finish anything off.

August in Review

After starting off with a bang I've hit a major wall these last two weeks. I still profited like $1k so although it's not what I'm expecting at least it's not losing.

But I feel good about my game so I feel a big score coming...

Downswinging

I am putting in lots of volume (at least for me) this week. I have probably played like 60 tourneys this week, and although I made one final table, I have only cashed 5 times and am down quite a bit. The frustrating part is that I feel I am playing really really well - I am just not getting rewarded. I know this is part of the game, but it still gets frustrating nonetheless.

Just grindin'

Not much going on here. I am just trying to get in some volume this week, so I've been playing over 10 tourneys a day. So far nothing huge this week, but I am playing well - I just need to run better.

I'm Famous

Haha, not really.

My first video for pokerpwnage is up though and so far the subscribers to the site are giving me positive feedback so that's good. I am actually really enjoying their site and am enjoying the good discussion that goes on on a daily basis in their forums.

In pokernews, I finaltabled a $26 FO on FullTilt and left disappointed in 7th place, but I felt I played well overall and just didn't get the cards to fall my way. It happens, oh well. I also recorded myself playing the last two tables, so hopefully that turned out decently and will be posted at some point on pokerpwnage as well.

Birthday Weekend

We went up to Tahoe for the weekend to celebrate my birthday. It's only a two hour drive and we've never been so we figured it was time to check it out. We had great weather, great hikes, and even though we only had one full day there, we had a great time.

We stayed in North Tahoe by Kings Beach and we spent Saturday at the beach.



That afternoon we went for a hike up the mountain for a better view of the lake.


Today we drove down to South Lake Tahoe along the Western shore of the lake and went for another hike by Emerald Bay.


And tomorrow we are back at it - the 16 hour days for her, and the 8 hour days of what I still consider fun for me.

Weekend Off

We are heading off to Tahoe tomorrow. Neither of us have ever been and we're only a two hour drive away so this is an early b-day gift to myself.

Pokerwise - I went on a bit of monkeytilt tonight so it's probably a good time for a break. I'll be back at it on Monday.

Eye Exam

I went and got my eyes checked today and now have the drugged/dazed look that you can't help having after your eyes get dilated. I am super lackadaisacal about doctor/dentist appointments in general, so it feels good to have gone. Next hurdle is getting off my ass and going to get glasses...

A poker anniversary

1 year ago today I won 6 figures in the FTOPs main event. It was obviously an incredibly exciting time for my wife and I and it allowed us to buy our first house. It was also a somewhat stressful and scary time for myself because we decided that I would keep around $30k as my poker bankroll and from that I could take a shot at playing professionally. If I could make enough to sustain our lifestyle, I could keep playing; if not, it was time for me to get a "real job" and practice law again.

With my propensity of having horrible bankroll management (I have previously donked off rolls of 15-20k), it was touch and go to start. But it is now one year later and somehow I am still playing. The journey so far has not been easy - the downswings have brought my roll down to around 20k and forced me to move down in levels at least 3 different times. But each time that has happened, I have been able to resist the urge to try and get that 10k back by playing higher buy-in tourneys or high limit cash games. Although I am not out of the woods yet, my roll has increased by 50% and I am making monthly withdrawals, so the outlook is brighter now than it was one year ago.

I hope this post is not coming off as being a bragfest because I realize I am neither the best player nor have I made the most money this last year. I simply wanted to let everyone know that I have survived one year and as that old Bartles and James guy used to say "I thank you for your support."

Back at it

I spent the day reviewing some hand histories, clearing up my computer a bit, and then playing tonight. Back to a normal 2 out of 8 cashes. Almost made the final table in one tourney. Thought I played really well. Mindset is much much better.